laura takes pictures

last year.

2012-01-30T09:19:00.000-08:00

about a year ago from now, i had left and started life from having been in the worse possible mentally abused relationship ever. and throughout the year i took counseling, which she particularly didn't give a fuck as it was just for the money. ignoring the fact i was in need of counseling, i took my own path to seek myself again. i had lost myself in that year and a half. i turned into someone that didn't believe in dreams, or in good people. everyone that approached me would hurt me in a way. i was angry all the time because i couldn't find happiness. and i had many sleepless nights where i would cry myself to sleep, and ask myself when did it first change? when did i allow myself to lose that essence in dreams. i couldn't even photograph anymore, i couldn't see the beauty. i hated love, and told myself i never wanted to experience love in any way, what i previously had wasn't even love. it became into something that i couldn't control my mind, and listen to the manipulative words because i was weak. i learned to listen to people without hearing what they were actually saying, i learned not to give a fuck about anything. i learned to hide the fact i hated being alone but going out and drinking, and partying all night. i thought to myself, maybe this is happiness. maybe this is why single life sounds better. so i re-evaluated my life. i thought about previous relationships, encounters or people i met. i tried to figure what it is that make people feel happy. what makes me lose myself from the world and dream again? ...my passion for photography? but it's been so dead?
I came across a teacher one day, who admired my work, and from that she gave me my first owned slr. many months went by and my passion slowly came back, and it was noticeable in my work. i thought i was happy, but felt lonely as fuck, yet i refused to want to be with anyone or even accept anyone. because when i fall in love, i really fall deeply in love. and i give 250% or more if i could of myself. and i lose myself, again. but it's usually ok, if the return is equal. towards the end of the year, where i thought to myself, what a lonely year; i met someone. without any intention of falling in love, i fell in love. and usually it's a problem, but it wasn't. i didn't feel scared, because everything sounded possible. and those dreams that any little girl ever dreamed of came back and it felt warm to be reunited with a long-lost dream. and then i realized why i felt lost, because a princess needs a prince. and even a friend said, being in love makes you happy. so my happiness is love.

fushimi-inari, kyoto - japan.

this water comes straight from the spring, and this means to start something (new). there's never anyone or anything that should stop you from dreaming. and if dreams become other dreams, its just like a spring that develops from a a little stream into many rivers. and finally after time and travel, eventually your dream will be achieved. some just have shorter rivers and get to the ocean faster.

Kobe and Coming-of-Age day.

2012-01-19T01:32:00.000-08:00

we visited kobe which is close to the west of osaka. it's a city which suffered from a high magnitude earthquake named the great hanshin earthquake, and the whole city was re-built again. which explains how different this city looks in comparison to kyoto which i was staying.

roads of kobe

by the sea, the boats lined up by the ports.

the only thing left and preserved from the great hanshin earthquake.

small river flowing through the city.

the pretty lights wrapped around the trees.

coming-of-age ceremony

during my stay, i was able to experience one of the important occasions in a japanese person's life. the coming of age ceremony, usually on the 3rd monday of january, is a day where all the young people becoming the age of 20 in the year before until mid-april in the current year, celebrate them becoming adults. as in japan the legal age to for voting rights, smoking and drinking alcohol is at the age of 20. my love had a few friends he knew that were going to be there on that day, and so we went to give them our best wishes. all the girls wore such beautiful furisode (which is worn only twice in their life, once when they become 20, and again at marriage).

noi's obi belt.

the beautiful noi and her pretty hair accessories.

another girl's hair accessory.

sakura's kimono with pretty designs of cars and sakuras (cherry blossoms)

photo taken by den

beautiful sakura.

From London to Kyoto.

2012-01-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

the year had hardly started, and i found myself packed and heading out to an exciting journey ahead of me. after checking-in i boarded the plane at 7:15am with very little sleep, and couldn't sleep because i was really anxious. after one hour flight we landed in Paris, and boarded to our next plane heading to osaka, kansai airport. the flight took about 10 hours, i really dislike take-off; the moment the plane is heading up in the air and then drops a little and my heart feels like it's stopped.

arriving in osaka the next day 9:20am (jan 2nd, japan time), me and den took the train called はるか (haruka), in direction to 京都 (kyoto). it took about an hour, and i was exhausted, but i couldn't stop looking at the new surroundings. den kept telling me 'this is nothing, wait till you arrive in kyoto". we then had to take a cab to tanaka sekidencho as we were too exhausted.

leaving London via Heathrow.

connection flight in Paris.

