Leisure: Afropunk 2017

Afropunk is one of my favorite events of the year. It's pretty much a holiday. August 27 was day 1 of the festival and it was amazing. I know this was three weeks ago, but --life. Photoshoots, buying a new car, being an adult... growth! 

Over the years the festival's popularity has increased tremendously, with the help of social media. More people and more outrageous fashion. The looks are never disappointing. Observing all the beauty and style around me is half the fun. Like this woman here. She's got a lens for her third eye chakra and she looks like a high priestess. 

I would have loved to have my camera for this festival because there were so many interesting people. But I'm happy that I didn't bring my camera. I was able to live in the moment instead of thru my lens. Take off my photographer hat for a day. You know what they say about too much work. So I shot photos with my iPhone 6s. 

Solange was the headliner for Saturday night. This was my second time seeing her and it was incredible. There's so much emotion in her songs --she never gets old. Every time I hear "don't touch my hair" it's a spiritual experience.

Sampha and Princess Nokia were other highlights. Sampha sounds exactly like he sounds on record. And in case you don't know, he has a voice as rich as velvet. Princess Nokia has tons of energy and attitude. So it was fitting that we saw her first. As the night went on, my energy waned. The festival takes place at Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn. I think this festival needs a bigger venue. Maybe something for AP to consider. This year since there were so many big acts on one day, the park was packed. At one point I was caught in the crowd like a wave. The older I get the less tolerance I have for crowds. I don't need to be closest to the stage. I'm fine with hearing the music and watching on the big screen. 

Nonetheless, the festival was a perfect close to summer. Even though the season isn't officially over, my thermostat says otherwise. 

What's your favorite summer activity? Did you do lots of it this summer, or do you feel like there's much more you want to do? Let's chat in the comments below. 

xo So

Community Service: Back to School with Young Kings

Photos from Young Kings Sunday August 20

Young Kings Inc hosted a fundraiser and back to school supply drive. With the contributions of local businesses they were able to give away 50 supply filled back packs to local New Haven kids. 

To learn more about Young Kings click here. 
 

Broken Clocks

July was sun drenched and it went by incredibly fast. Now here we are early August and the summer is slipping away. Someone please make it slow down. Looking back at film photos of the month. Taken with Canon AE-1, Kodak 400 or Fuji 200 film. 

Elm City Social

Al fresco

NH Green

Strolling

Contrast

Sidewalk

Details are essential

..and so is loving yourself

a la plage - with tan lines, yikes.

Day at the beach

One of the things I love about living in Connecticut (in the summer at least) is the number of beaches we have. Now, some may argue about the cleanliness of these beaches, but that's not going to keep me away. One of my favorite beaches in Connecticut is Rocky Neck State Park in East Lyme. It was closed, so I headed to Harvey's Beach in Old Saybrook. It's a small beach with a thin sandbank. It was packed because it was the 4th of July weekend, but a quaint spot nonetheless. There's nothing better than lounging on the beach listening to Toro y Moi and drinking mango wine spritzers. 

All photos were taken with my Canon AE-1 Camera with a 50mm lens. This camera comes with me everywhere I go, I named it Casseus. If you missed it in previous posts, it is a DSLR manufactured by Canon from the late 70s to the mid 80s, and it is an amazing piece of equipment still. I use Kodak Ultra 400 ISO film mostly. I am in love with the quality of photos that it produces. Also, thanks to a great imaging center - Ross Imaging Center in Hamden, CT. I highly recommend them. 

Broken mirrors aren't bad luck to me --they're new beginnings. Plus they make for cool self portraits.

JA

Jamaica family vacation

I spent 10 days exploring the beautiful island of Jamaica with my dad, his fiance and her two daughters. They are Jamaican natives so we got a truly authentic experience. Our time was split between Kingston and Runaway Bay. Here's the rundown.

 June 17 - 27. 

Day 1 - Arrived in Kingston at Norman Manley Airport. Rental van at the airport. Driving on the left hand side of the road. Checked into our airbnb. Driving all over Kingston. Eventually went to dinner in Hellshire at Aunt Merl's Fish Place. 

Day 2 - I realized I wouldn't be sleeping  in much on this vacation. We woke up at 7am, for a trip to the country-side. Before heading out to rural Portmore, we had breakfast in Kingston at Hot Pot. I opted for a traditional Jamaican breakfast of ackee and saltfish. After our treacherous 2-hour drive to Portmore we went Rafting on Rio Grande in a bamboo raft. It was absolutely gorgeous, but also a bit scary because I wasn't wearing a life jacket, no one was. The waters were calm and relaxing. We even made a pit stop to take a dip in the water and to drink water and rum punch. After our 2 hour rafting journey we made our way to Frenchman's Cove in Port Antonio - a resort and beach. Two hours out of Kingston. Drive thru the country-side rugged roads. Beautiful lush views and green all over. The types of tropical house plants that we struggle to keep alive grow naturally all over Jamaica. Not to mention so many mango trees. I picked mangoes with a long stick. I guess this is a rite of passage. 

Day 3 - first day I was able to sleep in. Our air bnb had a pool so I spent the majority of the day at the pool. Then in the evening we ate dinner at Port Royal. More fish and rum. When you ask for rum at this restaurant they give you a pint of over proof Wray and Nephews Rum 63%. Yes, more than enough to share. 

