Photography Archives - [Witty Title Here]

Through the Lens: photos from November

December 3, 2014 by Cassie

canyon-john

Oh November, we hardly knew you.

December marks the beginning of the end of a lot of things, including this semester. The homestretch!

Before we get into what December holds, let’s take one last look back at November in photos. Despite my sometimes frazzled state of mind, I did manage to get in a few breathers—including a hike through gorgeous Corral Canyon near the coast. We also camped for a night on a coastal bluff that overlooked the Pacific.

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John and I also spent an entire Saturday walking around DTLA, particularly to check out the amazing architecture and awesome food. Just below is the famous Bradbury building, which has made cameos in tons of movies, including Blade Runner and 500 Days of Summer.

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We also visited Grand Central Market (pictured above) for lunch. We had the best pastrami sandwich of all time at Wexler’s deli. So good.

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Los Angeles, I’m yours.

This month, I’m focusing my energy on, oh just about everything. Final projects, employment for the spring, my upcoming trip home for Christmas (!) and… a few other things I’m forgetting.

What are you getting into in December? Are you already planning for the new year?

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: city, descanso gardens, downtown, dtla, grand central market, los angeles, malibu, photography

Through the Lens: photos from October

November 2, 2014 by Cassie

November already? Who signed off on this?

Oh hello, I’m back! Grad school is crazy lately (crazier, rather), but I’m back to this space because I’ve missed it so. It’s hard to step away from the blog, but, you know, priorities. On that note, I’m accepting guest posts to help keep things active around here. I’m particularly interested in posts about travel, feminism, careers and writing. Have an idea? Send it my way!

A little update on life here in L.A.: we’re having fall-like weather (that means highs in the 70s), and I’m already signing up for my final semester of grad school courses. Unreal.

Despite the madness, I still managed to shut the computer and get out for some exploration. (Again, priorities.) Check out these photos from October.

Have you ever heard of Sunken City? Pictured above is the coastal section of land in San Pedro that in 1929 began sliding away from the coast, taking the road and even a couple of houses with it. Now, it’s a hangout spot for teenagers, graffiti artists and tourists (like us) who enjoy a little harmless trespassing. (Sunken City is blocked off with a fence that has a nice person-sized hole dug underneath to climb through.) It’s a fascinating mix of beautiful ocean views, impressive art and eerie ruins.

Below, behold: Corg-a-palooza at the Huntington dog beach. ‘Nuff said.

I died a little. And no, I sadly did not walk away with a corgi. But there were plenty of corgi enthusiasts just like me who were there simply to be spectators. Adorable.

Then, a little more South Bay and beyond exploration, and a hike around Griffith Park to Batman’s original bat cave!

We kept Halloween local and casual, heading over to a couple of our favorite neighborhood bars.

What did you get into for Halloween? And what are you looking forward to most in November? (It’s finally almost time for the most delicious holiday of the year!)

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Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: batcave, corg-a-palooza, corgi beach day, friendship bell, griffith park, month in photos, photo roundup, photography, san pedro, sunken city, through the lens

Through the Lens: photos from September

October 1, 2014 by Cassie

I learned two very important things this week.

The first: Never feel guilty about taking some necessary time off. (Letting go of the guilt of not blogging feels really good, it turns out.) The second: Never say you haven’t been sick in a while. (Your throat will feel sore the very next day.)

September was an intense month all around. Not only did I get back in full-swing at school, but L.A. had temps in the 90s and 100s much of the time. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from September in photos, starting with a visit to Playa del Rey.

The yacht below came chugging into the marina with music blasting and people partying. Its name? “Wet Dream.” Stay classy.

I also went back to the Arts District to check out a funky flea market with tons of talented artists and vendors. I was easily distracted by murals and puppies.

Last week, John and I flew home to the East Coast for his brother’s wedding, and we had a blast partying and staying up too late, hence my feeling under the weather. I didn’t get any photos of the wedding that weren’t blurry—mostly, I just enjoyed myself. (It’s pretty sweet being the best man’s date—V.I.P. treatment!) But I did manage to snap a couple of shots in Annapolis and Baltimore. Going home twice in two months was a nice change of pace from my last eight-month stretch. If I could keep up this new track record, living far away from family wouldn’t seem so bad.

