Posts filed under i take photos

my office

where i sleep and throw my clothes and sometimes watch a movie

where i sleep and throw my clothes and sometimes watch a movie

i killed my plants

i killed my plants

where i make stuff

where i make stuff

where i keep the messy stuff

where i keep the messy stuff

where R2D2 lives

where R2D2 lives

where the only pictures i have with my friends are

where the only pictures i have with my friends are

where i keep a picture of them

where i keep a picture of them

where projects die and are born

where projects die and are born

where clips that don't actually work are #aesthetic

where clips that don't actually work are #aesthetic

where i keep artwork from first grade

where i keep artwork from first grade

there's just a random donut on my desk

there's just a random donut on my desk

people always ask me what my workspace is like.

it's my room.

it's my creative space #PEACHYS

i live here, i work here, i sleep here. it's my space. there's a lot of art and design magazines and stuff. my mom printed out some of my own photographs so i could, you know, get some inspiration from myself or something. i look back on my 2006 self (aka that painting from the first grade) for sources of creativity. real casual.

my room is a balance of myself. there's a lot of graphic prints and minimalist stuff, but there's also an R2D2 on my pillow, a tardis on my desk, and pictures of planets in my closet. i'm very discreet with my inner nerd, but there are hints of it everywhere.

there are usually more plants in my space. i killed most of them. what a shame.

there are cracks on my wall. some are new, some are old. our building is shifting and the wall closest to my bed looks like it's about to fall apart. it adds character. yeah.

i have a whole turntable space on my credenza. the flash didn't really reflect well on it, so i deleted all the pictures. it's there though. 

i think comfort fuels my creativity + motivation + productivity.

this is common comfort...

 

too much?

Posted on April 30, 2016 and filed under blah blah blah, i take photos.

i'm so happy

i'm home. the past few days of spring break have been the most relaxed. there was a moment when i actually thought that it was summertime.

i'm happy. i'm so happy, and being so is one of the most askdfklj feelings. it's hard to explain, but i'm sure you've felt this way before. when i'm happy, i get creative. i've made so many little things (including a 'california' video!!!) in the past week alone. 

i even made a little playlist about it. cool. 

enjoy your spring everyone. i'll hear from you soon. promise.

Posted on April 1, 2016 and filed under videos!!!, i take photos.

what's happened in the past 23 days

(images by me + awesome video on windows/light/shadows that i adore)

i'd forgotten to write here. i'd forgotten i have this space.

i've been so busy with school and the given exhaustion that comes with it that i'd forgotten to write + share. i wanted to let you know that i am well. i feel good. i am happy amidst the chaos that is exams and tests. i don't know how it came to be this way because i certainly wasn't like this last year.  

i still care. i'm just more carefree. i've been thinking about it a lot: how happy i am now because i've cut this limit that has restrained me for so long. this tense, hard-on-myself mindset that kind of just itches at the back of your head. i don't know how i did it– how i learned to disregard it, but i don't think i've ever been so sunny during such a "stressful" time. 

other than that, life is good. i've been reevaluating my perspective on things as a whole, which is good i guess. i don't really know how to explain. i'm growing up? i feel like i've grown up already, but maybe this is just my last bit of maturity kicking in. 

casey neistat retweeted me. that was cool. 

we saw troye sivan last tuesday. less cool but still A+

i wrote a thing for missbish.

it's okay.

tgif

 

Posted on March 4, 2016 and filed under blah blah blah, i take photos.

#blizzard2016

1. 30+ inches of snow in the city

2. i went out at 9pm on friday to explore

3. i took pictures + made a video

4. i froze both my cameras + almost cried

5. a guy danced for my video

6. we didn't have a snow day today, and i'm incredibly upset

7. i've been away from home for 7 days and on 2 trips in the past week

8. it's now the final stretch until spring break

 

happy monday

 

Posted on January 25, 2016 and filed under videos!!!, i take photos.

hey there it's hal

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hello izzy's fans, its Hal here - her super cool english friend from a little rural corner of an already little country - she has asked me to write a blog post for her which ofc i said i would because i love her work aaaand shes super rad. it won't be easy however sticking to her consistent format of inconsistent punctuation but i'll give it a shot. 

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so yeah i'm an englishmen living and working in england amongst fields and trees and sheep etc etc which sounds pretty boring i know and.. well it is frequently uneventful but i find ways to pass the time. for example i post to instagram a lottt (@hal_ellis_davis) and because i'm super cool i usually have art and photography projects lined up to fill up my time. (to give you an idea just how cool, i am currently wearing a herschel cap backwards and drinking black tea and listening to red velvet so .. can you even deal).