Arrival in Kansai Airport, Osaka.

One of the trains to Kyoto.

Gion. 祇園

here is one of kyoto's most well-known geisha districts. the area is full of ochaya (teahouses), with geiko (kyoto's dialect for geisha) and maiko (apprentices); which unfortunately, i took some pictures but they didn't come out that great in the end, next time maybe. looking through the images now brings a nice nostalgic feeling and of me walking down this small roads. i can almost feel the cold air again, and the excitement of being in a place i've wanted to visit for so long. on the floor was still a few 紅葉 (momiji), which are leaves from the autumn fall that japanese culture really value, and even have events where people gather together just to appreciate the beauty of nature from their country. the leaves stand out with a deep red tone, and i felt lucky to have seen the very last ones before winter took its toll.

it was a very busy day in the shrines, people were on holidays so everyone was everywhere and i decided not to visit this shrine at this time. after exploring a traditional area, me and den got hungry so he took me to one of his favorite restaurants かつくら (katsukura), (being mine too now, maybe all of them are my favorite honestly). we were given a bowl of barley and had to crush it, then adding a sauce to make the delicious dip. i ordered えび (ebi), which are delicious large prawns fried in a nicely coated batter, along with cabbage salad, miso soup, and tea. for the rest of the day, i went and enjoyed the huge january sales going on everywhere.

one of the many narrow roads in gion, kyoto.

interesting little house or restaurant.

momiji on moss.

momiji around the tree's root.

a lake i passed inside the shrine.

prayers, and hopes for the new year.

roads leading to more beautiful places.

shrines protected by trees.

beautiful gardens.

a little aquarium with goldfishes.

the river nearby when the day was coming to an end.

katsukura.

the new crown

2011-11-28T03:44:00.000-08:00

model: Tunde & Nicholas

photographers: laura borges-ribeiro & rachael hodgson

stlying: elisa palomino

hair & mua: rowan papier

assistant and photo direction: Diago Mariotta Mendez & Aya Brace

this was our project for uni ; “it’s a london thing”.

all good things

2011-11-26T13:14:00.000-08:00

come to an end.

maybe.

2011-11-25T15:27:00.000-08:00

(deleted everything previously typed.)

"maybe, maybe shouldn’t exist?"

"how do you tell a dreamer to stop dreaming?"

“it shouldn’t be complicated. it’s pretty simple.”

"lost yourself, find yourself, be yourself."

model: eddy in northampton.

“that one person that makes everything better........or worse."

2011-11-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

"A bee lives a busy and stressful life, yet they produce the sweetest honey.”

today, i took the train home from spending the weekend in northampton with a few friends. it was fun and nice, and i shared my hotel room with a close friend. we had a few drinks and at three in the morning decided to record these memories; so she modelled for me.

eddy, taken on iPhone with instagram (lawrawr)

the next day we had a lay-in and woke up to a foggy view, it was so surreal how the human mind can be affected when there isn’t much vision of what is ahead of you. once again i took pictures of eddy in her furry hat and white dress whilst she posed in the fog and cold. i have bad circulation, so my fingers were changing colours and going purple but we both were having fun.

northampton market on a sunday, taken on iPhone with instagram (lawrawr)

after arriving back in london, i went to get my black and white film developed. keeping my fingers crossed because this was my fourth attempt in doing a hollywood glamour shoot for my uni project (with film). i forgot to tell the man in the store that i had pushed the iso two stops, and by the time i had told him, it was too late and already in the machine. whilst the process of it all, this person talked to me and taught me more things about film, and little tricks. he saw i was still a bit stressed, and he told me “when you think you are busy and stressed, relax. for bees have such busy lives yet they produce the sweetest honey. so work like a bee, and do your best; everything will be sweet in the end.” and these words were something i needed to hear especially from a stranger who knows nothing about me but still giving me advice on life.

