Forests, Foliage, Film!

There is nothing I love more than a walk through the forest. So much beauty that has taken years and years to become how it is. Waterfalls, tall trees, mossy rocks and spider webs. There is so much beauty all around us! A few days ago I went for a photo walk (I guess you could call it that) with some friends.  The sun was shining and the greens were so lovely! And the best part about all these pictures is that they were shot with film! I took these with a Nikon F801s.

I know this was a quick post, but I really wanted to share these pictures with you all! Check them out here on my flickr, if you like, and have a wonderful rest of the week!

Sierra

Stuck in the Moment - Concept Photography

Before you read any of this and think that I'm incredibly creative because of this, don't! This idea was inspired by Dear Photograph, and not my own idea. I take no credit for the concept, But I take full credit for the pictures taken. That being said, please read on!

  Today I decided to do my own 'Dear Photographs" My mom is a photographer, so shortage of photos is not a problem in my house. After looking through multiple photo albums, and picking my favourite photos from around my house, I went outside to do some shooting. The idea of 'Dear Photograph' is to find memory filled photos from long ago, and to bring them to the exact location of where they were taken, years and years before. The result is something amazingly nostalgic and beautiful.

See, the special thing about photography is represented perfect for me in this project. Memories caught on film never, ever change. The same smile you had on your face the first time you went to the fair, the bloody knees from falling off your two-wheeled bike, your childhood friends that had long moved away, they are all saved in print. No matter how much the world around us changes, whether it be deaths or disaster, photos will alway be able to bring us back to the exact moment when we were so incredibly happy. This thought is what inspires me to be a photographer, knowing that I can capture moments for people, and save those memories for the future them to look back on. Just thinking that I have the power to do that for someone makes me giddy. Remembering moments in time is so special. No matter how long ago, or how far away it may have happened, the moments can be brought back with a single glimpse of a photo. 

Words cannot express how passionate I am about this. I encourage you to go out and make memories! Document these memories and put them in a book. Share your experiences with others. Make yourself as happy as the people in the photos are from years ago. Never forget even the little things in life. Those are the things that make us who we are. 

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Sierra Nickel

Bamboo Capture

Wow! I haven't written on here for ages it's seemed. Nothing in my life is exciting enough to blog about these days, but I did receive a wonderful Bamboo Capture for my birthday, so maybe I'll talk about that for anyone who is interested.
For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, click here for the actual website.

This little guy makes photo editing a breeze! It's much easier to edit photos with the pen versus a mouse or the finger pad on my laptop. It takes a bit of time getting used to the pressure sensitivity, and the best way to hold the pen, but after a few hours of experimenting it got very easy to control. The tablet also comes with SketchBook (Express version), so if you're into digital sketching and drawing, this would be perfect for you! It has many different brush, pen and pencil effects, and the pressure sensitivity on the pad make it pretty close to the actual thing.

So obvisouly showing you pictures of what I editing with the pad wont do much, but I was also experimenting with writing quotes on photos (all them hipster blog are doing it, I hear) and I would forever hate myself if I actually drew sharpie on my prints, so this was a lovely alternative! Here is some I rather enjoyed:

Hope you are all having a lovely August!

Much love, Sierra

Light Leaks

I got my film from California developed today (Taken with a Mamiya NC 1000s). All of the pictures turned out correctly exposed which was great! I was most scared about that aspect of the photos, since the light meter was broken, and I had to set everything manually. The only downfall to this camera was the unexpected light leaks! They seem to have made their way into almost all of the photos, which completely shocked me. The camera is in very good shape, and I still have no idea where the crack is. I'm sure i'll find it with a bit more hunting though. Anyways, light leaks aside, these are some of my favourite shots from the trip down to Santa Cruz:

For more of my California photos, check out my flickr!

Much love, Sierra

A Simple Roll of Film

Today I finally got my roll of film developed (from my three dollar-thrift store camera). I'm actually really happy with most of the results! I had completely forgotten about some moments I documented, and I guess that is the beautiful part of photography. It's the main reason why I adore it so very much. Being able to relived moments in which are long gone, and being able to hold them in your hand, and flip through them whenever you like. They will forever be captured in ink, and the memories will follow along. Here are some of my favourites from this roll:

If you care to look at even more of my photography, check out my flickr, which you can access here!

Much love, Sierra