#places to do photoshoots in Oregon

[oregonphotobus]

Places to Do Wedding Photoshoots in Oregon

When it comes to choosing a location in Oregon for your engagement photos, the options are endless. From the rocky coast to the high desert, the mountains, or the city, there's something for everyone in the Pacific Northwest. 

There are two main questions that you should ask yourself when you are unsure about a location:

1) Do you want to go somewhere familiar or meaningful to you and your relationship?

2) Do you want to explore somewhere new and epic together to mark this new chapter?

Once you've decided whether you want to go somewhere new or familiar, you'll start to narrow down your choices. Below, we have listed some of the most beautiful locations for Oregon engagement sessions—these are places that photographers frequently shoot for these events. It is always amazing to discover new locations in the PNW. Make sure to add to this list as we find more fantastic places to do photoshoots in Oregon!

My recommendations are divided below into the Oregon coast and Mount Hood.

The Oregon Coast

Cannon Beach +. Ecola State Park

The first time you see Haystack Rock off the coast of Cannon Beach is a memorable experience. It's an iconic spot on the Oregon Coast that is hard to forget. While it's a popular place for engagements and proposals, the beach is so large and the tide so vast that you can easily take photos without others in the background. As someone from the East Coast, known for its small, rocky beaches, I especially appreciate this. Not only can you capture amazing coastal engagement photos with Haystack Rock in the background, but you can also explore Ecola State Park and other small beaches and woods nearby.

Hug Point + Elk Flats Trail

If you’re looking for a spot on the Oregon coast with a little less traffic than Cannon Beach, we can’t recommend Hug Point enough. Just twenty minutes south of Cannon Beach, this was actually one of the most beautiful beaches in Oregon, so feel free to fall in love with the moody, jagged rocks off the coast and the cozy, warm caverns that dotted the other side of the beach. Another plus for this location is the woodsy goodness that lines the actual beach behind you, providing lots of variety for your coastal engagement session. A perfect place for a photo booth rental in Oregon Elk Flats is just a little south of Hug Point and is a perfect companion location. It’s got grassy hills and dramatic cliffs overlooking the ocean. We recommend going at sunrise for the softest light, but it’s beautiful any time! The trail to the cliff spot is short, about 10 minutes. It’s not a difficult trail, but it can get muddy if it’s been raining a lot.

Mount Hood

Old Salmon River Trail + Lolo Pass Road

The Salmon River Trail begins as the Old Salmon River Trail for a few miles before transforming into a longer backpacking trail. Both trailheads are couple’s favorite spots in the Mount Hood National Forest. The area resembles something out of a twilight movie, with moss-covered logs, ferns blanketing the forest floor, and small waterfalls along the river. This is a scientifically designated rainforest, so expect misty conditions and savor all that the forest has to offer. If you're seeking more expansive views, you can cross Highway 26 and drive down Lolo Pass road to enjoy views of the open valley and Mount Hood on a clear day.

Bald Mountain Via Top Spur Trail

Bald Mountain, which leads to McNeal Point, offers a beautiful trail on Mount Hood with an incredible payoff. For a relatively short hike, You’ll find yourself in one of the most amazing places to do photoshoots in Oregon. Starting at the Top Spur trailhead makes it a much shorter hike. The trail begins in the forest, and after a little less than a mile, you emerge to the viewpoint overlooking the valley with the mountain majestically in front of you. In the summer, this is an excellent spot for wildflowers. I recommend going at sunrise for the best light and fewer crowds.

Most Magical Places for Your Wedding

Oregon offers an abundance of stunning locations for your wedding photoshoots, each with its unique charm and breathtaking scenery. Whether you choose the iconic beaches of the Oregon Coast or the majestic landscapes around Mount Hood, you're sure to find the perfect backdrop for capturing your love story. Remember to consider what resonates with you and your partner, whether it's a familiar spot or a new adventure. With these beautiful locations in mind, you're well on your way to creating lasting memories that you'll cherish for years to come. Embrace the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and let your engagement photos reflect the magic of this exciting new chapter in your lives!

[aka217]

ok so 2022

(yes, 2022. I know this is just about a year old, and honestly i completed the writing maybe 6 months ago, but I just didn't get around to it. so apologize to my two readers - hello Ading, hello wife - I'll be doing one more of these, then with hope I'll be transitioning to monthly format on insta 2024. That should make these a little more interesting and easier to put together for tumblr.)

well then. what a difference a year makes. I remember 2021 kind of being 2020 part 2, and even after getting vaccinated it wasn't like things were back to normal. However in 2022 (and more so getting Covid post vaccinated) there was some assurance that maybe we can get back to things that once was. But on top of that, I made a major pivot to my career, as well as started traveling to new places, and even a new car. A lot of key points in my life have been impacted this year, so let's dive into it:

January - Start off with a seeing golden state warriors vs. the heat with a couple friends. Soon after we are flying back to Orlando to celebrate Justin and Susette's Wedding. At the time one of the covid variants was ramping up at this time, and it definitely felt like we were going backwards. I remember being pretty concerned, and if I weren't the best man there was real consideration to missing out on Justin's wedding, but seeing as he's very much my best friend it's kind of crazy to think we were considering it. But we went, masks and all, and what a wonderful time we had. Thankfully we got out of there unscathed. It was exhausting dancing so much under a mask, but overall if that small inconvenience relieved our concerns it was well worth it.

February - So I decided to leave HCI. Forever thankful that I was given the opportunity to come on board during the breakout of Covid, and really kept me and Ashley afloat during our move to California. But ultimately it wasn't a job I found enjoyable, as it leaned more into sales than engineering. And with Covid still at the time a looming presence, the idea of increasing the amount of customer visits this year was not my cup of tea. I had been in talks about pursuing a transition into project management, and again thanks to key friends that can connect me, I was well into talks about joining the tech world. Risky once more, I decided to leave before securing my next place. But as grateful as ever that things turned out alright for me, as I would soon after leaveing HCI secure my spot with Paramount+. What that did was allow me gain a small gap of funemploymet, and boy did I make good use of that. First was a local rental of a Porsche Boxster, taking through Napa, Sonoma, and up Mt. Diablo. Then shortly after we took a week long trip to Portland. Hanging out with Ashley's Aunt/Uncle/Cousin, we explored the city of Portland for a bit, and even made a trek out to Tillamook. Also in Portland, I rented an mx-5 and took it through the gorge, which is along the columbus river that naturally splits Oregon and Washington. Honestly, one of the most beautiful drives I've been on.

March - Relatively quiet, although I did start my job at Paramount+. Those early days were honestly pretty nice, as it was definitely slow paced with really no work and just taking it all in. Being my first remote job, it was an interesting adjustment in lifestyle. There were a few outings this month, including kareoke in sf, and a house warming for Francis and Nhi.

April - started out the month is a visit to the SF Giants game vs. Miami Marlins, we typically only go at this point to grab food and enjoy the atmosphere. Next was celebrating my Lexus' Quinceanera, 15 years and about 190,000 miles on the odometer. With brand new headlights and a well equipped roof rack, we had a mini photoshoot to celebrate. Soon after, getting ready for Coachella, Ashley gets Covid. We pin it to the baseball game, as that really was the only place Ashley went out in public. Oddly, I tested negative the whole time, and decided to still go to Coachella.

Alright Coachella. I'm writing this out as I may in the future forget, what what an experience. It was a lot, it was exhausting, but I don't regret it, but not sure I'd do it again. I'm someone who studied the festival lineup, listened to each artist beforehand to pick out people I may like to hear, and set out to listen to everyone that I could, from opening bands all the way to the closer, every day. I did not hang out with the group that I went with, I for the most part was by myself to enjoy the music. I stopped drinking from the first day as it was slowing me down, and did not do me any favors powering through the day. My feet hurt so bad, and my throat was killing me. But man did I get a lot in during those 3 days, seeing so many great acts. I milked the opportunity and saw as much acts as I could. There are a few things I would do differently the second time, like not have such a big backpack so I can dance more freely, but honestly I'm not so sure I'd do it again. Yes, it was a very concentrated musical experience, but also the for the amount I paid, I could probably spread out that money into multiple concerts across an entire year. But again, I'm glad I went, to say and know what it is like.

But back to reality, Ashley had a miserable Covid weekend (and made sure I felt sorry about it), and leaving Coachella I, too got Covid. Hard to say where I got it from, but it did hit me that following week, but honestly getting the vaccine shots effected me worse. At this point I think I would just be as exhausted with a sore throat post Coachella, covid or no covid. And thankfully just starting my job, there was minimal impact to work hah.

May - Post-Covid is a whole new swerve on life, one I would have though post-vaccine would be. At this point it really does feel like we are heading to a world that once was. May starts with my parents visiting us, and taking a trip to Yosemite for my first time. Honestly really cool landscape and very unique rock formations. Back home, we take more chances to eat out at restaurants (for now out on the patio, but still a worlds difference that take out). And this also marks the time where we start playing D&D. Having watched actual plays via Dimension 20, we embarked on playing the game ourselves. With a welcoming community at a local game shop, this would be the start of regular D&D sessions throughout the summer

June - Few key points this month. We attend Mia's debut, at a beautiful venue right off the bay water. It's interesting to think back that her sweet 16 we were doing a drive-by celebration with masks outside and no lingering, but here we are out dancing with a large group of people. It's really refreshing we've gotten back to something like that. This also marks the point where internally I had a goal to stay afloat long enough in California to see this birthday, and would mark the point where we can look back and say, keep going or what's next? Still a question to this day, but glad we were able to make the moved to California work for us up to this point. Mid-June we take a quick trip to Los Angeles, for one to watch a live show of D&D with many of our favorite players, as well as catch up with a few old friends who live in the area. And last, we watched Benee in concert, someone who's music was prevalent during the quarantine part of Covid that it felt fitting to see them live in concert

July - Start off the month with Ryan's bachelor party in Vegas. What a rukus of a time. A hot time to go to Vegas, but we were there to catch Summer League, which was a lot of fun albeit quite short. We also went through Meow Wolf which was pretty cool. Boys will be boys, and we did a lot of tomfoolery that weekend. Later in the month Ash and I went back home to go to Sannibel, and old stomping ground, to celebrate my Dad's 70th. This mixed in with some time back home in Miami, it's always nice to get a little injection of home once in a while.