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i'm a freelance photographer but recently i've been keeping my commissions to a minimum as i have just started university *pokey out tongue emoji* which is very exciting - last week i made an post modernist installation of defaced frank lloyd write books and fabric vegetables - university is what you make of it right?!

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anyway the maaaaain subject of my post is that i am finally leaving the confines of europe in two weeks, something i haven't actually done before! and i'm not just going anywhere i'm coming to N Y C !!! superrrr pumped of course. not just because new york and the steam system but also i am spending the whole day with miss rael and also also it's halloween! so below are some examples of what i hope to see and do whilst in the concrete jungle (where dreams are made of) with some inspo photos i've swooned over these past few years.

 

1. go up the rock. for obvious reasons. its pretty cool.

photo from google images

photo from google images

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2. shoot the might of the brooklyn bridge.

photo by chris ozer

photo by chris ozer

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3. die inside the apartment by the line, or stake it out, i haven't decided which yet.

photos from google images

photos from google images

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4. catch an autumnal NYC sunset.

photo from gabriel flores

photo from gabriel flores

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5. grab some lattes or teas or smth at Happy Bones.

images via trotter mag / stefan karlstrom

images via trotter mag / stefan karlstrom

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6. check out chinatown from the manhattan bridge. 

photo by chris ozer

photo by chris ozer

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7. admire the west village in a decorated halloween-ey state.

photo from google image

photo from google image

and then number 8 was a photo of central park in autumn but it was taking years to upload and also my mum wanted to use the computer and also also it wasn't my favourite photo of the leaves anyway. ANYWAY i can't wait to get to new york and see izzy and see all this cool stuff and take photos of it.

peace out, Hal

x

Posted on October 17, 2015 and filed under travel, blah blah blah, i take photos.

an evening at photoville 2015

a wonderful night spent chatting away with the VSCO team, eating avocado sandwiches and watching people explore and be fascinated by this year's photoville. this week(end) will be great.

have a great day, everyone.

Posted on September 13, 2015 and filed under i take photos.

scandinavia

moderna museet in stockholm, sweden

skogskyrkogården in stockholm, sweden

the cabin at the treehotel, northern sweden

the morning of our departure from northern sweden

moderna museet in stockholm, sweden

"stop smiling!"

a live art piece. good thing they had clothes on...

a wall in helsinki, finland

i didn't really realize how far behind i am on my summer school work. it's okay i guess– i can figure it out, but i'm trying to enjoy the summer as much as i possibly can. quite easy for me to do at the moment. 

we've been in scandinavia for about a week now with one week left in copenhagen and stockholm (again). it's been a pretty amazing experience. my mom, q and i have found such cool things just walking around these tremendously beautiful cities. i did not want to bombard you, reader, with so many photographs at once; however, i have uploaded all of my favorites to my portfolio:

stockholm day 01, stockholm day 02, northern sweden day 01, northern sweden day 02, and helsinki

for those who live in these areas or who are thinking of traveling to scandanavia, i compiled a list of places that we went (that i hope you can check out + enjoy) (list will be updated when we visit copenhagen!):

stockholm–

  • moderna museet (museum of modern art)
  • pärlans (homemade caramel shop)
  • järna (flower shop @ hornsbrukgatan 24)
  • talent gallery (print shop)
  • arkitektur och designcentrum (architecture/design museum)
  • hammarby sjöstad observatorium (water landscape)
  • gro (small, set-menu restaurant)
  • lilla ego (restaurant)
  • oaxen slip (restaurant)

helsinki–

  • urban a (clothing store)
  • vitra store (furniture [!])
  • pino (modern trinkets)
  • plootu (coffee shop)
  • formverk (furniture)
  • pastor (asian fusion restaurant)

happy summer, everyone.

 

Posted on August 23, 2015 and filed under travel, i take photos.

while i'm gone

[shots from plant food and wine]

the past couple of days have been spent relaxing in los angeles. emphasis on the relaxing. i've been enjoying it tremendously. we're home for about 31 hours before we make our connecting flight to london and then to stockholm early in the morning. there are no words to describe how much i'm looking forward to our scandinavia trip; however, i'm a little tired. 

it's always worth it though. traveling.

this was a small check-in before things start picking up again. you'll hear from me next in europe!

have a great thursday, everyone.

