Travel photography
Some views from my drive up north to see the alpacas. As a natural wanderer, I could not help but make a random stop here and there to capture the beauty I witnessed out in Warwick, New York.
Hope you enjoy.
Asuka
September was my birthday, so for the first time since the pandemic I decided to give myself a mini birthday trip.
As an introvert-learning ambivert (usually I just say introvert, but some of you may get it hehe), I naturally prefer to spend time alone. So was the case for my birthday, especially this year during the COVID-19 pandemic. I decided that this year, I wanted to take myself out on a drive go see what always elates my mind: animals. So I rented a car (with my fear because driving in New York can be scary for me) and headed up north.
The alpaca farm was located in Warwick, NY. The short birthday trip was beyond worth it. This particular farm had over 30 alpacas, some including babies that were born the previous week. They were all calm, curious and quiet. In fact this farm had many other creatures including dogs, cats, chicken, etc. A lovely farm. I got to touch one of them, and let me say, they are SOFT.
I hope to find myself back up in north. That trip calmed my heart, gave me a fresh breath of air and determination.
Asuka
Good morning to you :).
I hope you are enjoying a productive and relaxing day. Last week I discovered some untouched photos from my Taiwan trip and wanted to share with you some of my favorites from this “lost file.” All of these photos were shot on 35mm film. These photos are from my visit up to the Hydrangea Flower Field in Taiwan, Taipei.
There were a large number of families, couples, and groups of friends visiting to bask in the beauty of the flowers and trees. I may have been the only person visiting alone, but when you travel solo often it isn’t a concern. As you can see some of them allowed me to photograph them. My favorite photo is on the very bottom. Explanation will be given below!
This photograph which you see here is my favorite photo from my entire trip. After visiting the Hydrangea Fields I took the bus to explore nearby areas. This was on one of the hikes (that I went on with sandals, let’s celebrate shoe diversity). I remember reaching a random hill, and I caught this duo just about to walk down together. It was another hot & humid day in Taiwan, but the the views were dreamy and the winds, comforting. They two were quiet. Seeing that she was fixing her hat, I assumed that they had just taken a break and were heading down to continue their hike. Something about capturing that moment was wonderful for me. To see this duo, assumably a daughter and father spending time together when perhaps she has other friends to choose to hang out with, or perhaps she struggles to make friends and her father wanted to give her company. We will never know, and that’s the beauty of it.
More to come :)
Hello and goooooood morning again!
Here are some minimalist views that I encountered during my hikes in Taiwan. They were breathtaking, grounding and calming all in one package. Which one is your favorite? :)
As you can see, the overall greenery there was rich with almost a blue-green hue. It’s wonderful to understand how climate affects not only lifestyles but the very colors that surround us.
My favorites are torn between the last photo and the second to last.
A little about this last image though. It was on the left side of my hiking trail. When I saw it, it felt as if time had stopped. There was nothing but myself, these long grass, and the wind wisping through it. Funny how certain moments are engrained in your memory one it has made an impact on your life.
Have you ever experienced a moment like that? Tell me about it!
Asuka
Before moving out east I went out to shoot Ai who turned her wedding dress into a tie dye work of art. The colors worked beautifully with the mountains of Painted Hills, Oregon. The morning of that shoot was beautiful. Nice and warm, the sun a little harsh but we made it work in our favor. The mountains were truly dreamy. Nothing like traveling to shoot!
Photos shot on both 35mm and digital.
I can’t wait to travel for a shoot again.
XO
M Kat
Moments from visiting the two islands. Enjoy.
Masumi
Last month I headed out to the east coast for a zouk congress. Since I was heading out all the way to the other side of the continent, I decided to make a trip to go just a bit further east: to Assateague Island, the land of wild horses. Wild. Beach. Horses.
One week prior to heading out to the island, the weather forecasted that the days I would stay there would be thunder storming. I had no idea how I would get photographs of these horses with film, especially in dark, gloomy, rainy weather. I wondered whether I would be spending my time and finance to get zero pictures of the horses.
The days approaching my visit to the island came near, and on the night driving out to Virginia near Chincoteague Island, I indeed drove amongst many beautiful streaks of lightning. It was definitely thunder storming. Super dark.
I was doomed.
The next day arrived, the day that I would spend seeking out the horses. Somehow, the thunderstorm was gone. The sky showed a beautiful blue with sunshine. In fact, too much sunshine. It was so hot haha. So hot that I was worried it would affect my film. Yes it was hot, sticky weather but at the very least, my chances of getting photos taken significantly increased. In regards to the weather I told myself, "I'll take it."
I first visited Chincoteague Island, hearing that the horses are there as well. No horses, but beautiful scenery. After inquiring I found out that the horses come out during the sunrise and sunset (can you tell I don't plan trips very well?), so I headed up north to Assateague Island to catch them for sunset.
For a while I didn't see many horses. Definitely none on the beach like I saw pictures of on Google. I decided to lounge around, hang out for a bit and practice being patient. "Don't take too many pictures." "Wait until sunset." Switching to medium format, I really had to be careful with how many photos I took. A few hours after hanging out and getting sweatier, sunset finally arrived. The wait was worth it. I headed out to the beach, and bam. Horses on the beach. It was one of the most beautiful things I've witnessed. It was so serene. The horses sitting on the beach was such a majestic thing to see, so graceful, so powerful, so beautiful. At that moment life made sense. Moments like these are what I live for, what I travel for.
Except this one. Negative grace points for this one haha.
More photos soon, my traveling friends.
Masumi
Masumi's visit to Miyajima, deer island. Photographed on medium format film.
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