Photo Diary May 2017 to May 2018

Wow, has it really been that long since I've posted?? Jeeeez Louise! I thought about writing an essay of what has happened in the last year, but a photo diary will suffice. To give you context.. I've been shooting Attic Sydney parties for my pals Andrew and Brendan who run the brand. South America; I visited Cuba, Chile, Peru and Argentina (woohoo!). I also knocked a couple of portraits out too.

Off tangent, I've updated my side panel with a SHOP RAVER RIA button. You can purchase my Cuba and South America travel photo book I published. Click on the button to take a peek ;) I will be adding photography prints to the shop soon. Watch this space for announcements!

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Happy Birthday Raver Ria

Today marks this blog's 8th Birthday! Yay! It's strange to think that my Raver Ria blog has been floating around the World Wide Web for 8 years. It has evolved from it's early days of juvenile university and life ramblings of 2005-2007. To heavy image inspiration of the art, fashion and photography worlds during 2008. It documented my London life and European travels from 2009-2010, as well as other travel journeys to date. To chronicling my progress of learning photography- via my lomography "Lomo Love" Holga updates and my mini Girls and Boys photo series. And of last year my foray in black and white film photography and dark room processing.

Who knows how long this blog will run for, hopefully til I'm 80 years old, how rad would that be! But until then Happy 8th Blog Birthday Raver Ria! To the readers of this blog, whoever you are, thanks for continually dropping by.

Life Lately

Hello October!

I realised that the last time I posted something was late August (shame on me). So below is a collection of images via Instagram of what went down during September, namely, my birthday... Booyah! My dirty 30 was not so dirty- quite tame actually. The first day of Spring saw Tim and I take Bear on the Bondi to Bronte Beach walk- he lost his sh*t when he jumped out of the car. It was his first time leaving the west and entering the fresh beach air of the east. Toward the end of September it was an art, music and bridal shower love fest. Carriage Works had a brilliant contemporary international art fair. My friend Marc DL had a DJ set at The Argyle in the Rocks and one of my best mates, Luke, his band Pocketful of Soul performed at the Opera Bar in Circular Quay.

You can download Marc's music via Sound Cloud. He recently released his Sophomore mix tape which is brilliant. (click here to get ALL his mixes)

If you're in Sydney make sure you check out Pocketful of Soul, support Sydney live music! They will be performing at Opera Bar again this long weekend. (Click here to see where an when they are performing)

Cockatoo Island Part 2

Photos shot by Me

I've always been drawn to eerie, moody, pensive things. I'm glad that these photos sort of turned out that way, a cross between the mood of The Virgin Suicides and an industrial Twin Peaks. Cockatoo Island is a UNESCO world heritage site, that was once a convict penal establishment (convicts were relegated to hard labor), it was also a reform school and ship yard. It is situated in Sydney harbour at the junction of Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers. This place has the ability to make you feel extremely isolated, you forget that you are in major city. The mood is cold and there is an odd sense of something lurking in the shadows. If you were to stay here by yourself, you'd probably go mad. With it's large warehouses that once inhabited ships, the metal frames feel as though it would collapse on you at a moments notice. There are underground tunnels, sand stone forts and high stairs that lead to the look out point- the height renders you to vertigo. I like how the island is used as an art venue. However, I think one of the downsides of this is the abundance of space. Sometimes I find art exhibitions don't maximise the use of the landscape to it's full potential.

Ringo

(Image shot by me)

Meet Ringo, my neighbours dog in the Philippines. He is about 11 years old and has old man eyes, very expressive and wise. When he looks at you it's as if he wants to speak to you. What I love about Ringo is he has a life, pretty much every morning he leaves the house and doesn't come home till sunset. No one really knows where he goes, he just walks around town and quite possibly meets with his girlfriend.

Miranda Kerr

I'm digging this outfit, casual French chic vibe. Isabel Marant comes to mind when I think about it. Miranda Kerr's streetstyle can do no wrong.

On another note, I'm back in town. Waking up on Sydney time has me a little dazed. But I do miss the motherland. She didn't want me to leave, I had problems flying back home courtesy of my travel agent who sent through the wrong flight details. I was not impressed.

In the next coming weeks you will see more picture updates from the PI, very late Holga shots from Europe, a travel guide on Dipolog and more inspiring art and photography related content.

Cheers to the start of the week.

Image Source: Daily Mail x Splash News

Thoughts

So many changes have happened in the last month that I feel like I can't breathe. Like I'm sinking. I guess you can say I'm quite a happy person, that likes dark things (music and art in particular). I can be quite the ice queen. Something that has been in me since I was a child. My frankness can be mistaken for bitchiness (or maybe I am just a biatch) The funny thing is, the people closest to me see it more than others i.e family and boyf. Maybe because I can get away with it and because they will always be there. In reality, I shouldn't take them for granted. In saying that, I love them, in my tough love sort of way.

