Barcelona holds special memories for me, as it was one of the destinations I visited when traveling in Europe for the first time over 10 years ago. It was a whirlwind two days of sightseeing, eating, drinking and dancing—a bit different than my visit in the summer of 2023 for the Experimental Photo Festival. But the similarity that still held true was photography: on my first visit, I was discovering my interest in photography; on my second, I was exploring ways to grow in my photography over a decade later. While the festival took up the majority of my time, I managed to squeeze in opportunities to see and photograph the city—especially the many palm trees and Gaudi’s famous masterpieces (sometimes, both together!). Of course, I decided to soup most of the rolls of film I shot. Here’s a look at Barcelona—in technicolor souped glory.

Oh, Ektar 100. you had me at your high saturation and vivid color from the very first roll I shot. Which also happened to be the first film stock I used when beginning my journey into film photography over 3 years ago. While many seem to prefer the less-saturated hues of Portra 400, I am all about your punchiness and the way you make colors pop. And boy, can you make golden hour shine. I like to drop you into my Olympus stylus epic and let the camera work your magic, preferring to instead focus on my subject and not my settings. the two of you pair so well together! I just wish you weren’t so hard (and expensive) to find right now. So I’m saving you for a couple of upcoming trips this fall and winter where I know the locations will do you justice. Until we meet again, I’ll savor all the many favorite photos you’ve helped me capture.

During our visit to Mexico City in February 2022, we rented an apartment in the neighborhood of Escandon, which lies just south of hip Condesa. Its proximity and short walking distance to areas like Condesa and Roma, while still remaining slightly outside the tourist sphere, was what drew us to stay here. I spent many mornings and afternoons just wandering around, and even though it’s not a large neighborhood, I kept finding things to discover. The main commercial street, Avenida Jose Marti, was always bustling and I enjoyed walking up and down watching locals go about their daily business. Escandon still retains its middle-class roots, though as in much of Mexico City, construction can be found all over. I found Escandon a charming, lively neighborhood. Here is a look at life along Jose Marti, captured on film.

Kodak ColorPlus 200

Expired Kodak Ultramax 800

Kodak ColorPlus 200

Kodak Ektar 100

Kodak ColorPlus 200

Kodak ColorPlus 200

Kodak Ultramax 800

Kodak Ultramax 400

Kodak Ultramax 400

Kodak ColorPlus 200

Kodak Ultramax 400

Since the first time I visited in spring of 2018, I knew I had to make it back to Mexico city one day. That day was back in February 2022, when my husband and I decided to take a “work-cation” for a week in Mexico’s capital. He worked remotely while I wandered around with my camera—also working! One of the main things I sought to capture once again were the vibrant colors of CDMX as seen on the streets. And this time, capturing those colors on film. Here’s a sampling of the rainbow of hues that saturate the city on 35mm film.

Expired Kodak Ultramax 800

Kodak Ultramax 400

Kodak Ektar 100

Kodak Ektar 100

Kodak Ektar 100

Kodak Ektar 100

Kodak Ektar 100

Kodak Gold 200

Kodak Ektar 100

Kodak ColorPlus 200

Kodak Ektar 100

Kodak Ultramax 400

Little did we know last summer when we booked a trip to Rincon, Puerto Rico for Christmas, how lucky we came to be with that decision. My husband and I had spent a Christmas holiday in Puerto Rico four years ago when we were dating and absolutely loved it. We knew we wanted to return again—and what better occasion than to celebrate our 1 year anniversary in December? We found the most perfect little cottage high up on a hill with spectacular views, especially of the sunrise each morning. And the temperatures were just right, hovering in the 70s—not too cold, not too hot. But, most importantly, warm! When I said that we got lucky, it was because we narrowly escaped the bomb cyclone that plunged most of the US mainland into severe cold. Our plane made it out the day before temps dropped to historic lows in Atlanta and we got to spend a week bathed in sunshine and warmth, very lucky indeed! Here are some photos of our stay that I shot on a roll of expired Astia 100F slide film, cross-process in C-41 chemicals. I love how the color shifts leaned heavy into pinks and purples, totally capturing the rose-colored glow we were living in for that week.