August - ahh, and here we are. after a year and a half of waiting, my Bronco finally arrives. There was large anticipation, followed by months of doubt of getting it for years (I even ordered another car for the interim, and that too was delayed). But yea, kind of crazy to be buying another brand new car, but this felt like the best possible compromise between my wants and needs. We'll soon find that I'll barely get to drive it, but I do my best, taking to roof off when I can, and the first weekend drove down to Monterey to get a set of wheels. The following weekend is Ryan and Katrina's wedding, so mini reunion with old college friends (and would be the kick off of many reunions going into next year). The following week we took a trip to Denver for Ashley's birthday to see one her best friends and her cousin. First time in Denver it was interesting to see all of the little pockets of the city, each having their own kind of architecture. Also cool to be surrounded by mountains. While there I was remote working and dog sitting their 3 dogs. We met up with Ash's cousin, where we met her little kid at the aquarium. I also saw a Bronco Raptor which was pretty exciting for me, too. With our new love of Dungeons and Dragons, we hired a private DM to host a night for us and show Ashley's friend how to play. Before the month ends, a couple more moments: the first time I went into the office in the city. Honestly for me this was a huge deal.

September Hoo boy, this was a good one. For a while we wanted to explore the west coast more, and given the chance now with both of us remote, we wanted to enter the idea of living somewhere for an extended time, so we pulled the trigger and rented a flat in Seattle for a month. This place was right across the street from pike place market for maximum opportunity. Although we had a bit of an adventure securing the right room, we'd finally settle into a great place with enough space and a lot of sunlight coming in. Such a refreshing experience, and Seattle treated us so well with only giving us maybe half a days rain the whole month. Traveling wise we got plenty of chances to explore Pike Place Market, as well as travel further out to other pockets; capitol hill, Ballard farmers market, Bellevue. Events I went to while there included PAX, which was a cool environment to see upcoming games. I also saw Lisa Wallen do comedy in a secret venue (ended up being at a small photo studio). It was nice to meet her afterwards and talk for a minute. I also got to see a cousin and catch up. We even got a session in of D&D. Another big event to cross off my bucket list was got to DirtFish Rally school. One of the coolest driving experiences, it was so much fun to go out there and slide about. After all of the exploration of my driving enthusiasm, I really think sliding around in dirt is the pinnacle of my happiness doing it. I'm so glad I did it, glad I splurged to do the full day, it was definitely worth it. In the end, Seattle was such a dream of a stay. It's on the list of place we could move to, although I like the idea of taking in Seattle one month at a time, I hope we can do it again soon.

October Back in Oakland, but still a few meaningful events. One was Francis' bachelor party in Chicago. My first experience with Chicago was riddled with bad luck, not Chicago's fault, so it was nice to get redemption. It started with a night that went a little too wild, followed by days of recovery doing smaller things. But I did really enjoy the architecture boat tour, Chicago really does have great buildings along the river and lake coast. Besides the first nights jazz club and debauchery club, we also did a game night event which was cool, and while some of the guys went to a movie for Halloween I went to a underground club by myself which was an interesting experience. The other big thing in October was our dating anniversary, where we went to see Panic! At the Disco. While we got pretty decent seats, Ashley entered to win better seats and we won, gaining us access to floor seats right up front which was kind of crazy. While it wasn't the same songs as we loved in college, it was a fun time to be at a big concert.

November Ok so much like Seattle, we spent all of November (and the first week of December) in Florida. Chaotic is a word you can use to describe it, purely on the amount of traveling and seeing all sorts of family and friends. The paint a picture, we switched where we slept a total of 11 times, and that still doesn't capture the couple days where we took day trips. Might just have to list out a few notable pieces: Zachary's 18 spent at Hard Rock, only to eventually find out it was 21+ spent the night with Eddy on the coast to watch the Artemis rocket launch, a project they started developing what Ashley was still at NASA Ivanhoe christmas block party with Ashley's best friend, and really just a rare alignment of the stars to spend the time with them Photoshoot with Kevin/Kim's immediate family, which was nice because we haven't done something like that before, that also transitioned to a trip to Kissimmee, and Thanksgiving at Capitol Grill Ocala to see Ashley's parents, whinwe haven't seen for a while Nana's 80th birthday, which was a big surprise celebration in which a lot of Ashley's family was able to make it out. An really refreshing time and happy to see her family having a good time

December Back int he bay, once again just recovering from the month before, we kept it fairly low key. One notable excursion was to hog island for some fresh oysters, and another random trip to Palace of Fine Arts. for Christmas was spent it with the cuz and fam with dinner. For New years Ashley cooked up a delightful Filipino feast.

And that was it. As always, additional tidbits: A lot of opportunities to drive different cars. The Kia Soul was a quirky cheap car that was fun to have for a week. And the best drive was in the MX 5. Food? The first time I had House of Prime Rib, which I thought about that meal from time to time months later. Introduced to Marion Berry in Portland, especially a Marion Berry cobbler which we had to eat twice before we left. Another notable mention is iPot, a lovely spot for ayce hot pot/ kbbq that brought us joy throughout the year.

These year reviews are extensive. And that's good, my life grants me many adventures, more than I even write and record. I'll likely try to recap after each month, so that the task is less daunting, and perhaps provide better reflection. Currently writing the end of this April 2023, and so I already have insight into the next year. But If I recall, no matter what I think the next year will bring, there will many things, big and small, that will take me for surprise. and I'm ok with that.

To the next!

[notimefornames]

I know Earth Day came on a Friday and many of us are on our daily 9-5 grind but we can still do our part buy picking up trash or even throwing away our own trash in the trash can and cigs in a ash tray not on the street, sidewalks or grass because what kind of humans are we, if we ain't trying to make the 🌎 we live in a better place. #earthday 🌏 ♤♡♢♧ ♡♢♧ ♢♧ ♧ Wilson River Trail ♤♡♢♧ ♡♢♧ ♢♧ ♧ Tillamook State Forest ♤♡♢♧ ♡♢♧ ♢♧ ♧ #Photograph #naturephotography #Landscape_captures #Landscapes #Beautifulview #Landscapephotography #Amazingview #Photographers #nature_perfection #Photographs #Nature #Outdoorphotography #Landscape #Photo #Photos #Photographer #Capture #Photoshoot #Photography #hike @a8ty9 #Nikon #Nikon3300 @adrn8ty9 #Nikonphotography #natureshots #Unstoppable #Pacificnorthwest #waterfalls #hike #waterfall (at Oregon) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcqgFCxvT02/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[justzawe]

‘Fresh Meat’ at 10: “We were basically dirty, smelly ‘Friends’”

A decade on from freshers, TV's top students remember their raucous heyday

By Beth Webb

23rd September 2021

“I’m choking up thinking about it. I suppose you never properly mark these things until you look back on them.” Charlotte Ritchie is eating toast and chatting over the phone about Fresh Meat, the milestone uni comedy from Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, in which she co-starred for four and a half years. A decade ago this week, Channel 4 first introduced the world to Ritchie’s character Oregon (AKA Melissa), and her housemates Vod (Zawe Ashton), JP (Jack Whitehall), Josie (Kimberley Nixon), Howard (Greg McHugh) and Kingsley (Joe Thomas), a motley crew of students whose paths would have probably never crossed outside of their shambolic house share, but during the show’s four series became best of friends.

Speaking with the cast today, it quickly becomes apparent that their real-life relationships are as steadfast now as their characters’ were back then. During our afternoon Zoom session, Ashton shows NME their group WhatsApp photo: a collage of faces in which Nixon sits yearbook-style pretty, while Whitehall is pulling a comically wretched expression. “They’re always the first five people that I write down on any sort of events list,” she says fondly. “It remains one of the most joyful experiences of my life,” Whitehall concurs at the start of our phone call.

Fresh Meat was first conceived by Bain and Armstrong in the late ‘90s, a few years before they came up with Peep Show, inspired by their time together at Manchester uni. “We were drawn to writing the show because university is an intense time in your life,” Bain tells NME. “I felt like I was very young but in some ways quite mature, and learning about life. It could also be quite tough and lonely at times.”

The show began with the arrival of these six polar opposites at their shabby house share: punkish Vod, bohemian Oregon, toff JP, mother hen Josie, nerdy Howard and fedora-sporting Kingsley. However, the stereotypes quickly vanished, and Fresh Meat morphed into a painfully funny, emotionally rich ensemble show about the highs (young love, weekday benders) and rocky lows (debt, drug abuse) of student life.

The collective energy of the cast (“we were basically like dirty, smelly Friends,” quips Ashton) paired with Bain and Armstrong’s cripplingly self-aware, heartfelt writing garnered a multigenerational audience of millions and multiple accolades (including Best TV Show at the 2012 and 2013 NME Awards). “There’s a tenderness to the show as well as the comedy,” says Bain, who is audibly touched when he learns of Ashton and co’s lasting love of Fresh Meat. “It meant that these characters could do terrible, terrible things, and you’d still like them. That was a large part of why Fresh Meat works. I have nothing but fond memories thinking back about it today.”

The casting process began in the months leading up to the shoot, which, true to Bain and Armstrong’s uni experience, took place in Manchester. “I think I auditioned seven times,” says Nixon over the phone from the very house where she learned she got the part. “Six of them were for Oregon, which is bizarre because Oregon is obviously Charlotte.”

Ashton, who auditioned six times for Vod, already knew Nixon as they shared an agent, although their friendship, it turned out, would take a little work. “I found out years later that she thought I was a douchebag,” she laughs. “She would say, ‘I would see you at photoshoots with your yoga mat eating a croissant, and I just thought you were a douchebag.’” Ashton would later read a poem at Nixon’s wedding.

Ritchie, fresh out of uni, had her final audition at the readthrough. “They wanted to see how I fit into the overall group; I don’t think I’ve ever felt more sick,” she remembers. Meanwhile Thomas, Whitehall and McHugh boarded the show amid burgeoning comedy careers, although Thomas, who joined Fresh Meat just ahead of The Inbetweeners Movie dropping, had some initial reservations about playing someone “not a million miles away” from Simon Cooper on the classic high school sitcom. “That was my only qualm, that they were a bit too similar,” he says of Fresh Meat‘s Kingsley during a long and animated afternoon phone chat. “On the other hand, though, I just didn’t care because Sam and Jesse are such good writers. It would’ve been ridiculous to turn down.”

