Sunny California Pt. II

I have also taken some instagram photos, which I mostly took on the first day and actually DO have sunshine. They're a bit more tourist-y and idealised.


Santa Monica Beach


Santa Monica Pier


Santa Monica Beach


The Perks of Being a Wallflower


View from the hotel window

Sunny California

I'm in California on holiday at the moment. I've been staying in Venice this week, and am driving to San Bernardino tomorrow, and then to San Francisco.
The weather was perfect the first day, and has been overcast ever since. When it's overcast here it's super dark and everything looks dirty and dull from the pollution. So most of the photos I've taken are rather depressing looking, at least compared to how everything looked when it was sunny. It's a funny place, Venice, and the sense of it that I've gotten in the time I've been here suggests that the photos I've taken are perhaps quite apt. There aren't many tourists at this time of year, and there are a lot of odd characters and homeless people around. The buildings are mostly quite old and shabby, in a visually enjoyable kind of way, and there's the kind of vibe that seaside towns tend to have in winter.
 
Market St


Nile Collective


Coin Laundry, Santa Monica


Motel, Santa Monica

I took some photos in a house my aunt bought recently. It was marvelously dirty and colourful, a combination I find hard to resist.

Springvale laundromat

Springvale, 2010

This photo is an out-take from a series I did in 2010. I've been very slowly cleaning up my hard drives, and it's fun because I keep finding stuff I really like but have never used for anything.

Corner Milk Bar, Aspendale

 I'm thinking of doing a series of milk bars. They're slowly dying out, and I love their aesthetic.

I bought a Polaroid EE 100 on ebay, and these are a couple of photos I've taken with it. It has some issues with light leaks, particularly those dots at the top, but it's been fun to be able to be reckless with polaroid film again and not worry about wasting it.

I have recently come across the website Crunchy Betty which is full of very cool DIY alternatives to commercial products like cosmetics, food, homewares etc. It is really good as a reference point if you have an interest in ethical consumption, DIY projects, anti-consumerism, organic stuff, health, thriftiness, feminism, supporting local produce, or sticking it to the man who wants you to Buy More Stuff.

This post is really just a memo to myself, so that I can keep track of all the things I want to try out.

So, here's the ones I've read so far and want to try:

Picture tiles
Vegan cookie dough balls
Coconut/cashew butter
Castile and coconut milk shampoo
Deodorant
Green smoothies

Empty house from somewhere.



My dresser


Childhood mementos


I've been aimlessly taking photos lately. It's all a bit blah. And I have not got anything to write, interesting or otherwise. Zzzzzz.

Finally

I have finally got around to posting again! I have a few things saved up that I need to edit or scan so in the next week or so I shall be posting some more.

These are polaroids I took at Lizzie's birthday, which was a costume party with the theme 'Wild and Eccentric'

2012

New year, new beginning, supposedly. And this new year is just a little different to the others, because for the first time in 16 years, I am not facing down another year of study.

I worked an average of forty hours a week through december, so have barely picked up my camera in months. Instead, I had the dubious joy of working as a santa photographer and a retail minion. But now the yuletide is over, I can get back to making plans, taking photos and having adventures. Or, ahem, sitting around in my pajamas watching movies all day.

'Our Beach House'

Bus stop, Parkdale