alone, together

may 2020 / minolta x700 + pentax k1000

after a rough year of post-grad life, things were finally starting to look up but then everything suddenly came to a halt. i had just started a new job last november and this year it finally felt like I got the hang of things and had a daily routine going. quarantine was kind of hard to adjust to at first because i was so accustomed to being outside of the house for a good amount of my day. i am blessed to say though that it hasn’t been too bad. i get to work from home and i now have all the time in the world to spend time with my family, connect with old friends, and learn new skills. i realize now that although it seems like life is on pause, we can still grow as people.

for this project i wanted to capture the emptiness of the places i used to frequent prior to quarantine and a little bit of my life at home. i work in downtown and after most days I’d go up on the top floor of my parking garage with my camera just to look around and take in the city. one of my favorite buildings to look at is the bisbee building and although it’s abandoned, it’s still so beautiful. another location i went to was one of my city’s historic movie theaters and the marquee perfectly describes how life is right now. another thing i used to do after work was go skateboarding with my friends at the park or in the neighborhoods near the beach, but right now you can’t do much because most things are locked up or have caution tape. life at home hasn’t changed much though, my sisters and i still do the same things but i think this time in quarantine has allowed us to grow closer together.

ThankYOU

july 2020 / pentax k1000

this is my older sister ysa. i’d like to say ThankYOU to her for always inspiring me to dream big and for supporting me in everything i do.

in the thicc of it

february 2022 / sony a7iii

for years i only shot film because i could never really afford a digital camera, but last year on my birthday my mom gifted me a sony a7iii . i haven’t really used it outside of work because i’ve always felt the need to watch every video about the camera before using it instead of learning as i go. i also just find the whole editing process a bit daunting. i think i use film as a crutch because most of the time you just compose, adjust your settings, and snap away. one of my goals for this year is to get more comfortable with editing and shooting digital, so i decided to use my new camera for this submission.

there’s this photo my sister found of our mom in the 80s, and since then i’ve been wanting to recreate it with my sisters. that striped shirt we’re all wearing is actually the same one our mom wore in the original photo. she hates that we still wear it because it’s so old and there are a bunch of holes in it. she’s even bought us replacement striped shirts but the original is just too good.

hopes & dreams zine vol.1

december 2022 / minolta x-700

in our first-ever club zine, photo club members were asked to share images that captured what ‘hopes & dreams’ means to them. volume 1 features over 70 submissions, showcasing the talent and creativity of our members from all around the world.

i joined the hopes & dreams club during a time in my life when i lacked community and connection. having a safe space to challenge ourselves creatively and share our work has been such a gift. i’ve always struggled with imposter syndrome and perfectionism, but being in this community has helped me embrace those things and has given me the confidence to create and share more. i took these photos this past summer in paris during a walk in the tuileries garden. it was golden hour and it was just so beautiful. it felt like magic.

additional images and video are by 823.

IRL - in real life

june 2022 / minolta x-700

in partnership with memento, #HDClub004 encouraged members to express and explore their connection with offline creativity. selected submissions are exhibited on luxury, limited edition gallery tees sewn-to-order and shipped in an artist tube that doubles as a pinhole camera.

i had a pretty rough start to the year and needed to hit reset, so i went to joshua tree with two of my best friends. we spent the weekend in joshua tree national park going on hikes and climbing rocks, and it was so healing to be out in nature like that. i felt like a kid again.

click here to view/purchase the IRL - in real life premium gallery tee.

additional images are by 823 and memento.