This week, I’m trying to take it easy and shake off this bug. I’ve been reading a lot lately, managing not to kill my basil plant and thinking a lot about spring. I’ll only have a handful of credits left to take for school, so my mind is on employment. (Whoa.)

I’ll be doing more of the same in October, which also happens to be my birthday month. I’ll be turning 25 in a couple of weeks, so I’m deciding what I’d like to do to celebrate. Any suggestions?

That’s all for today—I’ll be less scarce in the next couple of weeks. What are you looking forward to in October?

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: Annapolis, Arts District, Baltimore, photo roundup, photography, Playa del Rey, through the lens

Through the lens: photos from August

September 3, 2014 by Cassie

Why does the week after a long holiday weekend always seem to last longer?

I’m not sure what the deal with that phenomenon is, though I’m gearing up for a long, busy September. But before I do, here’s one last look back at August in photos. I spent most of August soaking up summer, playing tourist around L.A. and going bicoastal to spend some time with family at home.

These two gorgeous girls are my little sisters, except they’re not so little anymore. When I went home, we took a trip to Oxford, Maryland, the cutest little coastal town. My sisters have spent a lot of time there, and clearly they were in their element longboarding and biking everywhere we went. They gave me a tour of all the (adorable) waterfront homes.

And when my college roomie/BFF came to visit me here in L.A., we went to all the must-see places in the city, including Malibu, the Griffith Observatory, Hollywood and more.

This month, I’m starting a new paid internship, going home again briefly for a wedding and hopefully having a little fun between classes and work. One goal I’m really striving for is to find a comfortable work-life balance to manage my time better. Ideally, that will mean good sleep every night (no super late nights!), efficient time logged online and an up-to-date calendar that’ll prevent me from letting anything slip by. Do you have any tips for time management while balancing school, work and life?

Check-in time: What are you looking forward to in September?

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: capitol records, griffith observatory, los angeles, maryland, oxford, photo roundup, photography, through the lens, venice

Through the Lens: photos from July

July 30, 2014 by Cassie

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Summer is flying by.

I know, who wants to hear that? But even though I’m a little sad July is coming to a close, I’m really looking forward to August. I’m flying home for the first time since Christmas, my BFF and college roomie is coming to L.A. for a visit, and then I kick off my second year of grad school. It’ll be a busy month for sure, and I plan to soak it up before another crazy semester begins.

But right now, let’s have one last look at July, shall we? There were quite a few highlights.

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I cannot get enough of the beach. Even though it’s often a stressful, longer-than-it-should-be drive to the coast, it’s always worth the effort of getting there. Sunsets on the beach are where it’s at.

And how did I manage to snap the following photo of Obama? Journalism has its perks…

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President Obama was in town for about 24 hours, and a handful of the Neon Tommy reporters got to cover his LAX arrival, a speech he gave at a college and his departure. I covered his departure, which meant getting cleared by the White House and sitting on the tarmac in the hot sun for hours. All in all, I spent an entire day mostly waiting around for a couple exciting minutes of helicopters flying the president in, him walking from the helicopter to Air Force One and giving us a little wave before taking off again. See for yourself.

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(He’s looking right at me!)

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Though a lighter picture-taking month overall, July was jam-packed. Even though I’ve been juggling a couple of jobs and a night class, I’ve managed to sneak in plenty of fun, too: watching tons of fireworks with a sweet view from the top of a hill, revisiting a couple of favorite neighborhood spots (it’s hard to be a regular anywhere in this town—too many options!), and celebrating our one-year anniversary of living in L.A.!

And the fun won’t end in August. In fact, I’ve got an open spot for August’s Beer with a Blogger. Who wants to grab a couple of pints with me?!

I loved July—how about you? And what do you have going on next month?

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: beach, dockweiler, dtla, lax, obama, photo roundup, photography, through the lens