i managed to select two of my favourite images from the whole shoot and got them enlarged and printed. i was too scared to develop and enlarge my final project shoot, but i will definitely try to enlarge the rest myself.

i will upload the images soon, maybe this week or next. i have developed some film on my own at uni too and need to scan them. so i can’t wait to write about them.

alice part 3

2011-11-14T14:05:00.000-08:00

today i went to the darkroom to develop my black and white film where i shot two different shoots on that i was looking very forward to seeing the results. was so disappointing that after taking forever to get to uni, getting the equipment set up, and doing all the developing measurements; when taking out the roll of film there was.......nothing. i felt so empty, like all the hard work and thought i had put into it was lost. but not completely, because i took my digital along with me and shot carolina (previous post) and alice on it too. So if it had developed, it would have looked something similar to this:

model is alice

carolina

2011-11-09T04:21:00.000-08:00

carolina acosta.

(shot on digital)

inspiration - photographers.

2011-10-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

having uni started, everyday i’m thrown a number of new photographers to look at and get inspiration from. some of which works i really enjoy, others which i have to learn to be more objective about.
so i will introduce some photographers and a couple of my favourite images that show up under their name.

josef koudelka

see more here.

steve mccurry

see more here.

diane arbus

see more here.

viviane sassen

see more here.

philip lorca di corcio

see more here.

alex prager

see more here.

i fell for a stranger

2011-10-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

just keep going.

2011-10-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

a few unposted pictures i found on my mac from my road trip to portugal.

sister sleeping in the car

sister also taking photos

view from the ferry when reaching france

my reflection from the mirror above.

i left my heart in paris.

2011-08-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

somewhere in france.

Seattle Hedonism.

2011-08-25T03:27:00.000-07:00

Photography- Laura Borges Ribeiro
Stylist- Catarina Oliveira
Hair Stylist- João Gouveia
Make Up- Filipa Ribeiro
Production Assistant- Bruno Deodato
Location: Porto, Portugal.

it’s not the feeling of what summer used to be.

2011-08-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

taken a couple months ago with my friend hannah. this summer has felt strange, i don’t understand why but it’s not the usual summer i’ve had. everything is different, the magic is slightly fading. and soon it will be winter again. what will this winter bring....?

au revoir.

2011-08-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

amy

2011-06-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

saturday was such a lovely day. the sun was really warm, and the slight breeze from the wind helped the stuffy air. i had a shoot in a park with a lovely agency model named amy. it's been so long that i have done an actual shoot, i was excited picking out the outfits i wanted her to wear (i ended up having to take a small suitcase because it was too much for me to carry in a bag). i'm usually quite shy when i first meet people, but amy greeted me with a warming hug and a big smile. what i love about it being just me and the model, is that i learn a lot about their personality. we talked for hours and hours, walking around the park and taking pictures.

amy @ oxygen

styling & images by me

alice part 2

2011-06-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

took a couple pictures of my sister in my room the other day

tinsel town

2011-06-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

last two images taken by my friend

alice part 1

2011-06-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

with nothing to do i took pictures of my little sister

forgive me if i'm wrong, but you look shit on your own.

2011-06-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

me by my sister after i took some shots of her. mer big bootay ;(

recent photobooth...

i actually have so much more to put up but i'm feeling quite tired of everything atm. i shall soon though

gloomy bank holiday

2011-05-31T14:53:00.000-07:00

the bank holiday reminded us how unstable the british weather can be. sun, rain, sun, rain.

love will tear us apart

2011-05-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

all images from weheartit.com

en vie magazine

2011-05-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

the beautiful shoot i did with alexis and a lovely team now featured in japanese online magainze, En Vie - click here to view the full issue

i really cannot wait to shoot. just one more day and it's all over and i can start planning and doing what i love.

2011-05-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

meh, i've been jogging for the past week. trying to lose weight cause my bootay too big :(

2011-05-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

i've forgotten the thrills of planning a shoot, the excitement of it happening, and once it was over it wasn't really over because retouching is so much fun and i love it.

this was the last fashion shoot i've done since. i haven't stopped shooting, i've been shooting landscapes and life around me.

my 50mm lens broke and i didn't have it for 3 weeks and i felt so unmotivated. but college ends soon... another 3-4 weeks and it's over.

i'm so sick of everything, bored of my surroundings and cannot wait to start something new.

brighton

2011-05-17T03:59:00.000-07:00

went to brighton couple of weeks ago. my 50mm was broken at the time so these were just taken on standard 18-55mm lens.

taken through my sunglasses because i was bored.

it's things like this, that make me believe in magic.

