One Year

(Olympus XA, Fuji Sensia 200 cross-processed)

Early last year, I started taking photos with some film that I meant to double-expose. In my quest to get images that were as amazing and whimsical as these, I was super picky about what I shot (so silly!) and as a result it took me a year just to finish the roll.

The upside of me being such a slow-poke is that this roll accompanied me on my travels to Malaysia, Vietnam and Korea. It was fun trying to spot the bits that were taken at each location.

My conclusion: double-exposures taken using the method I chose (take photos, wind film back into canister, take more photos) can't be planned, so it's best to just snap away with abandon. I'll probably stick to regular photography for the most part, because I like having some control over the pictures I take, but I'll definitely try this again some time.

P.S. more double-exposure photos can be found here, if you're interested.

City Tour

Surprise May Day post! My apologies for the long radio silence. Real life has been taking up all my time lately, now that I'm Gainfully Employed.

These photos are from my last day in Ho Chi Minh City. The architecture in the city is so diverse that it's possible to see grand, French-style buildings, shiny new skyscrapers and lively shop-houses all on one street. Many of the historical buildings are in District 1, within walking distance of one another, so we managed to visit them all in just half a day.

City Hall / Saigon Opera House / Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica /
a photogenic building / phone-booths














My favourite building: the Central Post Office. I couldn't stop admiring its interior decor!










The Reunification Palace: This place is stuffed FULL of history. Every tile, every curtain, every speck of dust has a story to tell. Okay, maybe not, but there's really so much to see in this building, with its underground war rooms, secret lift and rooftop helipad (and old-school typewriters!).

Day/Night in Ho Chi Minh City

More photos from my trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam:





















the Saigon Opera House, a ship that's also a restaurant, Ben Thanh Market & random street shots (my favourite is the one with the 'HOTEL' sign)

Have I mentioned that I love my new 50mm f1.4 lens? The nighttime & low-light shots turned out nice and bright, despite the fact that I was shooting handheld with ISO 400 film.

Vietnam: Food

Bò lúc lắc (pan-seared beef) with noodles and a glass of thick iced Vietnamese coffee. So. Good.




Chả giò (fried prawn spring rolls)


Bánh tráng (Vietnamese rice paper) is used in many dishes. It looks and feels like plastic when dry, but becomes stretchy and floppy when wet.





I visited Vietnam for the first time last December and found everything about it fascinating: the country's tumultuous history, the 6 million motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City, the language, the busy cities and the open countryside, and, of course, the food.

On our first day in Ho Chi Minh City, we ate at Pho 2000, a small, touristy restaurant near Ben Thanh Market (the first 5 photos). This eatery is famous because there's a photo on the wall that shows Bill Clinton dining there. Despite (because of?) the hype, the food was delicious, and so was everything else we ate during the trip.

(If I got any of the Vietnamese words wrong, please feel free to correct me!)