Once the core cast was set, their student transformations could begin. For some, stepping into character was a more drastic process than others. “I put a lot of work into Howard as a performance, with the way that he walked and moved,” says McHugh, who has the oddball geology undergraduate’s sheep jumper framed in his home. “I look back now and I’m really proud of it.”

Ashton, meanwhile, underwent the most significant change in appearance, from her freshly shaved, dyed head to the punked up outfits: leather jacket, dummy necklace and graffitied, acid wash jeans. She saved several items of clothing from Vod’s wardrobe, including the jacket, although it nearly landed her in some serious hot water afterwards. “I took it on holiday with me, and on the way to the security check area [in the airport], I was checking my pockets and found a massive hole in one that had seven bags of fake weed in it.”

Next came a five-month stint over the summer in Manchester, where the cast lived and worked in the same building for 12-hour days. They quickly became inseparable, even after the cameras stopped rolling. “We got a bit obsessed with each other,” Nixon says.

That summer would be a formative one for all involved. There were “wholesome” breakfasts and girls’ nights out (or in). Evenings were spent having dinner along Canal Street or going to gigs in the city’s Northern Quarter. On hangover days, Whitehall would sneak off to a quiet corner for a quick nap – even when he was meant to be filming.

For our interview, Ritchie has found the diary that she kept and reads aloud an entry: “Had my dinner with Kim and Zawe, Greg came in after a bit. I watched Joe in The Inbetweeners… weird. Last night Jack and Joe kept having their autographs asked for. We were wondering if that might happen to us. It would be really nice in some ways, but also I might cringe out. Also, my friends would rip the piss out of me.”

Perhaps the heaviest night of that summer fell on Ashton’s birthday when an honest attempt to go home to bed turned into an all-nighter at an early hours club called the Coconut Shy. “I have this brilliant memory of Joe drinking some colourful cocktail and us dancing in this basement to reggae music,” she says. The next day, the gang were shooting in a real hospital for an especially sombre sequence in which Vod is recovering from an accidental overdose. “We had a break where they were changing the camera setups, and an actually ill person asked if I was OK,” says Ashton gleefully. “It was hysterical.”

After the first series wrapped, everyone reluctantly parted ways, and angst about the series’ premiere began to set in. Now they felt that they owed the show being a success to themselves and each other. Then the first episode aired, and everything changed. Ashton recalls being in Cuba, a trip she went on to consciously distance herself from the show’s release. After the plane landed, she went to an internet cafe to check her emails and opened one to the whole group from Tony Gardner, who played Professor Shales in the show (and dad Brian on My Parents Are Aliens). It said: “This is so special. Be ready for your lives to change.”

An early example of this came in the first series, when JP, high on acid and processing the news that his father is dying, has an emotional conversation with Oregon’s ailing horse. “I loved that scene. It terrified me in an exciting way,” says Whitehall. The actor, then known primarily as a rising standup, had felt especially challenged by the idea of doing something more emotionally driven. He says the reception he received for that scene was unforgettable: “It made me realise that I could get just as much satisfaction from being able to move an audience as making them laugh.”

For Ashton, the reception for Vod – which included a celebrity admirer in Noel Fielding – felt especially significant. “It felt bigger than me,” she said. “I grew up without a huge amount of people who look like me on television, certainly not in comedies. It felt joyful to belong to that.”

Channel 4 commissioned a second series in October 2011, just weeks after the first debuted. Over four summers, Ashton, Nixon, Whitehall, McHugh, Thomas and Ritchie would return to Manchester and the ever-evolving journeys of their characters. Along the way, they would celebrate key life changes together as well. McHugh remembers being on set when he got the call to say that his wife was about to have their first son. “We were in the Fresh Meat kitchen filming a big ensemble scene when my phone went off, and my wife told me she’d gone into labour,” he says. “I put the phone down, and everyone cheered because they just knew what had happened. I’ll never forget it.”

Each cast member recalls standout moments for their characters over the show’s lifespan. Both Nixon and Thomas talk warmly about their onscreen relationship, which culminates in a bittersweet breakup. “I remember being really sad because I’d got to do all these wonderful things with Joe, but also really proud of Josie because she made a good, selfless decision,” Nixon says, who lovingly describes Josie as “a runaway train” that she “got her jacket caught in and was being pulled along by.”

Ashton and Ritchie reminisce about the show’s other great partnership: their own. “I distinctly remember Zawe taking me under her wing and showing me the ropes in a way that never felt patronising. It was just so warm,” she says. “[Charlotte] is one of the funniest performers to me,” says Ashton. “I call her and Kim my comedy goddesses.”

The show ends with the group sitting on a hilltop, gazing out across the city together, before bidding farewell. “I remember there were a lot of tears on that day,” says Whitehall, who has a photo of the scene in his office. “It was unusual because usually, you can’t wait to be done with a series, but this certainly wasn’t the case.”

Since Fresh Meat wrapped in 2016, members of the cast have catapulted to stardom. Whitehall broke Hollywood opposite The Rock and Emily Blunt in Jungle Cruise, while Ashton i set to make her MCU debut in The Marvels next year. Bain and Armstrong have gone on to tackle some of the most prolific shows in America, including Veep and Succession.

Yet their friendship endures. When asked if they would reprise their roles, even just for one last time, everyone, Bain included, said that they would. “Unless the others all said no, in which case I am totally unavailable,” Whitehall jokes. It may be that there is still a story left to tell for this unruly group of wayward graduates, but if not, they will always have the memories of those Manchester summers and a time in their lives like no other. (x)

[cosplayinamerica]

Medieval Sub-Zero :  west_coast_ccprops93

The character I cosplay is an original concept Sub Zero from the video   game series Mortal Kombat. I reimagined him as a medieval character   complete with armor head to toe, sword, shield and of course a knight’s helmet that resembled the menpo mask depicted in the video games.

There  are elements of samurai, Roman, Viking and medieval European influences.  The character I created spawns from a love of all my favorite fandoms  such as Lord of the rings, Fantasy RPGs like Skyrim and the Witcher  series. Mortal Kombat on the other hand has a deeper place in my heart  since it was major part of my childhood and a video game that my brother  and I bonded over. We both equally know all the lore to each character  and together have played and beaten almost every game in series over the  years.

Sub Zero was always a character I gravitated towards growing up. His   combos in the game were brutal and worth taking the time to learn, and   of course his ice powers (who wouldn’t love that?). His story line is   incredibly interesting being the grandmaster of a mystical Ninja clan   called the lin Kuei.

Sub Zero to me is a stoic, formidable character and  his presence always reminded me of someone of nobility such as a  knight. Of course that is not the main reason why I chose to go  medieval. all my cosplays including work I’ve done for others to an extent have been original designs. This has allow me to be more creative  and free with my builds instead of stressing to replicate for accuracy.

I had my first fan reaction from a couple of people that recognized me  from the previous year.  As soon as I took off my helmet they shouted  “omg it’s the Kenobi guy from last year!, we can’t believe you out did  yourself this year”. This was at a small event located in Temple, Texas  that I attended with a local comic con.  Other than that to my surprise  I’ve received lots of love and admiration from the online cosplay  community and my peers.  

Normally it’s tricky to change up a character  online then to receive negative reactions from people. Luckily the  people I communicate and engage with are for the most part other  cosplayers and makers who accept originality.  I absolutely cannot wait  to attend a convention this year and get dehydrated while looking  awesome!

THE OUTFIT

The entire costume revolves around a basic male armor template Purchased from Evilted.com and a basic knight helmet template from my friend   Ashen Warrior props. The rest is completely free hand using Eva Foam.  

Over the course of 2020 I started off first by building the chest armor.  I loved the aesthetic of Sub zero’s shoulder armor from Mortal Kombat  11.  By complete accident from a incorrectly measure forearm piece fit   perfectly atop the shoulders. Continued from there and added the   noticeable arch that swoops up towards the neck. I didn’t know at the   time but eventually it would cause issues for mobility when wearing my   helmet. I loved the look and  continued to keep the shoulders the same   despite movement complications.

 From there I Made my own MK dragon  symbol stencil, slapped that on the chest using Eva foam and called it  good.  The lower torso was missing something so I added interlocking  armor that also covered my waist. I did this after browsing concept art  and paying homage to the classic ninja Tabards depicted in the video  games.  I continued to add layer after layer through the year.

As I  stated before there was no clear vision for what this costume would look  like in the end.  Eventually I would complete the armor just by doing  free hand foamsmithing.

Late 2020 and the beginning of this year I  decided to retire my original sub zero costume and recycle the  materials. That was my first costume but it felt right to use the  materials for this evolutionary step in my cosplay journey. The original  costume was made using parts from a cheap sub zero costume from Spirit  Halloween, cotton fabric, a leather bomber jacket from a yard sale and  whatever I could find.

These were the missing pieces to Medieval sub  zero and added layers of details that sold the character and satisfied  my creative hunger.  The shield and weapons were also done free hand and  referencing random pictures from google. I learned a lot from doing  costume and prop weapons commissions through the year.

Keeping the costume comfortable, form fitting but also provide full   range of motion for posing and traversing crowds.  This forced me to   slow down and think before I made, making sure that each  piece   interlocks correctly. I don’t use any software on computers at the   moment (it’s something I should definitely be doing and would save me a lot of time). Now it’s my most detailed and comfortable costume to date.  

My wife and I recently did a photoshoot at a local state park. We hiked  a mile or two up and down hills and across creeks. Other than being hot  under the armor which is expected I was absolutely comfortable. The  hardest part was really taking the time to build something durable that  should last many conventions and hikes through the woods.

DISCOVERING COSPLAY

My awareness of “cosplay” and prop making didn’t start until late 2019.  Before then for years my brother and i would dress up together for  Halloween. We both have always customized our costumes since we were  young. We were very close growing up and what kept us tougher through  our parents divorce and other hardships in our childhood was video games. We grew up very poor but our imagination was rich. We spent our  childhood acting out our favorite characters. Then using sticks as lightsabers so on and so forth.