2011-05-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

turn off your lights. close the curtains. basically watch this in the dark and in full screen.

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

i really wish i could see something as beautiful as this in real life. i wouldn't care how cold, or how late or how many nights i would have to stay awake; this is too beautiful to ever miss it.

the music just helps balance that peace i sometimes wish for.

just can't get over these beautiful images and movies, so please support this talented photographer so he can give us more to see~ TSO Photography

L'

sigh

2011-04-26T16:29:00.000-07:00

hiatus

2011-04-22T05:36:00.000-07:00

i took some pictures of my sister a couple of weeks ago. i know i've been quiet but i should be shooting new things soon.

if i had known

2011-03-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

in late summer the night becomes colder, and we wonder through the darkness of the fields where we put up our tent. by the stream the water is freezing, and i shiver at the thought of touching it. the current flows around the stepping stones whilst the last rays of sun glistens and bids goodnight. nearby our tent, is a fire, where we roast marshmallows on sticks till it's perfect; tough on the outside but melted inside. by now it's quite late and we have counted all the stars, and i don't remember very much anymore apart from hearing the soft humming of your words like a poem or a lullaby...

amsterdam taken on film

Essex Fashion Show: NEWLOOK women's wear, summer 2011

2011-03-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

i was asked by SCENE (magazines) to get a couple of shots from essex fashion week show. fell in love with new look's outfits, and next model management's models. so get your pockets ready, here is the women's wear:

PRAYERS

2011-03-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

testing with a concept i want to try out soon, didn't come out exactly how i wanted but still liked it

thank you

2011-03-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

i never had the time to thank those who follow and support me, especially those who have been supporting me throughout the years. although worried for my future, my mother at first didn't believe photography would bring me something good, and possible jobs out there. it's only natural when being raised in a family where nephews and nieces are all out there studying law and economics, and both your daughters are nothing but art-lovers. she has always believed and done everything she could possibly do to make us enjoy and pursue our dreams; from very young buying us the most adequate materials, borrowing equipment and researching things for us. father supporting us financially and when talking to relatives and friends, you could hear pride in his voice - and the little girl in me would giggle and smile. i still have no idea of what tomorrow brings; if i'll be going to uni or if i'll have to take an unexpected step in my life. both sound exciting and i can't wait for either. i admit i had put down my camera for a couple days, but i needed to rest - but now i'm back again, and full of energy.

raw self portrait

the sky is on fire but we just keep on chilling

2011-03-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

outside my house on my way to work the sun was rising and the sky greeted me

vondel park in amsterdam behind the gates early joggers

breakfast whilst in amsterdam i made sure i got my monies worth ehehe

i think things alot sometimes

2011-03-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

flowers taken on film by laura borges-ribeiro (me)

..i was wondering with all these wars and apparently now the us&uk are sending some military stuff and missiles blahdiblah over to libya…… is it the start of a possible wwiii?

and then i just got thinking like fuck..japan’s fucked, libya = war…all these things. maybe the world will end. but if it does i would like it to end painlessly please God :( i never did anything bad, well, anything super bad like kill someone, or cheat! :(

and so that lead my mind somewhere else to like…. what does it feel like to be dead? surely my soul will still be alive, but with no earth where would i souls go just wander around the galaxy looking for another form for our bodies to attach to? does it feel like an unimaginable peace, where your state of mind is just pure and its like as if you’re high and nothing matters? …..do you and the memories seriously dissapear forever. i dunno. i just wonder what it feels like, when there will be nothing to re-incarnate. it’s so scary, i’m re-thinking things right now.. like.. how is it possible to not feel anything ever again?

then again, i am human; and feeling is the only thing i do know.

