We strolled through areas of St. Louis as I excitedly snapped photos on my new film camera, the Contax 645. So many of the photographers that I admire shoot with this camera; I’ve craved the soft, creamy tones for my photos. About a month ago, I finally convinced myself to buy a Contax 645, I read the manuals from front to back and anxiously went out and shot my first roll of Fuji 400h film. I sent the roll off to the wonderful folks at Indie Film Lab and when the scans arrived it was like Christmas all over again, the results were more than I imagined.
Sometimes it’s hard to take that first leap into the unknown, but when I think about the look I want for my photos, I know I’m headed in the right direction which helps ease any nervousness. I look forward to pushing myself even more to create photos that speak to my heart, and hopefully yours too. 🙂
Below are a few images from the first roll of film through my Contax 645.
Photo below taken by Beau. 🙂
A huge thank you to all who participated in my Valentine’s Day giveaway, I drew a name this morning and the winner is Jessica. Wishing everyone warmth, adventure, and love! xoxo ~Ali
Over the summer we had the honor of photographing a wedding in Key West, Florida. We decided to stay a few extra nights leading up to the wedding day to explore and plan around the colorful island that measures only 2 miles by 4 miles. At the time I thought, “it would be cool to show our personal photos when it’s winter back in Missouri.” Here we are in winter, and if you’re like me, you’re totally ready for the warmer temperatures of spring. As I edited these photos, I loved escaping back into our adventures on the beautiful island.
Day one: We arrived at our studio rental and immediately hopped onto our bicycles ( the main mode of transportation around there) to explore. Mallory Square is where a lot of action is going on; we saw several street performers, wildlife, and experienced sunset celebration for the first time.
I love that the community cares for the kitties. <3
Hands down, my favorite performer was the Catman of Key West. He was sooo full of life and didn’t care how silly things got, you could tell he really has a passion for his cats and sharing their talents. I find it inspiring when someone is unapologetically themselves, he definitely has that down. 😉
Sunset celebration in Mallory Square happened every night, as the last rays of light dipped under the ocean everyone watching erupted into whistles and applause. No two sunsets were the same, I could stare at the changing colors every single day.
The following morning we woke up before the sun and went out to a pier we stumbled across riding our bikes. There was a little cloud cover so we couldn’t see the sun at the moment it rose above the water but it was still breathtaking.
Beau’s picture he took of me. 🙂
Our days mostly consisted of exploring every nook of the island on our bikes and taking in every wonderful color and sight.
Chickens everywhere! At first I wondered who they belonged to, then I realized they were free to roam, I’d guess it’s good to be a chicken on the island of Key West. 😉
All the arrows and miles pointing to other places on the pole at the beach reminded me we were nestled on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean.
I want to take a moment to thank my wonderful husband, Beau. He helped me carry gear everywhere and was just as enthused about creating photos as I was. If you’ve seen us together on a wedding day, you know it’s a similar scene then too. He’s encouraged my photography adventure from day one and I couldn’t be luckier to have him. <3
This was one of my favorite images when it happened, I named it “little boat meets big boat”. 😛
Mahi mahi bites for lunch complete with a cold brew, mmmmm.
What happens when a small island gets a bunch of rain? Water eeeeeverywhere.
The following day we decided to take a dolphin watching and snorkeling trip.
“We’re on a boat!” Bonus points if you know the rest of the lyrics to the song I’m referring to. 😉
Turns out you can dock your boat in international waters off the island with no problem. Such an adventurous life for this pup!
Key West from our boat.
First dolphin spotted, eee!
We took along an underwater disposable camera, below are a few of the best from the roll of film.
Headed back to shore, sunset celebration had just ended at Mallory Square.
The last day was spent riding bikes (of course) and taking it easy as we prepared for the wedding.
One last Catman show before sunset.
I hope you enjoyed the photos from our travels to Key West, it was truly a place of magical light and colors. In honor of Valentine’s day, I want to spread the love and give away one 8×10 print from our trip. To enter, first “Like” my Facebook page here and second, leave a blog comment below. The winner will be randomly picked then announced on the blog next Wednesday. Thank you for stopping by and reliving our days in sunny Key West, Happy Valentine’s Day!
Ever have a day where you say, “Is this real life?!” The day I attended a workshop by Clary Photo was one of those days, in an amazing way! Clary was our wedding photographer and when she announced she would be holding a workshop all about film, it was a dream come true. My heart has gravitated towards film photos for so long, getting an opportunity to learn side by side with one of my favorite photographers was a huge treat. I shared a full day with Clary and seven other fabulous photographers, we had classroom time as well as a styled shoot that was to. die. for. Every detail was just perfect, from the florals and table settings down to the beautiful models.
I’ve dabbled with film for a long time and every time I get my scans back, it’s like Christmas. Film warms my photos and heart like no other medium can. Film allows me to slow down and really think about an image before snapping the shutter, after all, rolls of film are not cheap and each frame is valued that much more. The biggest lesson I walked away with from the workshop is to go for it, which set me free. I truly believe in film and its creamy, colorful qualities; it simply can’t be beat.
What was icing on the cake? Clary has the coolest three-legged cat, Rhino! 😛
With spring juuust around the corner, I’m celebrating by giving away a session! 🙂 If you’re a fun, adventurous, crazy in love couple, I’d love to hear from you!
I’ve always thought it would be neat to see my images in a magazine, now I can say it’s happened. You may remember Erin & Ryan, the awesome couple whose wedding I photographed over the summer; it was such an honor documenting their wedding day and now it’s even sweeter seeing their photo in the January issue of Alive Magazine. I’d say 2013 is shaping up to be pretty rad. 😉