Flash forward 20 years. What motivated me was a Sub Zero mask my brother mailed to me as gift. I had just moved to Texas from Oregon  with my  wife and daughter. During that time, i slowly sunk into a deep  depression and a bad place mentally. I felt isolated, alone and lost. I  was away from my childhood town, friends, family and all that i knew.  I  contemplated suicide which was something I struggled with for years.  This was something I’ve dealt with all my life. I have PTSD and  depression from events in my childhood and teenage years. Each day is different, I’m either really happy or fearful , anxious and angry. I am  always in fight or flight mode.    

Well, my little brother sent in the mail a cheap Sub Zero  costume and a really expensive mask out of nowhere as a gift.  The  costume was too small and there were aspects of it that I did not like.  

Sure I was appreciative that he gave me a costume but I knew I could  remake it. So with no costume making, sewing or cosplay knowledge at  all. I set out to make a Sub Zero costume and was determined to make my  brother proud. I borrowed my wife’s grandmothers sewing machine and went  for it.

Taking apart the original armor pieces, a leather bomber  jacket and whatever I could find I made something out of shear will.   After that I felt confident enough to make my brother a costume as well  but this time using Eva Foam.  I spent weeks researching and overspending  on materials from Amazon.

Eventually we both had our dream costumes and I  was so proud ( mind you they were terrible) but we thought we looked so  badass and worth taking out.  That same year he flew out to Texas and  we attended our first convention together and first time  portraying our  favorite characters. It was a dream come true. Having people  complimenting and taking pictures with us was mind blowing, we felt like celebrities for a day. Two bothers from a small town now in a large convention amongst thousands of people, a community that embraces dressing up and expressing your fandom.

Prop making has changed my life in ways I never  thought it would. Personally it unlocked this creative and artistic  passion I never knew I had. I’ve always been creative but not focused.   It’s a hobby that keeps me sane and happy. It’s a beautiful and  wonderful way to express one’s self.  Keep making, painting, sewing or  doing what you love.  Hardships in life are unavoidable but your own  personal happiness is always in your control. I still struggle to this  day but now have an outlet creatively and a community of  friends /colleagues.

https://linktr.ee/West_Coast_CCPROPS

[songofsaraneth]

wow its been a minute huh but ok!!! apparently its been... 6 months since i did a catch up post y i k e s but that about tracks with the chaotic state of my life these days. so uhhhh let’s see where things are at since my last update. honestly if u want a better more consistent look at my life instagram @mermaidjadeofficial is my more active place now just cause i have to be better about it for business reasons :/ 

I successfully baked that wedding cake and it turned out lovely

still doing taiko drumming!!! I had my first stage performance this september, I’d played at small events or on the sidelines at some local half-marathon races before, but it was nice to push into full song/stage routine. as a hobby it’s been really nice and honestly. everyone should adopt a hobby where the other members are predominantly women over the age of 65. Birdwatching, knitting, book club, whatever. It’s so refreshing to spend time with people that far outside my age group and older ladies are a HOOT. Also with all my joint problems I finally feel on par vs spending time with all my climber/mountain biker friends. Also Karen’s having her hip replacement in a few weeks so everyone send her good vibes for her recovery. 

keepin’ on with the modeling, though took a break for the later half of fall. Did several photoshoots this summer, including a big bridal one in july. It was fun but now that I have some for my portfolio I’m pretty over bridals, unless they involve some other fun concept. That’s like 90% of the photoshoots in Utah though because of the mormon population density so may or may not be shooting myself in the foot if I stop those. I am really proud of how well me & the male model in oregon did at pretending to be a couple tho! being able to pose naturally/convincingly with someone you’ve known less than 24hours is a skill, however undervalued, and I am proud of myself for being good at it.

I WENT BACK TO IRELAND!!!! ahhhhh my sad homesick heart. Spent time in Scotland & England again as well, I went BACK to the ISLE OF SKYE, it rained on me there a lot again but I did get one beautiful day. I got to see old friends, new places, old places I missed dearly, and eat a LOT of pastries. Like, a LOT. I could talk forever about the trip so I’ll just leave things at that.

While in Dublin I also went to worldcon again!! And I did finish my Raven Queen costume for it and I’m super proud of how it turned out. It’s the first corset I’ve ever sewn and it’s somewhat a miracle it fits but I definitely leveled up sewing wise with this project!!

got back from abroad and pretty much instantly got thrown right back into fieldwork. I don’t think I unpacked for a full month and a half after getting back since I was basically camping/staying in an airbnb for work for three weeks of september and the first two weeks of october. it was beautiful in the desert as always but also i cannot describe my relief at not having to live out of a suitcase for the first time since mid july.

i just realized that the cake picture followed by two bridal modeling example photos below it make it look like i actually got married so just to clarify. i definitely didn’t.

on the weekends between all those work trips I also ended up traveling, once to salt lake for some photoshoots! a fun La Llorona inspired one, one of my raven queen costume, and one just fancy dress one in the Utah Capitol Building.

and to denver to visit my bf/friends including one visiting from out of state, go to the oddities & curiosities expo, and then go two concerts!!! I saw Korpiklaani and Eluveitie, and then Arch Enemy and Amon Amarth, the later two I’d never seen play live before. I love moab but I MISS CONCERTS SO MUCH sometimes ahhhhhg

been trying to get better at my own photography/editing/retouching as well. have done a couple portrait edits of myself but I think I wanna start getting other models to pose for me so I can work on faces that aren’t my own bc wow does staring at yourself for 5-8 hours make you keenly aware of every flaw your skin possess. 

I also have been very sparse online bc, and this is probably the main important one and no one will read this far down now that i’ve burried it. but i spent most of my free time the last two months studying for the GRE, which I have now taken. i am going to try to find a school/lab and go back for my masters degree, ideally with a start date of next fall. it’s a big step i’ve been putting off for a long time but i feel like if I just keep waiting I will never do it. so. that’s gonna be a big life change in my future, assuming I can find somewhere to take me.

because of the above: i am not doing NaNoWriMo this year. that’s honestly the biggest bummer of my life right now. I made it 4 years in a row and it is always such a good motivational challenge for me. and I’ve even had things I planned out to work on for most of it that I was really looking forward to!!! but honestly I just couldn’t swing it and study for the GRE and had to put the latter as my priority. which sucks. idk if I’ll have time to do it in the future either bc grad schedule but... yeah. trying not to think about it too much at the moment bc it bums me out.

Kazul is still the most perfect and beautiful snake ever and our 2 year anniversary was a few days ago :)

ok this update is hugeo so i’ll leave it there. if you read this far, pls sell me your attention span, i need to find/purchase/steal one before i go back to academia 

[cantquitu]

Harris Reed interview with Sunday Times Style Magazine

16 September 2018, by Louis Wise

Generally before an interview there’s a moment of panic about a minute before you arrive, when you decide you’ve got the details all wrong and you need to reread the emails, and it was meant to take place three days before in Basingstoke. Any similar jitters before meeting Harris Reed, however, are quickly dispelled as I walk down the street in east London one blazing hot summer morning. In the middle distance, I see an extraordinarily tall vision — 6ft 8in, it turns out — in silver platform boots, tiny-tiny shorts, a vintage Gucci chiffon blouse and a wide-brimmed hat. No need to check my phone: I’m at the right place.

Fashion loves a sensation, and right now few are quite as sensational as Reed, a 22-year-old gender-fluid designer (we’ll come to that) who, while still at Central Saint Martins, is being feted by industry types and stars alike. Things got going when Solange Knowles spotted an all-white construction on Reed’s then-under-the-radar Instagram and wore it for a shoot. Things went crackers when Harry Styles, for his solo tour, picked a classic Reed concoction: nude shirt, all frills and ruffles and bows, with complementing flares and a dinky black waistcoat. No wonder an internship with Gucci — who Reed has already walked the catwalk for — is on the cards. Because, to be clear, Reed is a student, with two years of a BA course to go, hence he is still making only one-offs, often on the kitchen floor. Yet just from sharing photos online, the clothes — often dramatic, romantic mixes of glam rock and Victoriana — are already featuring in the edgiest editorials.

“Even if I fail, I have school to fall back on,” laughs Reed, who speaks in a relentless rat-a-tat Valley Girl accent, despite having the face and hair of a slightly lost Renaissance princess. It’s the legacy of a life spent hopping across America — LA, Oregon, Seattle, Arizona — before coming to London three years ago. “I can just do what’s in the heart, what I really feel, and not think, well,I have to do something sellable, marketable. I can just do, ‘This is me!’ ”

And part of that “me” is, as mentioned, a free and easy attitude to the usual gender norms. On Reed’s Instagram, now with nearly 70k followers, the bio reads “fighting for the beauty of fluidity” — which means we’re using the pronoun “they”, not he/she. That is Reed’s preference, one borne out in the clothes they make. Quite a few designers today exhibit a nonchalant attitude as to whether men or women wear their clothes — think JW Anderson’s own-name collections or the much-lauded Grace Wales Bonner, whose menswear is often bought by women. But few take it to such dramatic extremes as Reed, whose louche silhouettes recall the golden era of Jagger or Bowie. “I say I do menswear if I’m really jet-lagged or tired,” they giggle. “But I would mostly love to say I do clothing that is just completely gender-fluid.”

We are sitting on a fire escape at a hip Dalston studio before Style’s photoshoot starts. The designer is easy company, firing off freewheeling paragraphs before petering out with a shy laugh. Things Reed hates: the word “normal”, identity labels and “being on my phone, the constant bam-bam-bam”. Things Reed loves: fashion, London, the ocean, museums, love itself, “getting dressed up and going totally crazy” and being wildly, wilfully tall. Today, their limbs sprawl down the fire-escape stairs.

“I love that,” they insist. “A good outfit, for me, is when you feel uncomfortable. I’m not saying in a way of, ‘Oh, this is hurting my body’, but more that everyone is staring at you.” This reaction — often a very strong reaction — is at the heart of what Reed does. “Why is that person staring? What are they thinking about? Why do they have an issue with that? That’s what makes a fab outfit. I’m all about pushing the extremes.”