Amsterdam: Day 3 - Dam is not all about illegal substances

2011-03-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

it actually has some pretty views

Amsterdam: Day 2 - too many bikes

2011-03-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

finished the day by going to an Indonesian restaurant which wasn't bad except i don't really like spicy food.

dulce ballerina

2011-03-12T15:44:00.000-08:00

model is alice my little sister ♥

rosie dent

2011-03-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

i got to shoot the lovely rosie dent ♥

Amsterdam: Day 1 - Lost in Amsterdam

2011-02-18T06:39:00.000-08:00

today we left for amsterdam. i'm used to long car journeys, so 9 hours in a coach for me is nothing compared to 26 in a car to portugal. we left just before the sunrise and reached in dover before lunch.

i've never travelled through the euro tunnel and i'm going to be very honest, i felt a bit claustrophobic when we were going in because it was very narrow.

these next photos were taken by my friend who took a couple of snaps when we were in belgium, so here are the very few images i'm in.

camera back on me, photographs of my tutors who were lovely the whole trip

in holland reaching amsterdam, i was asleep when going through france/belgium

ok, so one thing i quickly learnt to be aware of is bikes. everywhere i looked there was a bike flying towards my way. i encountered more almost-getting-run-over by bikes than cars. i think i have a neck cramp due to be looking around both ways for any sign of crazy cyclists, trams and cars.

we left our things in our hostel room and headed out for our first adventure in amsterdam. we walked so much that i kept thinking we were just going round in circles and then realised that there are many canals in amsterdam. it got to the point we were almost near the way we came in from the motorway. it wasn't so cold that night, it was pleasant. after realising that we were asking for the wrong directions, i remembered that we were staying near to vondel park, we were 4 miles away - nice.

I DONE THIS AT COLLEGE

2011-02-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

*PROUD FACE*

inverted and is my new banner

CAKE

2011-02-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

yumeiro patessiere screenshot

i really have a thing for baking, so to share my love i went on weheartit.com and picked lots of pretty pictures! Here it goes~

familiarity

2011-02-03T14:56:00.000-08:00

The worse about having had a long relationship is the fact that it's hard to adjust the thoughts of having someone else there instead of that person who you became used to. Not that you want the previous person in your life again, or maybe you do, but it's like moving to a new house where everything is awkward since you're not familiar with it. You like and know this new house is a lot better than the one before, but you can't help feeling close and "at home" with the previous house. I guess it takes time, just like getting used to somewhere new, our hearts have to get used to this new exciting feeling of something you're yet to discover and soon be familiar with.

gentle tears of the past

2011-02-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

pictures of a couple pages from my journal

windsor

2011-01-31T14:20:00.000-08:00

a prose written a while ago

2011-01-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

i wandered around the roads of the dark night with nothing but a few lamp posts to guide me. it was raining so bad but i had no umbrella. my hair was soaked and my fringe stuck to my forehead. it wasnt a straight fringe as i cut it myself the other night whilst drunk and listening to loud music from my phone. today i had no music on. so whilst walking up these unknown roads i could hear the hours of the night ticking away and the silence soon didn’t sound like silence but it had a noise a sort humming or buzz with pitter patter to go along with it. i was walking with no sense of direction of where i was going. i felt lost and to make it worse i had reached three opening roads. my mind wasn’t stable enough to know what one to go down not that i actually know where i’m going but i had to pick one. do i carry on and go straight or do a left or right turn. i have no idea. so i just sat in the middle of the road to all these openings and just think to my self, what is the right decision for me? what are the right choices? this rain just makes it so hard to see what path i have to go down.

(model: juliana)

that was last year: part two

2011-01-02T15:40:00.000-08:00

that was last year: part one

2011-01-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

2011

2011-01-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

"The past shapes our future, but doesn't determine it"

2010 has brought me so many good things, from big opportunities in increasing my love for photography, from heartaches to loving again, from losing myself and finding me again.
Yet another year lies ahead of me, not knowing what is going to happen or the opportunities that may come. I'm getting older, and closer to becoming fully independent it almost scares me sometimes.

So my new year's eve happened like this; I went to the london eye with my cousin just because last year I went with a friend and it was really good. This year though wasn't as exciting. They had no music when we got there, there were drunk people doing crazy things, and when it got to midnight there was no countdown, meaning that there was no euphoria when the fireworks went off because no one was expecting it.

on the way home as expected, the buses that came were packed like people were sardines. remembering last year where men would take advantage to touch women up, i walked from the london eye home. yes that is exactly 5,6 miles. I couldn't feel my legs when i arrived home.

