One Fun Weekend Activity: The Palm Springs Tramway!

This past Sunday some friends, Michael and I decided to take advantage of the huge rainstorm aftermath and went to the mountains for some fresh powdered snow. Our location of choice was up the Tramway in the Mt. San Jacinto State Park, Palm Springs. It was AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, and so much FUN!! While there we snowshoed into the wilderness, ate fresh snow (or at least some of my friends did), and oh yeah, did a "Trash The Dress" photo session (that's another post later on). But a big part of the trip is the ride up and down the Aerial Tramway. There are beautiful 360 views of the city below and the mountains covered in snow (some of the images below).

If you have never gone up the Tramway, then this weekend is a good time to try it. I hear there is a good snowstorm coming our way tomorrow and Saturday.

Suggestions if you go:

1. Go the day after the storm, fresh snow will be waiting.

2. Go early, otherwise there could be over an hour wait for the Tram.

3. Rent snowshoes if you plan to go beyond the beaten path, you can get these from R.E.I. (www.rei.com). They will help you walk on the snow and keep your pants dry.

4. If you decide to be adventurous and check out wilderness for yourself DO GET A PERMIT from the Ranger station and take a map. (Best to not go by yourself if you are a novice.)

5. Have fun!!

For more info on the Tram, check out the website: www.pstramway.com

6 New Hipstamatic Images

I have been having fun playing with my Hipstamatic app., so much so that I hadn't realized it's been two weeks since I last wrote a post. Using this app. on  flora and fauna has been one of the most creatively enriching explorations I have been doing. The deep color saturation, vintage square format, and use of dramatic lighting combine to produce images that can transform ordinary trees into menacing creations of nature.

3 More Awesome Images Using Hipstamatic App.

So much to see in Long Beach with new eyes every time. I love using the Hipstamatic application to create images of some of Long Beach's most iconic buildings. Have a great weekend everyone!!

Feeling Awesome Once Again

I think I'm finally over the cold and flu that had the grip of death on my life for the past few weeks. May it never come back so that I can continue creating awesome images and be able to enjoy nature at it's fullest! Here are some images made with the Hipstamatic app I have on my phone. 

6 Awesome Photos Along The Blue Line

Have you ridden in the L.A. metro? If you are like me, then most likely you have used the metro only on occasions where (1) you do not want to pay for parking or (2) you do not want to worry about driving after a night of partying with your friends. However, I have lately been using the Blue Line that runs from Long Beach straight to 7th and Flower in downtown L.A. This gives me the opportunity to take some awesome pictures of the neighborhoods that are along the metro's path. Though the L.A. public transportation system does not lend itself to complete convenience and efficiency, I have found the metro to be a unique way of exploring this diverse and vibrant city we live in. (And if you ever need to take the metro to the Staples Center, the exit is the Pico Station.)

Being sick...

For approximately the past week and a half I have been trying to fight off a cold. (Just when I thought I was so much better it came back with full vengeance.) In all honesty I hate being sick, though I doubt there is anyone out there who doesn't. During that time I feel useless and incompetent as my sweet husband makes sure I'm well fed and my photo work is at a stand still. And though I love our little home, the vertical blinds start feeling like barriers to the sunshine outside. I hope to feel 100% soon enough, though by my self-portrait of this week, it seems I still have a lot of recuperating to do. Wishing you good health, Martha :)

Architectural Graphics

Though I am currently not pursuing an architectural career, I can not deny my architectural background is an influence in my photography. I can not help but notice lines, forms, and compositions; characteristics that are also necessary to create a successful image. I am able to appreciate the beautiful architectural structures and details of Long Beach as I walk around on most evenings just after the sun sets in order to capture the beautiful light of "magic time".

Part of The Family

Anyone that has ever had a pet knows how much fun and joy they can bring to the family. More than that, they are a child's playmate or an elderly's companion. They are the last one's to send you off to work and the first one's to greet you back home. They ruin your plants or tear apart the carpet, yet love you unconditionally as you scold them to never do it again. They become such an integral part of the whole family structure, that when they pass away it's really the lose of a loved one. 

R.I.P. Coby

A very smart dog

R.I.P. Tiger

Jellybeans (still with us)

Prefers to be left alone

Palm Springs: Modern Architecture & Nature

Michael and I started the new year in beautiful Palm Springs, CA where modern architecture is around every corner and wild nature is just a few minutes-in-the-tram away. By far the best example of a mid-century work of modern art is the Kaufmann House designed by one of modernism's most important architects, Richard Neutra (unfortunately we were not able to go inside the premises). But luckily, nature at it's best was much more accessible to experience and photograph.