The Harry Styles look is a case in point. According to Reed, it could have gone a lot further, but in the end “we came to a ground where we both were happy”. Styles really took the time to get to know Reed and to understand the vision. “I was surprised by someone on such a global scale, and so mainstream, being fascinated by myself and where I’ve grown up and where my experiences are. He was very, like, ‘What did you have for breakfast and why?’ ”

Another person to take a real interest in Reed is Gucci’s head honcho, Alessandro Michele, whose own historical, decadent, gender-blurred vision obviously echoes Reed’s own. (Other designers Reed loves are classic Galliano and McQueen, of course, plus the headwear genius of Philip Treacy, and the “performance genius” of Hussein Chalayan.) Reed and Michele had a proper chat in the latter’s office. “It was an extraordinary moment. Sitting in his office on what, I swear to God, was Marie Antoinette’s bedroom furniture. I’m not sure if it was, but it looked like it. I almost broke the chair.”

There’s a real joyfulness to Reed — no dour gen-Z type droning on about gender politics. Yet what their brand is doing comes from a serious place. “I’ll never be, like, ‘Oh yeah, by me designing this frilly blouse I’m changing the world,’ ” they laugh. But rather sweetly, secretly, they clearly hope it a little bit.

That morning, as Reed left the house, people shouted stuff in the street, as happens most mornings. “It’s constant,” they shrug. Unfortunately, Reed has had time to get used to it, as the child of an English father and a Mexican mother who travelled across America for their jobs; perhaps the only constant was the sense of not quite fitting in. LA was probably the easiest, Arizona by far the worst.

“It got to the point where it was so bad, aside from the physical and verbal bullying, parents were telling the teacher, ‘Oh, I want my kid pulled out of the class entirely, because I don’t want him to be in the room with that.’ ” Reed sussed out early that they would need to have an inner resilience. “It was this idea of, OK kid, you need to know who the f*** you are, what you stand for and what you’re about.”

Fortunately the young Harris always had a supportive family. Daddy Reed works in the film business, Mummy Reed had a candle company and a perfume company, and she paints and also makes ceramics. “I’ve learnt from her that if something fails, you just move right out,” nods Reed. “She doesn’t dwell, you know?” This seems to go for her love life too. Reed thinks she has been married, “like, five or six times? My dad’s number four. Or three. But they’re best friends. And my dad’s just got remarried to a professional juggler.” At this point I start cackling. Reed does too. “My family is really funny,” they beam. Reed also has a younger sister, who they tried out their first designs on, bribing her with biscuits.

It’s at Central Saint Martins, though, that Reed came into their own, growing their hair, going heavy on the silky blouses and developing the “uniform” that’s so gloriously on show today. In the first year, Reed went to parties such as fellow designer Charles Jeffrey’s Loverboy at Vogue Fabrics, in east London, which was well known for encouraging clubbers to dress up to the max, as well as a laissez-faire attitude to identity. These days Reed hardly has the time to go out, but is thankful to Jeffrey, and the London fashion scene in general, for encouraging them to be fully themselves.

The immediate future, for Reed, involves lots of exciting collaborations, most of which they are too nervous to reveal yet; the long-term future involves having an own-name label. Working with other big names is great, they insist, but they definitely want their name above the door. That’s the paradox with Reed: they don’t like labels, but they definitely want their own label. On that note, though, isn’t there sometimes something to be said for an identity tag? You’re fighting for the beauty of fluidity. If you don’t have a flag, what do you gather around?

“It’s a stick!” Reed replies mischievously. “You just throw that stick — and hope it daggers Donald Trump right in the heart!” So it’s really more of a javelin? “Yes, the flag has turned into a f****** Swarovski javelin. And it matches the boots!”

Styling: Harry Lambert. Hair: Kota Suizu at Caren Agency. Make-up: Kristina Ralph Andrews at Saint Luke Artists. Set design: Lisa Jahovic

[emisyearoffortunateevents]

So 2021 huh, people are not exaggerating when they say years fly as you get older. Tumblr has been something special to look back and see what my previous worries, hope, and dreams were. And like I’d forget most of these if they weren’t for tumblr. I barely posted in 2020 and I forgot everything that happened???

This is why I think it’s important to reflect on the highlights of this last year. Last time I did this, it was 2017… fast forward to 5 years later….(like what the heck I got my license in 2017) anyways..

- Never had covid except for the covid scare found out on JAN 1 (I pray I’m not jinxing myself)

- Started @emimontages on Instagram, made a couple videos and hoping to pick it up again one of these days!

- I thrifted my Olympus Mju ii in January, and it’s been single-handly the best purchase of my life

- Released my photography website for a time being

- Hit my first box + rail for snowboarding

- Continued my dental assisting job during winter quarter

- Photographed the girl’s psaa volleyball season

- Played beer pong for the first time of my life, absolutely sucked and hitched grant and Julia together

- Obtained a planet fitness gym membership

- A portrait photoshoot with Sarai!

- I slowly started meal-prepping throughout the year

- Tried golf for the first time, lousy at it but like I get the old white man hype for it

- Went on a photoshoot with Isaac, where I eventually found my shots reposted on Prana’s page

- Learn to tape broken ankles but like.. I forgot everything

- Climbed the dome!! My walla walla dream came trust lmao. And geocached where I left my organic tampon in there to form history. Ran around the green hills at night from imaginary scary farmers, laid in the middle of the street with a friend group to stargaze, and visited abandoned towers

- Lots of rolled down music moments with this friend group. Big shoutout to Julia, grant and Carson. Y’all were the epitome of the best quarter ever.

- I think only one sunrise hike was done lmao, where a potato was boosted into the horizon

- Forced quarantine in yucky Meske where meaningful conversations were held in the halls with vball girls <3

- sneaked out of quarantine 2x which then.. to sneak in again to the Hampton’s hot tub

- shit…I forgot I did volleyball evening practices + volleyball/basketball intrimurals during all this LOL WHAT?

- Planned a trip to Spokane where a core memory was riding electric bikes all over homeless-looking downtown. I swear we saw prison members doing community service hours

- Karina and Yanna met me halfway in soap lake? But then we found the most unreal spot?? And felt like deer and met our fishermen boyfriends who took pictures of us? This felt like a dream

- Had scary campfire stories and s’mores shared in the hills where it was 110% illegal and we could’ve lit all the fields on fire

- Planned Julia’s birthday and made my first coochiechaterie board

- Took my first somewhat senior stranger photoshoot

- Floated down Walla walla’s only river, but I swear it’s 10 miles long

- Found out I have chronic cookie bite hearing loss, love that for me

- Got VAXXED

- For my last official volleyball game, my team won. We won that game set. Unreal.

- Graduated walla and Strobel cried, jk he shed maybe 1 tear.

- Fam bam trip to Bend, Oregon. Adore that place

- Lots of sunset swims, hot tub talks with the girlies

- A surfing session and what seemed like a 20 mile hike to the base of rainier all in one weekend???????

- Fam bam trip to The Bahamas aka Atlantis

- Signed a 2 year contract townhouse in Redlands california with a roommate I’ve never met!

- Airport landings in the middle of the forest, fire lookouts, foggy Baker Mountain, & can’t forget North bend…

- Girlies and I took the best trip of our lives to Vancouver + Whistler. Ethereal experiences. Oh and a flat tire

- Drove 16 hours down to california with a roof tent ⛺️

- Met Kyra. The best roommate ever.

- Got through orientation at LLU, met the people I was to see 60 hours a week.

- Said goodbye to my family, 3 months on my own

- Manhattan beach became my favorite, Karina came visiting for my birthday. 3:00 am start- 11pm end. From Catalina island to shots at a restaurant I still can’t pronounce.

- tried spin. Almost died here.

- Hosted first Halloween party. Best decor, bad host on me for leaving 2 hours later.

- Attended a laguna hills mansion “party” same night with epic views

- Met amber and Rachel, and Des. They are key characters

- Got white coated. Guess it’s a big deal!

- Planned the best day yet at california. Including one of the best hikes involving climbing ladders, canyons and off road driving.

- “Star gazing” with roomie

- Decided to say yes to follow a homeless looking man in order to see a secret local spot in the mountains. We still think of you georgio <\3

- 5:30am mornings consistent for all the 3 months.

- Last minute big island trip with fam during thanksgiving break.

- Ran and screamed through old mine tunnels

- Board games untill 11pm with somewhat of a new friend group?

- Finished all A’s for my first quarter of dental hygiene. With my last 3 finals being over 97%.

- Watched sing 2 back at home with the girlies and it was life-changing.

These are the core memories, engraved in my mind. Mainly with the help of pictures as well.

Wow. What.a.year. Life changes real quick.

[stephanpartipilo]

I have been shooting at WU a lot lately! It’s one of my favorite places in Salem to shoot at along with Deep Wood Gardens. I have a whole routine down and on lock. DM if interested in shooting with what’s left of the flowers before Summer fries everything ☀️. . There are people less qualified than you doing the things you want to do simply because they believe in themselves. Don’t overthink it, just do it. Some people travel the whole world but stay within a bubble the entire time. But you haven’t truly seen the world till you’ve met it’s people & listened to all walks of life & tried many different things. That is the life I want to live & encourage for others too. Be free. Be you. Namaste 🙏🏼. . Special Thanks: @athaliavanniekerk @galadriel_star . . Collaborating with females all ages world-wide! For more info visit https://www.stephanpartipilo.com/collaborations . CONTACT Call/Text/FaceTime: 971.283.8200 Email: hello@stephanpartipilo.com Serious inquiries only! . . . . . #photoshoot #portraitphotographer #portraitphotography  #seniorportraits #seniorsession #seniorphotographer #seniorphotos #seniorpics #castingcall #casting #modelswanted #teenmodelsearch #teenmodelswanted #teenmodel #pnw #pnwvibes #pnwphotographer #seniorpictures #seniorsunday #seniorphotography #teenphotographer #natureportraits #oregonlife #oregon #pdxlife #pdx #portlandoregon #vancouverwa #tacomawa #seattlewa https://www.instagram.com/p/CBlVkdKp5Pg4Vrl47tCGkc5tfbyiQq67hGTj-w0/?igshid=erpc4tlegt69

[onlineholly]

2017 wrapped

Hey Holly, it’s Holly. How are you? Did 2018 go ok? Or is everyone saying “2018 did me so bad omggg” like they do with every year? 