I'm sort of lost at the moment and the other night I wrote in my journal to let all my thoughts out, something I haven't done in a year. You know that feeling where you feel like you haven't achieved anything substantial in your life/ past year. Well I'm in that phase or mind frame. I guess that is where the sinking feeling comes from. The last couple of weeks I have't been sleeping properly, my mind is ticking 100km a minute that bed time is at the witching hour of 3am. To fall asleep I normally pray or open the Bible to a random page and read it. And the other night I read the parable of The Sower. It was very appropriate.

The shit thing about being a dreamer is dreaming too much, and not actually doing anything. I need to sow seeds for future opportunities and success. So this will be my goal for the next couple of months. I need to stick to my 2012 resolution of 'Growth'.

Summer Where Did You Go?

(Image shot by me)

Still waiting for summer to arrive, it looks as though we have had an English summer...one that lasts for 1 week, if you're lucky.

Sunsets

(Images shot by me)

One of my favourite things in the world is to watch sunsets. 

Hats Off

(Image shot by me)

"I've been thrown a wicked curve ball, shake up and come out on top".

Have a great weekend!!

B E A R

(Images shot by me)

Meet BEAR fresh from his first bath, my boyfriend's new family puppy. So cheeky and cute, full of energy yet naps a lot. He is the puppy I never had as a child.

Adieu 2011

Image shot by me,  Berlin 2010.

The folks of Sydney are getting ready for NYE festivities, while I sit here and reflect on the year that will soon be behind us.

It was a so so year for me. That saw a lot of my old flat mates from London move back to Sydney. A welcome relief as we remenisce a lot about the past.  Re-adjusting to life was hard as I would go off to oh so vivd reveries of 2009 and 2010. Spending pretty much every day with my best friend Anna, was the best thing on earth. We concocted new projects to pursue which will hopefully take off in 2012, God willing. Seeing a cherished friend V, always awakens my soul. Her ability to inspire people is out of this world. Growth in all sense of the word is something I always learn from her.

So growth will be my theme for 2012.

2011, I bid you Adieu.

Pop Your Collar

Peter Pan collars are my favourite, because it reminds me of little girl dresses I use to wear when I was a wee child, heck I still wear them now. My style is dictated by my mood, sometimes I'll walk out looking like a 5 year old child or a 70s rock and roll groupie wannabe or a hobo.

My mother gave me (I actually stole it) a white lace cotton bib shirt she has had since she was 17. She told me she use to wear it when she was pregnant with my sister and I. The bib part looks like a massive collar gone wrong, but I love it anyway. I rarely wear it, as it is quite delicate and the bib lace is fraying a little at the seams. And I'm also a total grub when I eat, I manage to spill food and drinks al over me. White clothing + food + me don't go hand in hand. However, I'm thinking of wearing it tonight or possibly NYE.

Collars have been on my mind lately, so much so I'm thinking of doing a DIY collar project in the new year. Hopefully it turns out well.

Image source: wishwishwish.net & your only black swan

Copacobana

OK, this is where I was hiding out with my London posse, Copacobana. It is hands down, the best
beach house I have stayed in. 3 stories with a massive balcony overlooking the beach. We saw
a pod of whales from the balcony which was amazing. I also found myself longboarding around the
house, there was just so much space! Beach, BBQ, drinks, laughs and all round lazing about. A
perfect weekend away.

Photos by my sister

Rome: Part 1

I was going through my digital camera and stumbled upon my photo's from Rome.
I remember I went there with Tim in July 2010, in the peak of summer. And it was
a scorcher indeed. We kept on refilling our water bottles from the water fountains
littered around the city. I kid you not, we drank about 5 litres and we didn't go to
the toilet because we just sweated it all out.

We stayed at a sweet bed and breakfast, where the lady who owned it kept saying 'prego'.
It had those old school lifts and staircases that you see in 1930s old Hollywood and European
films. The colosseum was three blocks down from where we were, and is quite possibly the
most amazing structure I've seen in my life. It was quite surreal to visit a place that I
remember studying in history class.

What I love about Rome is it's old city feel. It may come across dirty to some, but that's
what I like about it, that and the old ruins and Vatican City. Vatican City is amazing, Tim
pointed out a Swiss Guard that looked like Matt Damon, my heart started to palpitate.
St Peter's Basilica is something else, I felt like a tiny ant compared to the ultra high ceilings/
domes and marble statues of Popes and Saints. You would see priests walking around and then
in a flash disappear in one of the statues/ columns, as there were secret passage ways that lead
underground. Subsequently, my camera died in the Basilica which I was bummed about.

We entered the underground crypt where all the Popes are buried. That was supremely surreal.
I was so emotional when I saw Pope John Paul II burial, there was a crowd hovered in prayer,
it was a beautiful and touching sight, as he was the people's Pope and a champion of the youth.
What I also couldn't believe was seeing St Peter's crypt. That was definitely an out of body
experience, one of the last person to be in Jesus' human presence, one of the twelve apostles and
the first Bishop of Rome.  Being Catholic, it was a humbling experience visiting the Vatican City,
one I won't forget. The Sistine Chapel was amazing too, Michelangelo is seriously a genius. Tim
and I were in there for about an hour.

I have another batch of photos to post later.

Have a great weekend!