(taken with my blackberry, hence the quality)

i've grown tired of my surroundings

2010-12-25T16:01:00.000-08:00

christmas was usually a time of year i used to love so much, but since last year i never feel the spirit of it anymore. on the other hand, it depresses me. it makes me think how much i want to pack my bags and go somewhere, anywhere but something that i'm not familiar with.

i don't know why i feel this way, or why depression overcomes me. i think this is due to something my lover told me, something that made me so sad it depressed me having and sharing a special day with my family whilst others are almost forgotten.
i guess this is what makes people become better people when they realise they don't like being treated that way, and when it's their time to do they're part, they'll do it with passion to compensate all those years that they were hurt.

photobooth can be addictive

2010-12-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

black and white

so i got myself a macbook pro

2010-12-21T07:40:00.000-08:00

i walked out of the apple store hugging it so close to me with the biggest smile on my face.
couple pics of me playing with photobooth, haha.

2010-12-01T04:03:00.000-08:00

today it snowed

2010-11-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

today

2010-11-29T14:25:00.000-08:00

i don't have much to say, i just wanted to blog.

fairy lights

2010-11-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

hannah

2010-11-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

meet hannah.

2010-11-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

thought i'd share today's shopping. who said you couldn't find good things in second-hand/charity shops?

yes, i realize the last jumper is too big for me, it's intentional.

2010-11-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

random biker in Shepherd's Bush.

Today's event on my 365 Project.

2010-11-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

me by me.

playing with my shadow

2010-11-11T02:52:00.000-08:00

late at night i played with my shadow, and this was captured with my phone but it's inspired me to do a shoot soon involving shadows. i actually have loads of images from last night but this was my favourite and all were taken on my phone. on tuesday i went to an art exhibition and there were works of artists that created images without using cameras, they used photograms. although this is taken with a camera, it reminds me and it inspired me. i am creating a series "playing with my shadow" - so keep an eye out for that!

Little Laura

2010-11-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

flicking through old albums of when i was small, i miss how everything seemed innocent and harmless. these are pictures up until i was 5. I have a younger sister that was born when i was 6 so there's only pictures of me and my parents.

me and my father in Portobello Road, pic taken by my mother

i think my outfit was cute, how i miss those frilly socks

in brazil , praça dos namorados. haha my shades

me and mama on christmas day. think i was 4

think i was 2 here, toy toy TOYS!

me in discovery zone in clapham junction before they shut it down, think i was 5 here

my fourth birthday

me and daddy! think i was 3 here.

christmas eve, i had a toy camera which i took pictures on it all the time, wish it were possible to see what i had captured when i was so young and my mind so free and innocent.

grandparents' house in brazil.

mama, papa and me. April 1995 - i was three and a half

shadows

2010-10-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

so last night as i covered my body with my duvets and played shadows with my side light on the floor i imagined throwing confetti in the air and dancing in it as it fell and it was just me and you and nothing else mattered. everything was perfect and the moonlight shone through my dark curtains and we wondered if anyone could hear us and wonder why we were so happy cause nothing feels better than the feeling of happiness. just me and you in a room full of confetti full or dancing shadows. just me alone in the room with single shadows.

2010-10-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

maybe i've gone insane or i've probably just hit sanity. but lately i've mastered to think about nothing and my mind stay blank. i don't know how i do it or how i did it, but the thought of nothingness feels so soothing. like there's nothing but me in this world. it's become a way that if i don't think, i don't feel and that's what i've wanted - to not feel anything.
i still dream alot, but the only feeling is freedom, and i'm somewhere else in my mind where everything is so beautifully painted and the air is warm. it's just me and my camera to capture every moment.
i don't think anymore, about anything really. i just do things if it feels like it's right or not if it's wrong.

2010-10-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

me, my sister and cousin walked under the hot sun of Portugal to the swimming pool. we had attempted going to the beach the day before but the wind was so bad the sand was cutting my skin. it was so awful, so we settled to going to the pool and it was still fun.

pictures of me in it were taken by my cousin or by a friend, i do like to be in pictures sometimes y'know.

those were the summer dreams

2010-10-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

i miss those summer days where nothing mattered but the moment i was living. here are some snapshots of my sister having fun in a field near the petrol stations whilst my dad rested from hours and hours of non-stop driving. last images of my sister before she turned a teen.