Here’s a little recap of every cool thing you did in 2017, just so you don’t forget, but mostly so you can feel nostalgic as you read this back later. 

In January, you went to the women’s march in Portland and wrote this here poem, because Trump was elected president. I know, crazy, remember that? After campaigning for Bernie in 2016 and attending one of his rallies, you had been filled with a glimmer of hope for the future of America, but this election was a gigantic step backwards. Like, 20 years backwards in progress. 

In February, I’d say the coolest thing you did was attend the Live Salted conference in Portland with Hayley, your old Young Life leader. You felt so connected to a group of people whom you had never met before, but they welcomed you in and loved you so well. Here, your faith began to bloom more in 2016. Continuing with the blooming of faith in February, you also attended a campaigners camp at Washington Family Ranch as well, where you felt at home somewhere, and like you had a place in Young Life. (Honorable mentions for February: Lilli’s birthday and, oh yeah, getting your license finally!!!!)

By March, your campaign with Cam for Junior Class Presidents was in full swing, as you had dragged him into running with you. I think he actually did like it through, I mean, he must have, because he decided to run with you again for ASB! (How does that turn out, by the way?) March was also the month that your student government journey began. Ms. Stone asked you to join Core Council in place of the social media coordinator, and I think it is safe to say that it really saved your high school career. Student government has made me into someone I never thought I’d be, but I enjoy being for every second. It’s crazy to think that in only a span of 10 months, student government has become your entire life.. like, it’s literally what you live for. Cookies were handed out and smiles were exchanged in your campaign, as march was filled with your very first leadership committees and initial Core Council meetings as well. (Honorable mentions: the Panic! at the Disco concert with Destiny–this was the second time you had seen them–and DRIVING ACROSS THE STATE BY YOURSELF OMG HOLLY WHAT WHERE YOU THINKNING?!! But really, spring break consisted of driving on the freeway by myself for the first time ever for 5 hours to see Grammy and Grandude in Fossil for a week. It was a wild trip that I think I learned a lot about myself in, and being alone with myself as well.)

By April, you had lost your election with Cam for class president, but it didn’t end your student government career or stop you from continuing on (obviously). Looking back on it, April was sort of a trivial month, with no real huge events in it, but smaller ones. Like running your first ever blood drive! (Little did you know that in this year you would run two more!) You also got into photography more, even with Grammy’s shitty old DSLR, you found out that you could potentially have talent in this, and people told you that you did.This new self confidence sparked a whole potencial career path and jump started your creativity again, as you were beginning to leave web design and computer science major ideas behind (spoiler: coding is easy, hosting websites is not, and the inner workings of the internet is too complicated). 

May was the beginning to a great summer, and just a taste of the fun that was to come. School nights were spent sitting by campfires with new friends in their backyards, tailgating at high school baseball games, and traveling to new outdoor adventures. You even saw blackbear for the second time at his own show, which was beyond amazing. Digital Druglord is one of your favorite albums of all time, and the performance did not disappoint (unlike cybersex, his newest album). 

June was the end of sophomore year, with a lot of bittersweetness, but an overall good ending. Somehow you made it through without failing chemistry and still being in NHS. You probably wouldn’t have though if it wasn’t for your high school counselor, Robbie, you owe him a lot. You got to help with prom and see the entire committee’s work come to fruiting on that night, and you were already thinkning of ways to make yours better for the next year. And of course, YOU GOT A JOB!! You got an interview with Jamba Juice sometime in March maybe, but they asked you to come in again in June and Nikki hired you on the spot. The summer was off on a good foot with a job at a juice bar. 

July was filled with independent Oregon adventures with you and your friends who could both drive! Having this new found sense o adult-ness and freedom opened many doors. In between shifts at Jamba, you and Elora drove to Newport in search of a great beach day (which was found), you, Lilli, Payton, Elora, and Destiny wandered down to Irish Bend to swim in the sun, and you and Adelaide traveled to the cabin and Sahalie Falls while capturing pretty cool pictures. July was the epitome of a 16 year old Oregonian’s summer. Your second blood drive in the summer went well too, and you even made 50 bucks from it! And of course, there was summer camp at WaFaRa again. This camp seemed to go on forever, and it was here that you realized your time for being a camper was probably over, and it was time to begin to lead-which you still have yet to do so hurry up Holly. This camp, as always, pushed your limits a little more and more each day. You go karted, did a roped course 100 feet in the air, and danced your butt off at club. After camp you went for a trip to Fossil for the second time this year, and saw the long awaited Painted Hills, which you will have to go back to one day. 

August was a summer winding down. The fair was an obligatory local teenager event, which turned out to be mediocre (shocking, I know), but made for some cute instagrams. You played glow in the dark capture the flag with Adelaide and friends, spray painted CHS’s rock with your new core council, and YOU GOT BANGS!! After contemplating many times, you just finally did it and said screw it. And they even turned out good! Oh, and the whole solar eclipse thing happened too. 

September was a peppy school spirited month, kicking off the 2017-2018 year with a spirit shirt you designed, home football games, deadly APUSH notes, homecoming week, and watching volleyball from the sidelines for the first time ever. (Turns out photographing your friends playing a sport they genuinely love is better than playing the sport as well, only pretending to love it.) Oh yeah, for yearbook, they gave you a kick ass camera that is absolutely amazing and finally lets you flex some photography skills and learn new stuff! And of course, all throughout this you were still desperately in love with C. 

October had tons of photoshoots and it was your month to thrive, libra! I think it was by now that you were seeing Dr. S and had a regular regime of prescriptions, which even though your mom was terrified of you taking three antidepressants and two mood stabilizers, it seemed to be working. You and Lilli planned a last minute concert trip in early October to see The Weeknd, and even though you were in the nosebleeds, a concert is a concert and it was a great experience. You and Adelaide had a fall beach trip this month, and you also did a stunning photoshoot with Kiara, Alyssa, and Alba which is still one of your favorites of all time. You went on many Shari’s dates with megan as well, and your new friendship began to grow here. And of course, you had your 17th birthday then too! Your party at the farm was stressful and less than eventful, but pretty ok. And at the end of October, you got what I am typing on now! A new Macbook, which was literally a dream come true thanks to your Nanna. 

November was the month of tournaments! First, dodgeball, then ping pong. Ping Pong basically consumed your whole life in November, even though you knew nothing about the sport. But in November, you also got to go to Seaside with Core Council for the OASC Leadership Conference! It was really a blast and a great bonding experience that was well worth it. There was also your third blood drive in November, which went moderately okay. 

And finally…, December. Now. You Christmas shopped your heart out and spent your paycheck on everyone else, but it was well worth it. As I am now writing this and reflecting on this year, I feel happy about it, really. This year kind of whizzed by, but what year doesn’t? You planned Winter Formal this month, finally got your school schedule together and dropped APUSH, laughed at Festivus and at Christmas Eve dinner with heidi, and enjoyed Christmas day with all three families (Dad, Mom, Wooley’s + etc.) 

Overall this year, you enjoyed a ton of music, watched a lot of movies (50 shades II, Dunkirk, Get Out, Baby Driver, Guardians of the Galaxy I and II, American Assassin, Cars 3, The Disaster Artist, Ladybird), and read quite a few books (The Book Thief, I’ll Give You the Sun, Milk and Honey, The Sun and Her Flowers,The Girls). So here’s to another year, another illusion of starting over. Here’s to you, future me. 

Love, past me of December 28th 2017

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[arplis]

Arplis - News: How to Keep it Simple with Your Camper Van Conversion

If you have dreams of traveling and camping in a photoshoot-worthy campervan, youre not alone. Lots of people are inspired by the beautiful campervan conversions they see on social media. But do you really need your camper to look like something out of a catalogue? Or do you simply want to live and camp comfortably while traveling?

The reality of converting a van into a campervan is that everything you add has the potential to create more work and more issues when youre on the roadnot to mention the upfront time and money youll need to install every fancy feature you find on Pinterest.

When I bought my GMC Vandura and started living in it part-time, simplicity was my focus. I wanted to seriously downsize my life, so I didnt want to fill my van with too many extras.

The Key to a Successful Campervan Conversion? Keep it Simple.

The van life movement is rooted in minimalism. The VW van-dwellers of the 60s didnt have Pinterest to source ideas from. They lived and camped in their camper vans as a way to escape the confines of too many possessions. And the recent resurgence of van-love, now replete with a hashtag (#vanlife), grew in tandem with the tiny house obsession, along with the idea that less is more. People wanted to reinvent the American Dream, without expensive mortgages and working their lives away to pay the bills. They wanted to get outside more. Mobile living (including tiny homes, vans, RVs etc.) offered a simpler version of comfort, along with mobility, freedom, and low-cost living.

Kelly S. is keeping it simple with her 2002 Chevrolet Express camper van conversion.

But as this alternative lifestyle has turned into mainstream clickbait, the minimalism is sometimes overshadowed by expensive Sprinter van build-outs and elaborate rigs.

Now, dont get me wrong. I love a gorgeously curated interior. I bet you do, too. But the reality is I dont have the budget or the time for all the bells and whistles. And when Im sleeping at campgrounds, I really dont need them. If youre looking to turn your van into a camper van, you might not be interested in the fancy build-outs either.

Whether youre parking at campgrounds or boondocking, you dont have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in converting a van into a camper van.

Lets break down the things you do need in your simple camper van conversion

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Camp fire in the woods

. . . . #campfire #campfirecooking #camplife #camping #campinghacks #adventure_culture #adventureland #adventurers #outdoorliving #gooutdoors #vanlifecamping #vanlifeexplorers #vanlifeproject #welovecamping #Mountkidd #rvparklife #summeradventure #coupleswhocamp #campgoals #campvibes #weliveinavan #modernnomad #modernmillennial #lifeofadventure #twogirlsonevan #exploretheoutdoors #explorers #lesbianswhocamp #gaysinthewoods

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Two Girls One Van

(@two_girls_one_van) on May 30, 2018 at 3:29pm PDT

5 Things to Focus on for a Simpler Campervan Conversion

I spoke to some fellow vanlifers some of them live in their vans full-time, others camp in their vans on weekends to round out my own advice on what you need for a simple van conversion.