Day 4 - We left Kingston to go to our resort. Before leaving we re-fueled at Island Grill. It is a fast food restaurant with healthy options. I had the fish sandwich with sweet plantain and jerk sauce. I washed down my sandwich with a beet juice cocktail. It was incredible! During this trip I found it hard to eat vegetarian food (not that there aren't vegetarian restaurants in JA, just that I was the only vegetarian in our group) so I decided I'd be pescatarian for the duration of the trip, so I wouldn't starve. 

That afternoon we arrived at our resort - Jewel Runaway Bay Resort. I was so excited to just relax, drink and eat worry free. The food at the resort's buffet was less than savory and gave me a stomach ache. The food items in the salad bar were not properly refrigerated. Warm cheese? Never a good thing. 

For the most part everyone on the resort was kind and friendly.

Day 5 

Another early start to the day. Me and the girls went snorkeling in the morning. I saw schools of fish. Beautiful aquatic plants and a reef. It was absolutely stunning. Until I saw what I thought was a jelly fish. Fortunately I didn't get stung.

Later that night we went to Margaritaville. For $35 dollars we had open bar. A bit pricy in my opinion. Lots of Appleton and Wray & Nephew. There was a large pool and the DJ was great. He didn't let a song play for too long before transitioning to the next. That's a quality I really appreciate in a DJ. My friends back home asked me if the club was like a dancehall video -- NO. Most people were drinking and people watching just like in America. 

Day 6 

Swimming with dolphins at Dolphin Cove. I never thought I'd get so close to a dolphin, but it was a great experience. While it was fun to ride on a dolphin, I did worry about our dolphin, Zeus. He seemed a bit tired half way through our show. At dolphin cove we also went snorkeling (this time with sting rays) kayaking and speed boating. 

Day 7 -8

Chilling and enjoying the resort life. Pina coladas and photo walks around the property. I even participated in a morning yoga class. The yoga class prepared me for the treacherous journey up Dunn's River Falls. It was absolutely beautiful. The hike up the fall was a steady incline but there were lots of small pools of water to relax in on the way up. I do recommend being physically fit before trying to climb the falls. I knew this vacation was going to be active so I spent a few weeks training, and by training I mean light weight lifting and running a few miles a week. 

Day 9

Last day at the resort, but one of the most fun. We went to Chukka and rode ATV's and horses. Riding the ATV was one of my favorite parts of this vacation. There's something about the speed, the mud, the engine --it's exhilarating and I wish that I had one. We rode through an old plantation and oceanside. Horseback riding was also fun, but much more relaxing. My horse, Chochi, was majestic, steady and smart.

That night we had dinner at the resort's buffet where there was a live performance by a steel band. They were lit! It made our last night memorable. 

Day 10 

Travelled to Kingston for our flight the next day. I allowed myself to rest on this day. My vacation was fun but I didn't exactly sleep a lot. I woke up early every morning. The time in Jamaica is also one hour behind EST. At we went to Devon House I had a giant serving of cookies and cream ice cream. It was creamy and delicious and I wish I would have more shipped to me. 

I had the best vacation ever and I'm sad that it has ended. I will be publishing another post full of travel tips. Traveling can be fun but also a bit stressful --I'd like to share what I've learned over the years. Stay tuned. 

xo So

Grafitti

continued lunch break jaunts

It took me about four rolls of film (expensive) to figure out that "B" meant bulb mode. Bulb mode means that the camera's shutter is open for as long as you hold down the shutter button. So I took dozens of pictures with really long shutter speeds. But I know better now. I also figured out that it works best in low light since slow shutter speed lets in more light. These were shot with my La Sardina Camera. I was trying to catch the moving cars. But I guess that is one of the great parts about Lomography. It is more about experimentation than perfection. (What is Lomography?) 

Now that I know better I won't be wasting anymore film. 

These are some shots of local graffiti under I-91 in New Haven. 

Wooster Sq Lunch Break

Madonna

Virgin Mary statue at St. Michaels Church, Wooster Square New Haven. 

St. Michael's

Cherry Blossom

Wooster Square Park

Brownstone

There are some incredible brownstones surrounding Wooster Square. Dream home. 

Abstract

I just liked the colors. I bet the event was fun. 

A spring afternoon stroll through Wooster Sq park in New Haven. During my lunch break I went downtown New Haven in search of a vegetarian food truck. I couldn't find it, but I did find Wooster Square Park. In my nearly 30 years living in New Haven I had never been there. 

Below are some of the first photos I took with my film camera - Lomography La Sardina. It's orange, analog and cute. It is a 35mm film camera with a wide angle. It's all plastic. I believe I used Kodak 400 ISO film. One of the reasons I picked up a film camera is because I believe shooting film will make me a better photographer. When I shoot with my film camera I know that I only have 24 or 36 exposures. I focus more on composition and lighting and not over shooting. 

I used the Dark Room to develop my photos. The process was easy and I highly recommend their services. I mailed in my film and 1 week and a half later my photos were uploaded and emailed to me. Waiting for the film to develop was like waiting on Santa Claus as a youngster. You never know what you'll get back with a roll of film. 

I look forward to sharing more of my film photography adventures --one roll at a time.