Cheri

2010-10-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

so i met this pretty girl; who goes by the name Cheri (can anyone guess why? haha) and she loves to travel, she has so many exciting stories to tell i love listening to them.

Elephant 12

2010-10-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

one of the members from Elephant 12

Check out their music, I really like the one called "Diet Coke", even though I prefer drinking normal coke :)

hey there autumn

2010-09-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

model: Lauren

fun day in camdem with alice-hannah and lauren (more to come)

swimming in thoughts

2010-09-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

model: alice

location: portugal

it was actually raining that day, but it was so hot that she went for a dive

La femme de la Noir

2010-08-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

model: Ines Silva

the gypsy

2010-08-05T04:23:00.000-07:00

i'm in portugal for two weeks, gonna make the most of it - take lots of pictures and build up a tan. i've met some nice people and this is one of them. this was more of a fun shoot then an actual shoot, she was messing about whilst i shot her. there are loads more pictures but these were my favourite.

p.s. my url may change in a couple of days, my usual one is boring me to death.

two sisters

2010-07-24T03:13:00.000-07:00

model: Kate and Rachel Roddy

MUA: Millenna Gonzalez

Photography/Edit: Me

dreams will be just dreams.

2010-07-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

model: Rach Foster

stylist: Mariana Abella

Photography/Edit: Me, Laura Borges-Ribeiro

2010-06-28T18:28:00.001-07:00

most of the time i know it's my own fault, yet you take the blame.

girl with a flower in her hair

2010-06-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

in aldgate east.

(i only took images 1, 4 and the last one. Rest thanks to Victoria!)

breathe

2010-06-25T06:27:00.000-07:00

alice

2010-06-13T02:51:00.000-07:00

model: alice (my sister)

this was taken about a year ago.

snow storm

2010-06-13T02:48:00.000-07:00

model: mariela

it was freezing that day. this picture was meant to be for an on-line magazine but it's been months and the editor didn't get back to me, guess he gave up on his magazine project.

i've been dying to show these pictures, especially the first one.

dreamer

2010-06-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

model: jessica.

back from when i was in portugal for a week.

i'm going to be in portugal again from the start of august for about 2/3 weeks in the areas of Porto, and Lisbon.

inkers

2010-06-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

models: hannah and joe.

new black and white action called "inkers" made especially for people with tattoos.

dirty london

2010-06-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

you're probably thinking; dirty london?

yep that's right, I have created an action, which I have used in all of these pictures, that show the gloominess and dirtiness of london, yet it still makes a good picture?

shooting in soho alleys aren't necessary clean and pleasant, but i had an amazing team that day, and we all had fun.

model: ellie.

fireflies

2010-06-06T03:11:00.000-07:00

diary entry #145

one day in 2001.

I laid on that wet green grass of the field, soaking in the humid air of the early spring and watching the sky on fire. Such vivid beautiful reds, yellows, pinks. My arm behind my head and my legs crossed at the ankles put me in such a relaxed-lazy mood.

I closed my eyes for a second, and imagined I wasn't alone. I could still feel his presence from those first days he used to bring me here. I was about 5 or 6 at that time, everything looked much bigger, more wild, more magical. The trees looked like they had faces, the clouds would cry every now and then, but the sun would come and smile the sadness away. I would walk into the woods and talk to animals, birds, bugs, trees, anything.

Granddad had crowned me the Princess of the Fireflies. They were of the beauty of the woods. Granddad had said he saw them once when he was younger, and that was it. Only those who are lucky enough are able to see them. Maybe some day I'll see them. At this point I crossed my fingers and closed my eyes even tighter, and wished to my granddad that he would show me them.

