That Awkward Moment

If you've used 35mm film before (past and present) and if you do not own a flash attachment for your film camera, I would heavily suggest for those to purchase one from your local photography store because of an experience that has happened to me a year ago when I was asked to do a candid photo opt. I wasn't prepared with a flash attachment for my camera when I went to the Marriott Marquis in Times Square at this one restaurant called The View and it was my mistake of not asking questions on the lighting situation, as well as checking the place out in advance. The film I used was a Kodak Tri-X (400 ISO) and luckily I was able to develop the film at school (the roll of film I used was Black & White). That night, I was really concerned about the quality of the film because of the very low lighting situation and another mistake was not buying a flash attachment from B&H. When I developed the roll of film at school, the roll of film was garbage because many of the frames were too dark and unusable to scan and edit. It became that awkward but an uncomfortable moment and how do you tell someone that the whole roll of film was/is unusable?

Several months later, I was looking up flash attachments on the B&H website, printed out potential copies of flash attachments and I had gone to B&H. AN employee at B&H had suggested a Sunpak Auto 422D Thryistor Flash attachment for my Minolta X-370 camera which costs $29.95 just for the flash attachment alone and I loved it because I've had the opportunity of using the flash attachment on two different occasions since I bought it from B&H almost a year ago. From the two times I've used my flash attachment, many of the photos came out fabulous! I hope to use my flash attachment again in the near future and I want to put my flash attachment to good use for as long as I can! My next item I plan on saving up for are Induro Adventure AKB2 Tripod Kit, reflectors, a Lowepro Pro Runner 450 AW Backpack (two or three, one bag for a photo shoot, one for travel purposes and a third just for leisure), an Apple laptop, an extra low lighting lens and whatever else that may come to mind at a later date. I have a lot of saving up to do and limiting my spending habits only to taking care of my son and saving up for photography equipment. If I could do what I can in terms of finding employment than I would be all set once when I'm established with work and save my money wisely (I hope). Just use some magick and I hope using some magick would help my money grow!

If you're new to the photography field and if the only camera that you that is within your budget, go for it. Yes, even if you're one of the few people that you actually own a 35 mm film camera when the rest of society owns a DSLR camera nowadays and I realize film cameras are mainly from the dinosaur ages but I think film photography is worth the experience (more than digital photography). But always be prepared with plenty of film, a flash attachment, and spare batteries for both your flash attachment and camera (in case if you forget to recharge your batteries over night to avoid that whole awkward moment of "How do I tell this person that the roll of film is no good so (s)he doesn't that I am a fraud?" It's always important to be prepared for such occasions if you're ever asked to do a pre-candid engagement photo shoot at a restaurant with low lighting.

Warm blessings,

Jennifer

Valentine's Day

"'Happily Single' is recognizing that you don't need or want to be reduced from your life by a handsome prince because your life is pretty awesome, as is." ~ Mandy Hale

As I'm sitting behind the computer at the library on Valentine's Day and I don't have any plans for tonight (both unfortunately and fortunately). It'll be one of those Valentine's of where I end up just staying home watching some cheesy chick flick, downing a gallon of Edy's Slow Churned Cookie Dough ice cream and instead of Chinese take out, I'll have myself an order of the Philadelphia sushi rolls (along with other sushi rolls). No one invited me to hang out with anyone for Valentine's Day and it's just another Valentine's Day just being bored. I have six movies to watch while I'm downing a cake, if I had the money, I'd get some Philadelphia sushi rolls (Chinese food is just too predictable) and I'll just spend my Valentine's Day at home mostly while most couples are going out to dinner or doing whatever they're doing on Valentine's Day. The movies I've borrowed from the library are: George Lopez: Tall, Dark & Chicano; Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain; Ted; Ghostbusters; Ghostbusters 2; and Friends With Benefits. I'm not sure which movie to watch first and if things had turned out differently (For example: My unplanned pregnancy, if I was financially stable enough to survive on my own and having my own apartment, no questions asked, etc.) in my life then I would be okay. If I had my own apartment now, I doubt I would be able to fully enjoy the idea of being able to pick up and go whenever I please without the concern of having to hire a baby sitter if I had my own apartment (wishful thinking, huh?). That experience will be bittersweet of having my own apartment, it'll be bitter because I'll be all about just going off to work and being a mom but it'll be sweet because I wouldn't have anyone to answer to on where I'm going or who I'm hanging out with or what time I'll be home, etc.