M own camper van conversion is a 1986 GMC Vandura. Its old and creaky and slightly unreliable, but (most of the time) I love it, and its perfect for camping.

A Bed

The bed is the foundational difference between a van and a campervan. (Related: once you have a bed in your van, its officially an RV, according to AAA, and youll need their RV coverage if you ever want a tow. I discovered that on the side of the highway in Seattle.)

Ive seen vans with the backseats removed and a mattress thrown in. Ive even seen a hammock strung up inside of a van, which can be easily removed to maximize living space when youre not sleeping.

My van came with a bed that folds into itself to create a bench seat. Its similar to this one, built by @gnomad_home:

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Everyone has been asking us how our couch to bed situation works in our #van! So we decided to make this little #timelapse video for you all to see! Thanks for all the questions and compliments so far, and feel free to keep 'em coming!!

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John

Nymeria

Delilah (@gnomad_home) on Mar 5, 2017 at 12:43pm PST

But I keep mine out like a bed all the time, and find the bed works fine for sitting and occasionally working on my laptop. If I did a camper van conversion myself, I wouldnt bother with the fold-up feature.

The vanlifers behind Two Wandering Soles built a super simple platform bed in the back of their Chevy, and they offer detailed instructions on how to make your own.

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The sleeping area! A custom cut (bigger than) king sized mattress! It fills the back of the Doka and creates a HUGE bed!

>>>

@Vanlifeing_com >>> #ThisisVanlifeing Captured by@vwdoka

A post shared by Vanlife Calendar 2020

(@camper.lifestyle) on Jun 21, 2018 at 12:11pm PDT

When it comes to bedding, Im a big fan of an excessive number of pillows. And Im kind of in love with my Pendleton wool blanket. But now that the weather is warming up, its much too hot. I love the concept of the Rumpl blanket its made out of sleeping bag material which stays nice and cool, but also keeps you warm. Plus, my dogs hair wont stick to it, like it does with the wool blanket. I dont have one yet, but its on my list for summertime van camping.

Power + Light

Theres something special about being in the van at night. I drove miles up into the coastal mountains of Oregon to reach Horse Creek Campground on my first van camping trip. The dark tunnel of dirt road was eery, as I drove further and further away from civilization. But then I reached the nearly empty campground, turned on my collection of Christmas lights, strung around the vans ceiling, turned off the headlights, and felt right at home.

The thing is, if you want to do anything in your van at night, youre going to need light. Ive amassed more and more Christmas lights, which I plug in to The Lycan Powerbox from Renogy. If I want to read, I also turn on a little lantern I have hanging over the bed.

My lights, computer, and fan can all run at once from The Lycan Powerbox. So I have power for camping or working in a Starbucks parking lot (as Im doing, here).

I have a foldable lantern in the storage compartment over the drivers seat in my camper van conversion, so I can see to find my clothes. And a few smaller lights scattered around the van, so theres always one in arms reach when I climb in and need to see before I accidentally step in my dogs water bowl.

The UCO Gear Sitka Lantern is another appealing option. The extendable arm can give you light from above, which is especially handy when cooking or reading.

Im also a big fan of battery operated twinkle lights. Theyre not great for reading, but they give my van a cozy vibe for nighttime relaxation.

My dog, Jackson, likes the twinkle light vibe. He does not like it when I shine my headlamp in his face to take a photo.

Because you can never have enough options when it comes to your ability to see in the dark, I also keep a headlamp on hand. Ledlenser Headlampsare so much brighter than most headlamps Ive tried. Stick one behind your gallon of water for a makeshift lantern when its not on your head.

Fellow van camper Kelly S. also keeps it simple when it comes to lights:I didnt want to mess around with wiring a van, storing an extra battery, figuring out how to charge an extra battery, etc, so I have hooks on the ceiling for battery powered LED lanterns. This way, theyre portable too, and you can use them outside of the van!

Econoline-dweller Rachel loves her LED lights for keeping things simple, too: For lights I have an LED strip that plugs into USB and I just use those little backup phone batteries and switch them out and charge them through my lighter while Im driving.

Shelly S. is hooked on LUMINAID. I get the Cairn subscription box, which is how I received the initial run of this awesome little lantern and have been stuck to it ever since.

Water

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We recently upgraded our water tanks. We bought 3 taller tanks that fit in the same space as our 2 old tanks. We now have ~ 15 gallons of water which can last 1-2 weeks depending where we are and what we're doing. Great decision. #garageviews

A post shared by Megan Cable (@meganmcable) on Jun 7, 2018 at 2:49pm PDT

Rule number #1 with any type of camping: Bring more water than you think youll need. This isnt hard when youre van camping theres plenty of room! But you have a bunch of options when it comes to water storage.

Kelly S. shares how she sourced her best van ideas from traditional tent camping, including water.

For water I have a 7-gallon aquatainer. If you need drinking water? Theres a spout right there! Coupled with a tub on the floor underneath the split, you have a sink to wash your hands, too! Having it bungee corded in place for transport works great, and then if you want to spread out somewhere you stop, you can take it out!

Related Reading:

This Family is Building a Modern Camper Out of Free Materials Found on Craigslist

When it comes to water storage, you really cant beat the classic big blue jug. The Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7 Gallon holds plenty of water for a summer weekend of water drinking, dish washing, and the occasional foot rinse after a barefoot stroll around the campground. Just make sure you have a way to secure it to the floor when youre bouncing down dirt roads.

As for showers, if your van is strictly for camping, then you can usually rely on campground bathrooms for bathing or simply embrace the dirt while youre out there.

If you want to get a little crafty, you can add a makeshift outdoor shower to the roof of your van with ABS piping and a hose.

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One afternoon last spring, we wandered into a Home Depot and stared up at the black ABS piping in the plumbing section. Keith figured there had to be some way to make a shower outta that stuff. Wed mount it to our @yakimaracks roof rack, the sun would warm it up, and gravity would send it down. And thats exactly what it does. Simple. Just like everything else we have goin on in this home of ours. We dont have a fridge, we have a cooler. We dont have LED lighting, we have an old string of Christmas lights. We dont have air conditioning, we have wet rags and a tiny tower fan we got for 9 bucks. We dont have a toilet, we havethe groundand Starbucks.. What Im saying is, you can install plumbing in your van if you want toyou can spend months on end googling every tutorial on earth if you want toyou can pay big money to build out the most well-equipped vehicle around if you want to We simply hope to serve as a reminder that you dont necessarily *have* to.

A post shared by Brianna Madia (@briannamadia) on Apr 3, 2018 at 7:50am PDT

Since I sometimes spend several weeks in my van, I wanted to have a place to wash my face and brush my teeth. I relied on disposable face wipes and gym bathrooms for the first few months. But then my friends at Wood Intimations built a gorgeous sink that is super simple and looks great and its been a game changer.

The pump faucet draws water from a 4 gallon jug beneath the sink, and gray water drains down into a hole in the van floor, so I dont have to empty anything.

It also provides some much needed counter space, and a little shelf for storing those tiny things that always get lost in the van, like the remote to my twinkle lights and my chapstick!

Organization

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TO ALL WEEKEND WARRIORS

. . #doit #doitagain #comfortzone . . #ontheroad #optoutside #wanderlust #nature #vwcalifornia #vankit #freedom #solitude #stayandwander #wilderness #rygg #vegan #croatia #roadtrip #issiontour #vanpuppy #explore #adventure #vaninterior #handmade #bagdesign #travel

A post shared by VANTALE (@van.tale) on Jun 8, 2018 at 8:31am PDT

Organization is so important for your sanity when living or camping in a camper van conversion. Even if youre a minimalist guru who wears one outfit and lives off protein bars, youre going to manage to collect more stuff than you think.

And if your lighting isnt great, its going to be even more difficult to find that stuff.

Staying organized will make you feel like you have a handle on the whole #vanlife thing. Organization can be as simple as a few plastic bins that can slide under your bed. Just make sure you know exactly what youre storing in each of them. (Clear storage containers are ideal so you can see whats in there when you inevitably forget.)

Shelly S. camps in her 4Runner. Its not a van, but the same concepts apply, she tells me. Organization is important for her, too. Mountainsmith has some nice storage cubes soft sided and stuffable. That being said, you can do about the same with those free cloth shopping totes, stored in either a cardboard box or a plastic bin.

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#HELP All right Vanlifers or Van designers or Anyone reallyI need your help! I have this space. All this space. Crazy right when you live in a van, usually it's the complete opposite. So.what the heck do I do with it!? I'd prefer not to put any more storage or I'll just fill it with crap (most of this stuff in the back is not mine). I don't need a pull-out kitchen or a place to store bikes, adventure gear. So other than turning it into a bedroom and renting it I'm at a miss.. Any suggestions???

A post shared by Sian Knox (@exmouth_vanlife) on Dec 22, 2017 at 9:07pm PST

Leah W. recommends as few belongings as possible for staying organized. My biggest recommendation is really paring things down to what you NEED. I had one set of basic utensils, one pot, plate, and bowl, a one burner stove, etc. A small toiletry bag, one duffel bag of summer clothing, one duffel bag of winter clothing. She agrees with Shelly about using bags for organization. While most people are fans of creating boxes for organization, we found that sturdy-ish bags worked best.

I went to the Container Store and bought a couple of soft containers with attached lids. Because the structure of the containers is fabric, theyre easy to stick into places where they barely fit, like the storage area above the driver and passenger seats of my GMC Vandura.

Hooks have also been a sanity saver for me in my sometimes not so organized camper van conversion. I keep a jacket and a couple of shirts that I dont want to be all wrinkly, hanging on a hook by the door. I always know where they are, and I can reach extra layers if I get cold at night. I also have a hook for my headlamp, because that is something that always gets lost.

When it comes to food storage, youll need to think about uninvited house visitors.

Store your food in closed containers or bins, advises Leah W. We started our trip with our food in an open crate, and quickly had mouse friends also enjoying our snacks.

Related Articles:

Truck Bed Tents

Off Road Campers

The post How to Keep it Simple with Your Camper Van Conversion appeared first on The Dyrt Magazine.