I feel asleep in that same very spot for a couple of minutes, consequence that I would have to walk home in the dark. I stretched my aching body and put on my flip-flops. Brushed down my messy dark hair that was now reaching my lower back, and got up. There were stars in the sky, and these were my only guide home. I walked towards the first wooden gate and unlocked the huge bolt, but it was stuck. So I climbed over, the gate was slightly unstable and made things much harder for a second or two. I walked on afterwards in a relaxed way down the slopes that went past a little stream with stepping stones. These had been made by granddad when he moved here permanently with grandma with grandma so his grandchildren would cross safely. He was always thinking of others whatever he did.

Everything was so dark, you could only make out it was water because of the glittery reflection of the stars.

Everything apart from the very deep end of the stream. It was so bright, it glowed. This left me with such temptation to see what it was, there's no electricity around here but only at the house. The stream was getting narrower and the floor was more and more humid. I could feel myself slightly sinking at each step I took. I had to duck and push away branches that came across my way. The light was getting brighter and brighter, so bright my eyes started hurting and tearing.

All of a sudden the light has disappeared and I was being hugged and choked by the trees around me who didn't look so friendly. I ran and ran away from what had been the light, but I was lost. I couldn't see, these trees were covering the stars and everything was pitch black. I touched around and kept running, slipped on a muddy area which made me graze my knee. I couldn't see but I knew I was bleeding. At that moment where I was had suddenly lip up, and everything looked so bright.

I couldn't believe my eyes, when I saw loads of fireflies light up my way, they were so beautiful.

I wan home through the bright lit grass and up the house, stars guiding me.

I had experienced it. It must have been granddad. I was so happy, my eyes had watered, and before I knew it I was crying happy tears. Grandma was shocked, and I spoke so fast. I was happy, I was lucky

Polaroid dreams from http://moronicbeauty.com via http://weheartit.com
image is NOT mine, credits are above.

something like rock chic

2010-06-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

model: veronica fernandes

assistant & hair: laura sheddon

make-up, photography & edit: laura borges-ribeiro

child of the night.

2010-06-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

model: alice.

black and white.

2010-05-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

black and white images look like forgotten memories.

Trang

2010-05-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

For the sake of updating this blog. Apologies for my absence, more to come from this shoot and others.

laura.

girls.

2010-04-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

my best friend and her girlfriend.

Eddy

2010-04-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

I took pictures of my pretty pretty friend Eddy! Lalalala~

Imperfections make you beautiful.

2010-04-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ever since I learnt how to airbrush years ago, I don't think I've ever posted an "original" photo without removing blemishes (even just using the healing tool). As a fashion and beauty photographer, I've always looked to capture emotion and tell a story in some way in my pictures and found having blemishes kind of a distraction and up to the point that it was a habit to have perfect beautiful skin.
So as for a new experiment, I finally got inspired to do some self-portraits again and post them up here on my blog nice and raw. Yes, raw.. no editing whatsoever (just resized so it wouldnt take billions of years to load).

Maya.

2010-04-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of shots that I took on Friday. I loved the weather, it wasn't too cold! The model was lovely, I thought it would be really awkward just me and the model as I usually have an assistant or a mua (make-up artist) with me. But it went so well and we took SOO many good pictures it's been so hard to pick. Here are a few that both me and the model agreed were good shots so I'm showing these ones first. Also because I get so so excited about successful shoots, all I wanna do is get to retouching and show them!

I'm excited for Portugal! I sort of have everything packed except for my laptop and my camera. I can't wait to see people I haven't seen in ages. It's gonna be so so good. I'm gonna be visiting my old schools and meeting with people I knew already, meeting new people. It's a short visit, but it means alot to me.

Champagne?

2010-04-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's actually me. My new hair colour, "Champagne Blonde". Or at least it's an attempt.

I sometimes like it, sometimes don't like it. To be honest, don't think I'll keep this hair colour for long.

Currently packing for my trip to Portugal on Monday - I hate packing. I usually do everything last minute. My room is a mess, I haven't even touched my coursework at all this week. And I have to organize and edit two shoots from yesterday and today. Stress much?

Monroe me.

2010-04-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

These aren't even the best shots of the day. But they're still so beautiful I can't just leave them hidden away in my folder. You're probably thinking why "Monroe me"; apart from this girl's love for Marilyn Monroe, it's the kind of theme I was going for. And voilá, she fits the theme perfectly! (Although she doesn't have the bleached blonde hair, but that doesn't matter).