My profound Valentine's Day was when I was either in the 7th or 8th grades when I was attending Louis Pasteur J.H.S. 67, I recall the class going to the S.O store (Student Organization) and sometime later, the class came back to class, several minutes later, someone from the S.O Store came to class with a balloon was from a secret admirer! To this day, I still have no idea who sent me the balloon! It's been 18 - 19 years since that day and I know had two guys who liked me, my friend, Tyrone (at the time he was my partner in crime), and another kid named Eric. Yet, all the other Valentine's Day after 18 - 19 years have been a blur and I've just been oblivious for the last 17+ (or so) years since that time (before or after). That day was the only best (but flattering) memory I ever have until now and I know for the last several Valentine's Days (last several years) I've been working on Valentine's Day (when I had a paycheck coming in). I need to get out more, whether if it's on a date or just a girls night out and having a girls night out (guilt free) is something I don't do very often.

I've been stalking Plenty Of Fish website in debate on whether or not if I should create an on-line dating profile and I've been checking out people's Plenty of Fish profiles, some of the profiles seem cool. I would rather meet my significant other in person outside of the cyber world and in some respect, the idea of "meeting someone" on-line sounds creepy but I'll keep an open mind when it comes to dating websites such as Plenty of Fish! I don't want to be cat fished and be made into a national joke like that football player, Manti Te'o. Anyway, I'm looking to just dating and I'm not looking for a committed relationship at the moment, perhaps in about five or ten years from now I may want to settle down but not right now. If I could chose between a Platonic diplomatic relationship or a Friends With Benefits "lifestyle", I would chose a Platonic/Diplomatic relationship over friends with benefits. I'm not going to lie, I'm skeptical on dating websites such as Plenty of Fish; Match; eHarmony; and among other on-line dating websites. I'll eventually decide whether or not if I seriously want to sign up for Plenty of Fish. For those with a Plenty of Fish profile, what was your personal experiences like (both positive and negative)?

Warm blessings,

Jennifer

The 57th Grammy's

"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything." ~ Plato

Even though the 57th Grammy's was flawless, many of the performances were awesome. AC/DC were awesome and AC/DC have positive reviews in my book! It was awesome how they had legends such as Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, AC/DC, among others who have either performed or present an award. When Taylor Swift came out to present an award for Best New Artist, I liked her dress but however, it's a dress I personally wouldn't wear and I still enjoyed her dress! Congratulations on Sam Smith's wins (Record of the Year; "Stay With Me [Darkchild Verzion]; Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album). Pharrell Williams had put on an amazing performance of 'Happy' and when the church choir came out during the performance, they mad you want to party, high energy performance and the piano solo was fabulous. Way to go for the Asian dude playing the piano! I'm not a fan of country music but Miranda Lambert had a nice stage vibe and congratulations on her Grammy win of Best Country Album. I enjoyed both Kanye West's performance of 'Only One' and Madonna's performance of Living For Love. I have no complaints on Kanye West's performance. Madonna looks good for her age and I loved the choreography for her new song, 'Living For Love'. When Beyoncé won Best R&B Song for 'Drunk In Love' featuring Jay-Z, I thought Jay-Z should have gone on stage along with Beyoncé to accept the award since he was featured in 'Drunk In Love' and I believe he along with Beyoncé should have also received credit as well. It makes me wonder if Beyoncé was trying to save face with what's going on between her and Jay-Z since the elevator incident. As always, I realize their marriage isn't perfect as everyone wish to believe.

I'm not completely familiar with Ed Sheeran's music other than 'Thinking Out Loud' and not exactly my kind of music I would normally listen to on an average day. Yet, Ed Sheeran's performance was pleasant but enjoyable. Most of these artists I'm not familiar with such as Beck or haven't heard of. When Beck won an award for Album of the Year beating out Beyoncé, Kanye West was about to jump on stage and I would have loved to hear what he had to say. As they say, history was about to repeat itself when Kanye West jumped on stage and bitched about how Beyoncé should have won the award. If you're not a Beck fan or never heard of him, chances are, you're probably like: "Who the heck is Beck? Never heard of him!" If you're one of the few that have heard of Beck, than good for you. But over all, The Grammy's was amazing.