(function(){if(window.instgrm)window.instgrm.Embeds.process()})() Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/how-to-keep-it-simple-with-your-camper-van-conversion

[sky-wall-blog]

Day Three and Four

I’m playing a little bit of catch up because these last few days have been jammed pack.

So on day three, to sum things up, nothing really happened. My friend got a haircut, I worked on a past photoshoot blog post, and really, we just watch Rick and Morty the rest of the afternoon.

Day four, on the other hand, was all about traveling. We left around 10am. and made our way to Portland, Oregon. We didn’t make many stops along the way, but we didn’t really have to. Our GPS decided to take us a different route as a shortcut to get out of Colorado. The drive was absolutely stunning. And, we thought we would be losing elevation, but we were definitely wrong. About two hours into our trip, we noticed the air got a lot cooler, than back in Denver. I saw a sign for Virginia Dale, and googled it. We had managed to gain another 2,000 feet of elevation, putting ourselves nearly at 7,900 feet above sea level. And, we happened to see snow on the ground along the way, which was pretty neat considering back in Arkansas, we won’t get ‘snow’ for another 4 months. 

At this point in our trip, after driving for a couple of hours, it was time to stop for gas, and we had to made it to Wyoming at this time. Going through Wyoming was pretty interesting. I honestly had no idea what to expect, but it really did surprise me. Even though there weren’t  hardly any towns, and we managed to see more out of state licenses on the road, it was still beautiful, and enjoyed to minimal, but gorgeous views along the way.

Next on the road was Utah, and I ended up liking this state a lot more than I thought I would. In my mind, I had envisioned dirt and dust all over the place, but once again, I am so glad I was wrong. This portion of the trip has been my second favorite scenic view to see (yet). I was a little straight at first coming out of Wyoming, but once we made it just about an hour outside of Ogden, I fell in love. I can’t even describe the beauty I saw, and the pictures certainly don’t do it any kind of justice. 

As you can tell, the sun began to set, we pulled over in Snowville, Utah to gas up, and continued on for as long as we could. I can’t really speak for Idaho since it was getting dark, but I’m sure it had it’s own special beauty to show case. And, to add to it, we made to Oregon just a few hours later! We managed to travel 5 states in one day, so day four was extremely successful to say the least. 

[deecherrywolf]

ACen summary+loot picts

I wasn’t going to make a report post on ACen because well, a lot of shit happened - and I mean negative stuff. I enjoyed the con despite it, one of the things that happened made me stay out on the floor for longer which actually made me enjoy the con more?? Which sounds weird, but hey it worked out lmao. But here we go, starting Thurs-Sun~

Thurs So, I had to work Thursday till 5pm, right? Well, as I was heading to work, I kept thinking to myself ‘I have this weird feeling and a weird taste in my mouth. I feel kind of...’ so once I get to work, I start drinking some sprite to try and settle my stomache. It does the exact opposite. I’m rushing back and forth from the bathroom and work, until finally, I throw up. Luckily in the bathroom, but oh man, I have never gotten sick at work. So my boss is all ‘if you can find someone to cover you, you can go home, but you cannot leave the new girl by herself.’ which duh, I was just going to stick it out, but then my sour stomach returned and I was shaky all over again and I caved. 

So I get sent home at like, 115? ish? And go back to sleep until about 3. I get some medicine pumped in me and then head out with my sister. The further I get away, the better I feel. Which, I fully believe my getting sick was a lack of sleep/stress thing than actually being sick with something. As I’ve been pulling doubles, not sleeping very well, and working all the damn time. ANYWAYS

Here’s the fun part.

We get to the hotel we’re staying at to check in, a little past 9, finally. Only for them to tell us, hey - you’re only reserved for Thursday, your Fri-Sun had been cancelled. Which made no sense as my sister had called them a month before the con, made sure everything was set. So when they said there was nothing they could do, we manage to find a diff hotel that has a shuttle service and settle for it. My sister and I still discuss possible mistakes that could have happened because we’ve been going to this hotel for yeeeaaars and never had this problem before (incorrect card number, wrong emails, conflicting card numbers - as thursday had been an add on, etc) but once we are in our hotel room, I actually was kind of satisfied. We were at a quiet one and I was able to really sleep - which I sorely needed anyways from the lack of sleep I had been getting. So we all relax, sleep and get ready for Friday~

Fri Friday marked the actual start of the con <3, so we go to the shuttle, which the driver was very nice and took us there within 5 mintues. We get in line for the exhibit hall because hell, we had nothing else to do. (None of the panels this year interested me at all.) We get in and just soak up the atmosphere. The chalk painting this year was JoJo <3 I was happy to see it being Part 1 & 2 JoJo haha, nothing against 3+ but Most people associate 3 with JoJo ^^ Plus Joseph best JoJo. Anyways

I also really loved how ACen was laid out this year. The artist alley had its own room, which I hope it gets that treatment again next year. It made everything more spacious. They had actual food stations - which alcohol and cooked food, not just the convention center snack station (they also had pokeball cakepops, which was cute) I also loved how the gaming room and all panels were all in the convention center. I doubt this will work out that way again next year - as usually prom is held in the spaces they had, but it was really cool. And it only solidified how my sister and I both felt about trying the other hotels instead of the primary one.

So after lounging around the convention, we head back to the hotel. Our shuttle is too busy w the airport, so we had to take a taxi back, which was okay, as all three of us had enough to where it wasn’t expensive. We order food and then play CAH~ My sister had made ACen specific ones and it was so much fun lmao

After lounging around for a couple of hours, my sister and I head back to go to Oregon Trail panel - which is a lot of fun, as always. I was surprised both people who read the fanfiction out loud this year didn’t laugh and gave awesome performances!

We then call out shuttle, they say they would get there in 10 minutes, they are an hour late lmaaao meanwhile, Comfort Inn shuttles come about six times. Another hotel we’ll look into next year~

Sat Since our hotel was much further away this year, this was technically our last day at the convention. We scour artist alley and exhibit hall one last time for any purchases we want to make. And then we just relax a bit. Around 4-5, I head over to the Voltron Gathering, just to see what cosplays were there. I don’t stick around as I’m with people who don’t care and honestly? Photo gatherings tire me out anyways ^^; But I see Keith and Lance in their swimsuits and I’m just thinking ‘oh my god, aren’t you guys cold? D;’ Like, it was barely 60 degrees that day and rainy sob. How were they not freezing? fj;ldk

The cosplays were all great, but I was too shy to come up and say anything to anyone www

We leave the photoshoot and then just hang around the con again, relaxing and enjoying cosplays we see. And then we head back, watch the new episode of my hero academia and p much go to bed~

Sun Just leaving the whole place, I just wanted to add this section because LMAO I forgot to get my quarters out of my bag, it was in the trunk so we had tolls coming up and I was like ‘shiiiit’ luckily two of three tolls had a person, so gave paper money to them and then had enough quarters for the machine one j;gkfdljg;

So yeah, in short - ACen had a lot of bumps this year, A LOT OF BUMPS. But, those things actually made the con even better because I wasn’t just sitting in my hotel room the entire time bored, I was kept stimulated by the sights and sounds of the con <3

I plan on going again next year, as long as life permits it and will probably cosplay next year for real~ (only one is planned so far but I’d like to do a voltron one next year too)

Pictures and Loot Things I bought-

I got a tabby cat kigu, as my old bunny kigu was falling apart ^^; I got PERIOD PANTIES - Stranger Things & Beetlejuice. It was ironic that they were selling this at the con because guess what can on Friday~ lol

Probably my favorite purchase at the artist alley i made  BEELINE TOWARD HER STUFF because I saw it on her tumblr and was all ‘ooohmygod i hope she brought it!!’

My klance + sheith pins <3 Sadly they didn’t have hance and heith, and shance... i would have bought them all D;

My klance badgies lmao I got these MOSTLY because the person was like ‘you get a dollar off your first one for cosplalying lance’ even tho my cosplay was actually a cosplaybound and just inspired outfit ^^- ah well, i’d take it!!

The connecting pic of the lanyard is also a purchase at con <3 (the joke through out the con was ‘i wonder if dee likes voltron?’ because I was so voltron decked out!)

Oh look something not voltron w voltron. This person had the hanging straps and I couldn’t resist <3 And I of course had to get my tododeku on <3

These are hanging from my con money bag <3 The voltron one had a lot of reeeeaaally cute sheith and klance things. I really wanted them too, but I felt I needed one with them all and couldn’t resist that one. And then that strap had two of my otps so i was like ‘its calling to me’ lol

Last of the loot~ I don’t know what I’m going to do w my hufflepuff pins yet, but I loved them and they were a bundle at a cheaper price together so i was like ‘uh, sure?’ and then FINALLY got my tourabu son

Cosplay pics-

These aren’t all of the ones I took, just the ones that came out better than any others-

[kxllision]

Explain 2 me // Its funny, you tell me to get in front of the camera and weird things start happening. All of a sudden I don't know how to act, do I look stupid if I gawk my head this way, or that way? Where should I put my hands? Do I smile? How do I even model for a picture? Then it's the total opposite when I'm behind the camera, I can give direction, tell you where to put your hands, what way to look, how to act. It's easy. But where I think I'm going with this is; I remember the day this photo was taken, and what I was talking about, i was trying to set up a scene using my boyfriend as a model cause I was needing an extra body for a photoshoot idea, after shooting a couple pics of him, I gave my camera to my boyfriend, and said here, visualize it, and find the good angle. A few shots in he says, "I can't model, I don't look good in pictures, I don't know what to do half the time." And I said "you know, a model isn't just known for how beautiful they are, sure many models are gorgeous, but that's why we have photoshop and editing software to make them look aesthetically pleasing to the eye. A model is beautiful, different and sometimes weird looking, a model must have a look that stands out from the rest, something that's not common. And with that model it is the photographers job to capture the art and the beauty that lies within." Truth is, there's beauty in all places. And to a photographer, beauty is everything we see. . . . . . . . . . #portland #oregon #studios #portlandia #pnwonderland #letsgosomewhere #vsco #myview #instagood #canon #northwestcreatives #50mm #teamcanon #vscocam #staypnw #studiolife #warm #mood #moodygram #vibe