Welcome 2016

Now that we've said goodbye to 2015 and welcome 2016 I am seeing a flood of updates from previous bloggers who pretty much went on hiatus mode mid year last lol. Its quite refreshing to see a more updated feed again but I wonder how long it'll last. I mean I guess I could say the same for myself LOL...not that I was ever the most active blogger either...and I'm not one for new year resolutions either...

but I guess what am I looking forward to for 2016?


I'm personally not much for New Year Resolutions or goals type of person but I guess its good to set goals for yourself so you can always go back to them and pat yourself in the back for achieving them. So  I will go ahead and list the things I'm looking forward to do in 2016 and onward!

Launch more designs / work more / sew more!

Many of those who follow me on my many social media handles can pretty much see that 2015 was a busy year for me and the definitive year that I finally got myself a serger which pushed me to try and making more ready-to wear styles :'D even though their pretty much rotting in my hanger or closet waiting to be worn  and just basically hone my seam stress skills more and more.  I know I can sew, but I don't feel like their quite up to industry standard :x unfortunately I'm not a machine and am human but I have learned quite a lot this last year of many different techniques I've taken for granted back in fashion school and am now implementing...

but yes, I look forward to making more and more original design items and just keep on sewing now that I have my own little studio/sewing room. Unfortunately as I write this I feel quite burnt out from all the work I've pulled in 2015 that I'm currently taking a hibernation break from the machine and basically playing catch up on other things. Breaks are good, we all need breaks from time to time since we all know I'll probably go ham crazy on it again when the time comes!

Speaking of launching designs, I've kept quiet about this for sometime, at the beginning of last year and has taken me well into the middle of the year to have completed it :X (with school and other projects before that) but I am now able to finally talk about it!

 

 

 

This was along project and I felt rather insecure working on these, they definitely could be better but I've also learned a lot in the making process. And they always look much better on the people their meant to be on vs a dress form...(godbless) I posted detailed shots of these back on my FB page and instagram but yes basically these are outfits for a new up and coming Visual Kei band called DECADE. Their website is still in progress but they are working on debuting soon. Yes, weeby 16yroldmedreamsdocometruelol  The initial outfit drafts and design were designed by a good friend of my Shin and refined and sewn by me QvQ;; This also sparked / kicked started me to actually pushing forward with making more designs including branding and etc. Its been something I've been talking about for years but with the help of this project it has really kicked my butt into gear to try and make things happen this year (finally, hopefully)!

Definitely more photoshoots. More more and more!

With this includes actually producing a (better) photobook of photos, I don't have the biggest following in terms of my photo work but I still like being able to produce and make my own phootbook for my own keep and for the models I've worked with, I mentioned it before but the feeling of seeing your work in print is just on a whole new exhilarating level and just pushes  you to keep trying more and more.

Trying out different editing styles and shooting techniques is what I look forward to the most and reuniting with the squad and shooting new sets that we've had planned for a while. Also starting new (and more) projects, such as photobooks! 

I feel the biggest compliments I've gotten so far from fellow photographers is the use of color on the edits and photos I've taken lately, and composition. I've been fairly confident and satisfied with my use of composition but I always feel like it could always be better. And I'm slowly learning to do more on color composition as well. So I am most excited for what the new year bring and trying out new/different lenses to help capture different images.

I was fortunate enough to have opened up 2016 by knocking out 3 photoshoots (practically) back to back. That stamina though! Actually, it was very exhausting but I've learned a lot from this experience as well. The biggest problem was none of the costumes were at 100% completed at the time. Whoops vs the past summer where everything was /already/ done. But nonetheless it was great.

 

 

I also picked up LED lights to help me shoot better in the dark, its still a learning process for me and I find its easier to carry than flashes and strobes. I know for a fact to get the best effect sometimes you really need that blown out power of an external  flash. I've used it before with a reflector to try and bounce light around (early 2013 Hunter x Hunter shoot) and had good results, but to shoot in the evening was another thing and I'm excited to try these gels and whatnot.

 

 



 

 

I'm clearly not one for fancy equipment (whoops) and I think that is certainly just half the fun is making things up and being resourceful as you go. This also marked the year of me trying out 'set' building, or divulging more into 'dressing' the set while out on a shoot and not heavily relying on what mother nature has to offer us. 

 

 

For example for Trinity Blood, I was determined to recreate a desert oasis, ideally in my head there wouldnt be anyone at the beach and we'd have a wide shot and no 'roof' to cover the tent to allow for maximum fabric flows. Unfortunately things just didn't work out that way and we opted for more privacy - we definitely had quite a bit of on-lookers at the beach when we shot this. Lol. Whoops



 





 

 

I'm rather fortunate to have such supporting friends who would (literally) fly across the country and spend their new year vacation getting dressed up in costumes in the cold, in the rain and come out and shoot these. (and help finish them up! what troopers).