I'm not a fan of Tony Bennett but his performance with Lady Gaga, 'Cheek to Cheek' was a nice performance. I'm a fan of several of Maroon 5's songs but not many and it's not enough to say that I'm a "fan". When Gwen Stefani joined Adam Levine to perform 'My Heart Is Open' and I must admit that Gwen Stefani looked stunning in her red dress! Red is my second favorite color. Annie Lennox joined the young Irish rocker Hoizer for his hit "Take Me to Church / I Put a Spell on You (Medley)" and her cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins's "I Put a Spell on You" was a satisfying performance. What more can I say about Annie Lennox? With the performances in between, I haven't kept track of during The Grammy's since half these bands I'm not familiar with since some of these bands were country singers. I loved Kanye West, Rihanna and Paul McCartney's performance of 'FourFiveSeconds', their performance was totally awesome, they were one of my favorite performances of the night! I have no complaints about Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige's 'Stay With Me', they were awesome as well. Last performance of the night were John Legend and Common, I haven't had a chance to hear their song, 'Glory', and I'm now a fan of the song, it has a very poetic vibe to it but it makes sense. Props to John Legend and Common for the song. Beyoncé's performance of 'Take My Hand. Precious Lord' was a decent performance was beautiful despite the fact I'm not a religious person and nor do I attend church on Sundays as I prefer to stay in my nice warm bed. What was your favorite Grammy moment?

I keep hearing about the Pre-Grammy Parties and if Clive Davis is reading this blog, please invite me to your next Pre-Grammy Party next year! Since I'm a Fine Arts Photography student, I would love to fly out to California for the Pre-Grammy Party and snap up a whole bunch of photos while I'm out there. That would make my day if I was able to fly out to California for the Pre-Grammy Party and photograph the events going on at the party. I have three goals but I realize it's not a "realistic dream" and here it goes: 1) Work for the Rolling Stones Magazine, 2) Guest on America's Next Top Model and 3) Photograph the Pre-Grammy Party and as well as the Grammy's! I doubt it'll happen but I hope I can make some sort of connection in the long run.

For more of The 57th Grammy's winners, check out The Rolling Stones 'Complete Winners List'.

Warm blessings,

Jennifer

The Art of Buying Gifts

Namaste. When buying a gift, may it be a birthday or a holiday gift, be mindful of what you buy but to be more specific: body sprays, body lotions and body wash because you never know if the person may have allergies towards the fragrances. I honestly don't mind any of those items but I want to lean more towards nose friendly items that aren't from Bath and Body Works Store or the section in Victoria's Secret that sells body sprays and such. However, I do shop at Victoria's Secret once in the blue to treat myself to a little something, something whenever I can but shopping at Victoria's Secret doesn't happen very often (I'll window shop mostly). I'll be happy with either money or a gift card, as far as gift cards are concerned, the main stores I really shop at are: B&H, occasionally I shop at Adorama, Kohl's, The Gap, Barnes and Noble Bookstore (mostly for journals or cookbooks), often times Macy's, Game Stop is cool but I'm not much of a gamer (just to give you the heads up) and Old Navy. Once in the blue, I'll go to the nail salon for a pedicure and/or manicure and if I'm able to, I'd go for an eyebrow threading when I can. I don't get to shop at Hot Topic very often considering I haven't seen any Tripp clothing being sold at Hot Topic and they're pretty expensive as well. I would love to shop at Trash and Vaudeville in the East Village as well as Enchantment Inc (also located in the East Village). Make-up wise, I normally buy some Cover Girl eye liner and mascara when I can but it's very rare that I buy eye make-up because of how expensive buying make-up can be. Or I buy whatever make-up is on sale but I will give Mac Cosmetics a try. I've been to Foto Care in the Flatiron section of Manhattan to buy some film, some of the film are a bit expensive than when I normally shop at B&H or Adorama for some of the same film! If you're not 100% sure of what to purchase for me, feel free to ask!
 