Posted on August 13, 2015 and filed under travel, i share stuff, i take photos.

things i've learned + jazz camp

unfortunately, i didn't take many pictures at campus, so you're going to have to deal with more portland photographs (disgusting, i know...)

i was pretty weary of going to camp; but, what's new? i'm pretty weary about doing anything.

so that small worry that started on monday grew like an epidemic until wednesday and most likely caused all of the innumerable health issues i had this week.

i don't even know what i was worrying about. probably stuff i shouldn't be worrying about... like always.

but despite the fact that this flaw pretty much f*cked up most of my week, i learned some things too. 

and trust me, camp was in so many ways more awesome than it was stressful (as i believed i've accidentally implied above).

i've learned that (music-wise + life-wise) 

...practicing for 15 minutes every day can get you places (even if that is all you can fit into your terrible high school schedule)
...worrying = terrible thing to put yourself through. don't do it.
...at the end of day (literally at the end of the day for campers), you just have to let go and some of your best sounds and music will become of it. (reiterating the "stress = bad" logic)
...the people that you meet now could be the people you'll encounter (probably in new york city) later (and you'll probably have to host some of them. i'm getting ready now!!)
...listening to depressing music at dinner can make you feel like crap for a few long minutes, but can actually urge you to play better throughout the night (who knew?!)
...talking to new people = fantastic

while all of these things pretty much apply to me and jazz camp, if you take them out of context, they are relevant to every-day-social-life-things-you-should-be-doing-anyway qualities. so this applies to everyone.


so to wrap this all up, i'm going to share my favorite albums and selective songs from the slowly rising jazz world for all of my new camp followers out there (and to my already existing ones, of course). au revoir for now.

 

songs from the analog playground - charlie hunter quartet

favorite songs/ mitch better have my bunny, percussion shuffle, creol


 

fact finding mission - trichotomy

favorite songs/ strom, fact finding mission


 

the gentle war - trichotomy

favorite songs/ chase, wrestle, cute


 

the house that trane built - various artists

favorite songs/ stolen moments, alamode, hard work

 

have a great week, everyone!

Posted on July 26, 2015 and filed under travel, blah blah blah, i share stuff, i take photos.

farms + portland

i am currently in portland, oregon for two weeks to visit my grandparents and go to jazz camp! to celebrate this absolutely wonderful summer weather, my grandmother, grandfather, aunt and i went to sauvie island farm to pick (a TON) of berries. i, out of nature, was tempted to film little details of the farm, so i did and i made a video out of them.

so yeah. berry picking + good music + sounds of the farm = bliss.

enjoy.

have a marvelous week everyone!

Posted on July 16, 2015 and filed under videos!!!, i take photos.

your very own book

ah! i'm so excited about this. you can make your own instagram book (for free) and get it shipped to you. i explain how to do so and give you a peek into what it looks like in my little video. 

why wouldn't you want one?

--

01. go to http://chatbooks.com/
02. click "make a book now"
03. click "create an account now" in the pop-up
04. create an account 
05. you will be directed to http://app.chatbooks.com/books – click "+ create new book"
06. select instagram series + "create"
07. name your book + log in to instagram via the "login to instagram" button
08. once pictures load, click "+ subscribe" button, then "confirm"
09. enter my code "MINIM785" to get a free book delivered to you!

Posted on June 25, 2015 and filed under videos!!!, i take photos.

i think i've made it

1. iced coffee for summer / 2. raspberry sorbet for aesthetic / 3. pool scenes / 4. 4D tesseract in 3D / 5. celebrate! / 6. the view from abby’s

yesterday was my last day of classes of my first year of high school. it doesn't even feel like it's ended, but rather that it's just starting all over again. bad? meh. i think it's time that i reflected on 10 things that have happened this year, (like i did last year).

  1. i turned 15
  2. i started and finished my first year of high school
  3. i became comfortable with wearing a uniform every day (yep.)
  4. i started a plant-based diet (yeah!go vegetables!)
  5. i got hired for my first real photography commission (it never really went through...)
  6. i became comfortable with not having extra time to do the stuff i want to do
  7. i learned that it's good to keep in touch with old friends
  8. i learned that speaking up for myself is extremely valuable
  9. i realized that baking (although tedious at times) is a stress-reliever
  10. i grasped that i really take sleeping for granted

so yeah. 10 things that definitely weren't as deep as last year, but, you know, it's still constructive. 


so. for the final moments before summer, i will share some cool stuff things magic thingamabobs:

/ such a cool air purifier + planter + design piece 

/ beet tart tart tart

/ 2-ingredient buckwheat pancakes (bc PANCAKES)

/ i'm very intrigued by this instagram

/ chill sounds

/ i dig this

have a fabulous weekend, everyone.

