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.

The more I shoot it, the more a fan I become of the film Lomochrome Purple. I love the shift in perspective through its color changes, which as the name implies, tends towards purples. You can shoot it anywhere from 100-400 ISO, though I’ve found I get the best results rated at 400. I’ve noticed I often get weird marks and scratches on the film, too, which only adds to its charm for me (I don’t shoot film to be perfect!). Turns out the desert gets pretty funky using Lomo Purple—and I’m totally here for it. Photos from my time in Phoenix and Sedona are below.

Green Mountain Cacti

Part Two of souping the desert takes us to Sedona, one of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever been to. My jaw was dropped in awe practically the whole time! But seriously, this place makes you feel small—small in the sense of your physical presence to the mountains, but also in the scale of time. Our Airbnb had a book explaining the geology of Sedona and what held me in awe the most was to think of what a blip our time on the planet is compared to the geologic history of the Earth. And that these rocks were once where Antarctica is now, drifting over time to the southwest, submerged underwater, and thrust up thousands of feet to erode to what we see today. I wanted to capture this sense of awe; even though the red of the rocks are stunning, I really like how these souped photos still give me that feeling of wonder of this magical place.