Gifts I wouldn't suggest are mainly body sprays, body lotions and/or body wash and an ugly sweater. There had been times where my mother and stepfather have complained that the spray smells when I've only sprayed a tiny bit on! My mom normally complains that the spray smells like "roach spray" and I don't know how she figures that the body spray smells like "roach spray" (go figure). I appreciate the thought of body sprays, body lotions and/or body wash, though but some of the fragrances aren't nose/allergy friendly to some people's noses and you never know if the person  you're buying the gift for may be allergic or have allergies towards the fragrances. Certain fragrances smell way better than others and my favorite fragrances on men are Calvin Klein - Eternal and Christian Dior - Addict. I'm not too big on buying people (men or women) body spray, body lotions and body wash products for people because I personally don't know if they're going to be, let's say, offended by that idea. In terms of body sprays and body lotions, it would be something that I would not suggest in buying for me and luckily I haven't had any allergies towards the body spray and/or body lotions. I would take the traditional route of either money or a gift certificate any day to play it safe and if I can, I would make a Christmas gift by hand and add a little something to it.  I would shop at Michael's to purchase some plastic canvas to make a project and I would rather have some Christmas/holiday items already made and wrapped, just to be prepared but I've been slacking off. Let's just hope I can be prepared for this year and I have yet to shop at Michael's in Manhasset when it comes summer so I can travel there by bus!

Just to give people more of a clear idea of where I actually do shop or what interests me, stores I generally shop at are: B&H or Adorama for my photography supplies (such as film, ink jet paper or the photographic paper specifically used for the dark room but I'm more of a regular customer at B&H than I am at Adorama), The Gap, Kohl's, Macy's, Barnes and Noble Bookstore for cookbooks and/or journals, Modell's, Skechers, Apple Store when I can, Victoria's Secret; Old Navy; Trash and Vaudeville; Best Buy; and I often shop at Enchantments Inc NYC in the East Village for items. I'm also a fan of Maoz Vegetarian which is a vegetarian spot in Manhattan and the two locations I've visited are Union Square (it's on Union Square East between 16th and 17th Street) and as well as the one in Times Square (on 7th Avenue, corner of 40th Street) but I haven't visited Maoz in the Greenwich Village area or the location in the Upper West Side. There are more Maoz restaurants in the Manhattan area. I haven't visited the Loving Hut on 7th Avenue in Manhattan yet but I Googled searched Loving Hut but they're unfortunately closed but there is a Loving Hut in the Brooklyn area! I'm also a huge fan of Starbucks and I'd normally order a Grande Caramel Frappuccino and a Seasonal Harvest Fruit Blend but if Cranberry Bliss Bars are in season, that's what I normally get but if not, I normally get the Strawberry Smoothie, Orange Mango Smoothie, Oprah Chai Tea, Roasted Tomato & Mozzarella Panini, a Greek Yogurt with Berries Parfait, Hearty Veggie & Brown Rice Salad Bowl or a Zesty Chicken & Black Bean Salad Bowl. It depends on what I would normally order but that's more of a general idea of what I would normally go for. A friendly suggestion from me is pay very close attention to what I'm into and the whole ugly sweater is something that I'll pass up on with little to no interest in the ugly sweater (no, no but thank you anyway). In terms of movies, my theater preference to go to would have to be mainly be Regal Cinema but specifically in Union Square and I honestly do not do AMC theaters because their membership (AMC Stubs) are expensive considering the fact that I am not a frequent movie goer. However, I go to Regal Cinema since I get to use my Regal Crown Club and it's free of charge to apply for. In case for those who don't know, I am a fan of vampires and Goth in realization that I don't dress in Goth attire 24/7 but it's my personal preference.

• Adorama
• B&H
• Barnes & Noble
• The Gap
• Model’s
• Skechers
• Apple Store
• Trash & Vaudeville
• Starbucks
• Regal Crown Club
• Michael’s

The most awesome birthday/holiday gift(s) would have to be my very own dark room but I know it won't happen because my stepfather's apartment doesn't have the space to even fit any of the equipment such as the Mechanical Darkroom Timer, Bestwell Minisight Focusing Aid, an Easel, an Enlarger, chemicals, developing trays (one set for 5x7, a second set for 8x10), Film Drying Cabinet and whatever else I may need. Another gift idea would be, I currently own a 35mm film camera and these films I normally use. I currently use: Ilford Delta 100, Ilford Delta 3200, Ilford HP5, Ilford XP2, and Fujifilm when out shooting. Those are my personal suggestions for now and film are greatly appreciated! Thank you very much. In terms of upgrading to a digital camera, it would be something that I would personally hold off on until I've gotten myself an Apple computer in order to download images/videos onto the computer than onto a CD format and in the meantime, I am perfectly content with my 35mm film camera! I'm also looking to purchase a Lowepro SlingShot 302 AW Camera Bag. However, to make your lives much easier and I have created a wish list via B&H for those who are not entirely sure on what to get me for my birthday or the holiday season. Anything photography and music related I will be happy with. I plan on [at some point] purchase myself an iPod from the Apple store on Fifth Avenue and purchase an iPod Touch, the 128gb because knowing myself I will fill up the 16gb with a bunch of music. I'm contemplating whether or not if I should purchase three iPod Touches (one will be a holiday iPod in red and the other two will be in Space Grey colours which will have a variety of music on the other two iPod Touches). Furthermore, I hope this list helps folks an idea of what to get and what not to purchase either as a birthday gift when my birthday arrives in November or during the holiday season! Another great birthday/holiday gift would have to be Bose since they're a decent set of items to purchase and I realize that I have some expensive taste in things but other headsets will do until I've found a decent paying job in order to purchase a Bose portable sound system and Bose headset. I wouldn't consider myself a Christian nor a Jew but I will celebrate either or both holidays (Christmas and Hanukkah). Lastly, I am not a practicing Christian/Catholic but I don't believe in either faith and tradition. Having my very own dark room would be the best birthday/holiday gift I can ask for! "I'm a photographer, period. I love photography, the immediacy of it. I like the craft, the idea of saying 'I'm a photographer.'" ~ David LaChappelle.