Posted on June 6, 2015 and filed under blah blah blah, i share stuff, i take photos.

grey

i've been thinking about summer lately and about all of that precious free time i'll have to spend so loosely. it's kind of warm feeling i get thinking about all that time (which, when you think about it, isn't actually all that much). it's the final stretch now. i have all of these projects i'm trying to keep up on (both school-wise and photography/design-wise). at this point, i feel as though my brain is about to collapse on itself and fold into a cheese-less calzone. a good feeling? meh, i would say i've felt better. 

i just glanced out the window and realized how beautiful it looks. maybe i'll go outside today to enjoy it? we'll see. 70˚ sounds quite nice. i'm waiting for the weather to become consistent again. bleh. anyways enough blah blah blah. i haven't done a link-love in awhile, so i thought now would be a great time.

––

1/ give me all the flatbread

2/ my absolute new favorite song - it's been on repeat all morning

3/ drool (not literally)

4/ probably the coolest website for telling time

5/ yoga, photography, and recipes combined? swoon!

6/ the brilliance of this photograph is unreal. like seriously.

––

have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

Posted on April 11, 2015 and filed under blah blah blah, i share stuff, i take photos.

guana

as many of you know, last weekend my family and i took a trip to the british virgin islands, a set of small islands near san juan. it's been wicked cold in the nyc. last week it was 9˚F, so it was nice to add a zero to the end of that number...

it was the first time i've ever seen waters so clear and blue. yes, i've been to the beach multiple times (thanks, cali), but to see water to pure was probably like seeing snow for the first time. it seems almost impossible. there was plenty of fruit-eating, sun-bathing, and sleeping. sleeping in has never felt so good. 

there was rain, but it was beautiful. it was the type of rain that you can swim in because it's so warm and soft. there was something about this place that made me tranquil, and i don't think i have ever had such an experience like that before. 

next week, exams start, so i guess this trip was a stress-reliever of sorts. i'm looking forward to that. not. 

have a lovely weekend everyone!

Posted on February 21, 2015 and filed under travel, videos!!!, i take photos.

yes. break.

shooting a special cake...

big scarf in steven alan home

pretty light in steven alan brooklyn

it's been a great week; a very relaxing, rewarding week. and it feels so great.

after christmas day, i began to shoot some new recipes i've come up with (and they're really, realllllly goooood, if i do say so myself). i think what's really great about writing recipes is that once you get an end result (hopefully positive), it's gratifying. i've been feeling a lot of that this winter break. plus, i get to eat all of my dishes, so that's nice too.

it's also been great to spend more time with my mom, dad, and brother; to be able to go out shopping or just talk during the day. i also get to cook with my mom again; that feels nice. everything that has to do with free time is nice. free time is nice. watching an entire harry potter marathon is nice. sleeping in is nice. 

break is nice.

oh god, i'm going to have a lot of trouble when school starts again.

enough of my crazy rambling. have a great week everyone!

Posted on December 29, 2014 and filed under blah blah blah, i take photos.

the tree

personally, the merry holiday feelings do not begin until my family and i pick a christmas tree. in this sentence i effectively used diction; from the use of the word 'pick', we can extrapolate that izzy selectively chooses her trees, meaning that she rejects all other trees until she finds the perfect one. we once again witness the human condition to strive for perfection, even if that means hurting the feelings of poor trees in the process. 

BAM. english analysis studying done. QED. oh look, geometry studying done, too. 

this week is crammed with before-break tests, quizzes, and assessments– too many? never... but it's overwhelming at times. during my study sessions and work periods, i enjoy listening to covers of classic holiday songs and ballads to keep reminding myself that the winter break is near.

as i was saying before i went into my tree analysis, today we drove upstate to select the perfect arboreal figure. now in the Rael family, there's a lot that goes into consideration when choosing a tree: its height, its color, its fullness, its ability to fit in the stairwell, its scent, and other beneficial factors. we ended up deciding on a full, 11-foot tree with green pine needles and a blue-grey underside, while also having an extremely prominent pine-y smell. i say it's perfect. truly perfect. it's pretty bare at the moment, but it will be filled with ornaments by tomorrow morning.

let the holidays begin.

have a lovely sunday, everyone. 

p.s. below is the playlist that i listen to during the holidays. enjoy.

p.p.s. happy last consecutive date of the century.