 

Burning and disressing Syaoran's cape for Tsubasa! Will talk more about this when I make the post set

 

 So I am definitely looking forward to what else we are able to produce in the future. I also had a little fun shooting a makeshift makeup tutorial and video BTS which I still have to work on editing, hopefully I don't push that off too long....



 

Soondubu Jigae after the first shoot, its been quite chilly so this is always much needed <3 p="">

always

 

 



 

 

Stop dressing like a lazy potato

I feel this is much easier said than done and can be taken in so many ways as I felt most of 2015 I've made the switch to a very minimalistic wardrobe. No prints, all solids, white and blacks and silhouettes. I need to purge my closet and organize it better after Katsu and donate a few more stuff, get rid of old coats that I don't care for anymore despite them still being very gently used.   No point on hoarding stuff you know?..

 

I wanna say I need to purge my makeup collection too but I think I'm doing quite the opposite...I can only justify this if I actually wear it more often...mostly the eyeshadows coz damn, I can't even during the mornings lol...

 

Travel more!!!

I feel this is something we all always wan to do but to do so, you need money and time off :x sometimes you have one and sometimes you have the other...but I think with enough careful planning you can pull it off. Ideally I wanna say I wanna go overseas but that's out of my reach right now since I need to apply for citizenship and save up time off and whatnot but for now I'm fairely content being able to jet set around the states and seeing more of this place :x since I don't really get to do it often. I also want to make this as an excuse to do a travel shoot or photo shoot tour???

So I guess I'm kicking that off by jetsetting off to Washington in February Valentines weekend for Katsucon! Its been a con I've been dreaming of visiting for years now but was always so far out of reach, but not anymore. I'm nervous and excited and ah!!!! 6.5 flight  there and another 7.5 flight back. Lets do this!!!! And I'm also super stoked to be heading back to the Bay Area again to see Gazette! (hoping I get tickets on Friday :x whoops. Yes I will leave SoCal to fly to NorCal just to avoid the LA crowd)

Next I plan/want to go back to the East Coast again during FALL for a FALL photoshoot since we don't really a fall season here in California...

Find more time to do the things you use to love/do

I feel this sounds pretty counterproductive but I will put it down anyway... Over the years I've pretty much shunned away my console games and PC games in general, occasionally I'll fall into a pit of gaming and just binge play that. But as of the last 2 years - namely the last year alone that has significantly slowed down a lot since I kept picking up more and more work on top of me being back in school briefly.

What I mean is, I've collected a lot of games that I've been meaning to play and finish but just haven't quite done so. The last game I played and finished and had to binge play it to get through it is bayonetta 2. Love love love the queen! I also use to play a lot of League, fast quick games :x
but DFO is coming back too so yeasssss  but I am determined to get  back more gaming time hopefully :'D;; this forces me to stay in and spend less..lol...(stay away from those DLCs)

Watch more anime too! LOOO I have so much I need to play catch up on from previous seasons ahaha...

Make more time to be more active (again)

I'm not the most active person, I am a potato. For someone who claims to have a lot of stamina (I can wrok for a long time lol I guess coz I'm driven?) I just feel like I don't do ENOUGH beyond that. So lets to hoping I can be more active again. Its also really hard to be more out-doorsy when the sun sets at 4pm during the winter time )': but yeah...

Be less salty....

Haha, I don't even know where to begin with this one LOL. So much things in life is  all about unpredictability and its up to us to be flexible and work with what we got but, a lot has happened in the last few hours (personally) that has left a strain in me and left me pretty bitter and pissy (a lot) and I just don't have the time or energy for that anymore. Hence my nose dive to otome trash world - I mean do what you gotta do to keep yourself happy right???? Or in a good mood!?!?!

Read more!

I mean, sure otome games counts...(not really, the translations for them are so atrocious and cheesy that its really hard to take them seriously). 2 years ago I bought myself a tablet and the kindle app, I was doing well with my readings and it came in happy for school but I definitely feel I have declined into the pattern of not reading again. I'm quite picky when it comes to literature I guess and Its hard for me to find the time to sit down and enjoy a good book anymore. I use long flights and trips as a forced excuse to catch up on literature but I hope that's not always going to be the case.

I also revisted my kindle app and it looks like more and more books are now coming to the kindle. Nice. So I made myself a wishlist of things I want to read and hopefully I will keep up on this and read on my downtime too.  Excuse my weeby wishlists of readings looooo....

I also do enjoy reading historical text books just for the sake of knowing something :x whoops.

No more backlogs please!

I think every blogger out there is so guilty of this, we try and try but sometimes you just....don't have the time. Whoops. But, this goes for me in terms of not falling behind on photo edit backlogs either!
I have videos to scrub through and edit as well! Ah!!! I /hope/ to finish all those before I jetset off to Washington since I will most likely be trying to vlog during my travel time too :'D

I guess this should wrap up the post? I need to wrap up the other photo sets so I can finally sit down and do my post write ups on those.