Yes, I realize that it's the thought that counts and you had me in mind when you bought your birthday/holiday gift for me at the time. Ugly sweaters and body sprays/body lotions are out of the question but will regift them to someone else but I will wear the ugly sweater once just to appease you but will regift the ugly sweater. I hope you take none to personal offense to it. As mentioned before, please keep the mentioned items above in mind when you're out shopping and yes, I appreciate your generous offer for those who choose to save and purchase a digital camera for future reference. Black is my favorite colour and avoid anything pink.

Warm blessings,

Jennifer

Super Bowl 49 (Half Time)

I may not be a huge/die hard fan of football (the American version) fan, nor am I a fan of sports and the idea of sports tend to bore me mostly. I had no interest of watching the Super Bowl or the half time show but I'm glad I watched the half time and I had made it out of the shower in time when Katy Perry began her half time performance. I'm not a huge fan of Katy Perry but the only song I'm more of a fan of is "California Girls" featuring Snoop Dogg and "I Kissed A Girl" is a cool song but not my exact favorite. It was awesome when Lenny Kravitz came out to perform but it was more of an "Oh SNAP!" moment when Missy Elliott came out to perform and I happen to be a fan of both Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz, so that made my night. As far as the rest of the Super Bowl, I couldn't careless about and don't ask me what team was playing against who. Don't ask me which two teams played in the Super Bowl 48 last year because I don't remember and I also couldn't careless. Sports is such a yawn for me but I could deal with figure skating but never sports such as football, baseball, European football (soccer), basketball and among other sports. However, as a photographer, I don't do (photograph) sports and I'm not sure if anyone would consider Martial Arts (or even Mixed Martial Arts) to be a "sport" but that's the only thing I'd photograph compared to baseball, hockey, basketball, football, and etc.

If someone asked me who Tom Brady or Eli Manning was or what teams they both represented and I wouldn't have the slightest clue. But if it was Derek Jeter, I'd know who he is and all I know is that he was the team captain for the New York Yankees before he retired last year or last season. Any other sports star, I wouldn't know who they are and don't ask me what team Michael Strahan before he joined Kelly Rippa. I never heard of Jerry Rice until he was on Dancing With the Stars and I know there was another football player on Dancing With the Stars but can't remember who it was. Not that it matters when it comes to sports and I'm not sure what people get out of sports anyway. I personally don't find sports to be entertaining than I ever would. Sports to me is very much less  boring and I literally fell asleep during the Super Bowl, so I never caught who won but oh well.

I'm glad I don't have any slight interest in Fantasy Football and what's so awesome about Fantasy Football anyway? I'm sure it's like gambling at a casino but just in sports and I would participate in Fantasy Football but it sounds complicated but boring. I'm sure people had made good money out of Fantasy Football but it makes me wonder if it's legal enough for people NOT to go to jail over it and I'm not going to get involved with Fantasy Football since I don't need to get myself into debt over, probably not worth it since I don't earn enough to get myself involved. Fantasy Football may not be my thing but I'll stick to what actually interests me most which is spending some time in the dark room either developing film or making prints and I honestly don't want to be indoors for several hours watching sports. It's just the though that makes me not want to acknowledge the idea of sports whatsoever and I don't speak sports as a second language.

Warm blessings,

Jennifer