Posted on December 13, 2014 and filed under playlists, blah blah blah, i take photos.

stress & friday links

let's talk about stress. 

as a freshman at a completely new school that is also completely unfamiliar, i have a lot of stress. stress = little sleep = anxiety about not sleeping = being unconfident about stuff. so therefore, using the transitive property, stress = not being confident about stuff.

i think that what's hard for me to fully understand is that struggling is part of being a teenager. that being uncomfortable when you don't grasp a concept or when you are around other people is normal.

although i am writing these statements now, i realize that even haven't comprehended them yet. which kind of sucks, but i think i'm getting used to it. 

to all my fellow students: you will make it through. 

to all of my fellow non-students: you will make it through.

to myself: just stop freaking out.

 

okay. just had to put that out there.


on a much happier note, here my friday links for this week. 

1/ this kale + squash salad is definitely going on my "have-to-make-this-now" list

2/ i've never heard of a bostock before... but i think i need one. or four.

3/ can we all just agree that this can easily be the greatest flour shot of all time?

4/ i think this is very relevant. plus, ruby is one of my favorite cartoonists...

5/ can we just appreciate the fact that the newsroom season 3 is premiering next month (!!!!!!!!!! internally screaming !!!!!!!!!!)

6/ i think i am in love with the coloring of this movie

 

have a lovely weekend everyone.

Posted on October 24, 2014 and filed under blah blah blah, i share stuff, i take photos.

i am fifteen

it's kind of hard for me to believe that i'm turning fifteen today.

the big 1-5– the year of the quinceanera (that i am not having).

i mean, it's just another year that i've been alive, in a quite literal sense. 

about 6 hours into fifteen-dom i realize that being fifteen is just like being fourteen. it's not like you're turning thirteen, your first "teen" year; or eighteen, your "last" "teen" year, and you're not celebrating your sweet sixteen, either. so i ask, what is it then?

fifteen. just fifteen. 

so instead of saying fourteen you say fifteen. that's basically it. you say you're fifteen and that you're a freshman in high school. that's all that you think has changed.

physically.

i don't feel different, i don't look different, i don't sound different, i don't know any different, but i know that i have changed, and will continue to change. and yes, that is both a good thing and a bad thing.

good in the sense that i am becoming more knowledgable and that there will be more opportunities for me.

bad in the sense that i am actually getting older, physically and mentally, and that i will have to hold more responsibility on my shoulders. but there's no stopping it. there's no stopping any of it. and i have to deal with it.

i went with a couple of my friends and my family to two of my favorite places in new york (state) to celebrate my first few days in fifteendom. naturally, i took my camera with me to capture the moments. 

i'll let the film give you a sense of the joy i felt on that day.

so to this i say, happy birthday, me.

may this sixteenth year of existence (and your seventeenth and eighteenth and nineteenth, too) bring you good and amazing things.


if you're reading this, i just want to say thank you. to all of my friends and teachers and classmates, i wish you the absolute best in the future ahead. i'll miss you all. 

Posted on September 26, 2014 and filed under videos!!!, i take photos.

autumn

*click on the photographs to view larger

when you come to the realization that today is the first day of fall, it kind of just hits you. i mean, weren't we just in summer yesterday? weren't we still in the warm weather with the grilled peaches, corn on a cob, and hot breezes?

where did it all go?

it's not like i miss it with all my heart or anything. yeah, i do miss all the stone fruits, and the fact that i don't have to wear a coat, but there's just something so cozy and good-feelings-y about autumn. tea. pumpkins. squashes. chilly weather. big duvets. long pajamas. new wool hats. TEA.

all of my friends say they miss summer. i've missed fall. 

moving on...

it's been 2-ish weeks as a high-schooler. i feel these subtle changes arising. with age comes responsibility, but at the same time new opportunities. the other thing that comes with responsibility is homework. and no, no, i'm not complaining and/or ranting about homework. i'm just saying that the quantity of the (horrid) stuff is greater than it was last year. i have less time to really do the things that i love (i.e. recipe-making, shooting the recipes, posting the recipes, having more content for the blog, etc.) 

it's a pang in the heart, really.

in fact, i started writing this post at about 5:21ish in the morning. it's 5:52am, now. 

 

happy first day of autumn, everyone. 

Posted on September 23, 2014 and filed under blah blah blah, i take photos.