Thunderstorm days

Last night, a huge thunderstorm passed by. We could even feel the ground vibrate every time the lightning struck the ground (and we live on the 4th floor of an apartment building!!). I opened up the curtains beside my bed, covered myself with blankets, took out my camera, and just sat there taking pictures and watching the sky. Lightning is scary, but beautiful. Once I finished taking the pictures, I put down my camera, looked outside, and BAM! A long, shining ray of light appeared right before my eyes. I gasped when I saw it. It was truly amazing.

*this is not a picture I took. It was found on Favim.

Just a few days ago I found out what a Zine was (thank u Rookiemag!). It's basically your own little magazine you create using pictures, texts, and drawings. I'm going to start the first two pages this weekend if I have time and post them sometime during the week.

To change the subject, I found a really nice song on itunes the other day, and it was FREE. It's called "Lighthouse" by Patrick Watson (no.. I don't think he's related to Emma Watson in any way..) Don't be afraid to occasionally click the "free songs" bar on itunes. You never know what they might have. Sometimes you'll get lucky! :) 

 I really think someone should use this song in a movie, in a scene where the character is remembering the past or discovering something magical.
 Below, I've  posted photographs that (I feel) match the mood and melody of the song. They are BEAUTIFUL. It's best to look at them while listening to the music:

The pictures were all found on Favim. 

Have a nice weekend everyone!

-Aria

Inspiration comes from anywhere

I spent most of my afternoon today attending a small concert near my house.
You would sit on the grass, buy some lemonade, listen to the music, and just chill. Now THAT'S a nice way to spend a Friday afternoon :)

Music always makes me feel better (except for those songs that make me want to punch someone in the face...) no matter what.
My *ultimate- favorite* singer is Lily Allen. She sings about real-life situations and expresses her thoughts and opinions in her songs.
I discovered her one wonderful day on Pandora Radio (it's the the best thing ever!)

I tried learning this on the guitar, but failed miserably :(..... The yellow coat she's wearing is A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Want..want..want..

The Fear...

I admire Lily because she expresses herself in songs. She is not afraid of speaking out. In my opinion, that's what makes her one of the best female musicians in the world <3 There are so many things that inspire us in this world: songs, pictures, drawings, it's amazing how an idea forms just by looking at a simple flower, pattern, or picture. It's a pretty magical thing to me.

Inspiration comes from anywhere! All of the images are from Patternity.
Be inspired!

-Aria

Friends

     Hey there everyone! It's May already! YEAH! (one more month till summer!) I'll get to blog a lot on those hot, summer days when there's absolutely NOTHING to do. Let's talk about friends. Shall we? This week has been kind of tiring and emotional (school drama), and the only people in this world that will actually listen to my rambling and complaining are my friends. Aren't they wonderful? They are always there when you need them. They support and respect you. In honor to commemorate friendship, here are some pictures I found on Favim. Sit back, relax, scroll the page, and just enjoy them. Maybe they'll remind you of the times you had with your friends :)

Okay, now this picture above was just awesome, so I couldn't help but post it. 

HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PICTURES! 

-Aria

Gloomy Spring?

It's spring, but it's been sooo gloomy lately.. we're coming towards the end of the school year, so I my whole week is like: STUDY, test, STUDY, test, test. The only joy I have during the day is when I get to come home and  BLOG. I think I'm converting myself into those people who can't live without the Internet. There's just so much to do, you know.
Yesterday I watched a movie called "The Face on the Milk Carton" on abc family. It's about this girl who discovers a milk carton that has a picture of her on the back (you know, for missing people), SO she finds out that she was missing and that the family she's been living with is not actually her real family. *SPOILER ALERT* The person that kidnapped her (Hannah) was a cult member, so she took the child to her parents house. Hanna's parents thought it was her daughter, so they took care of her. Hannah just disappeared. I can't tell you what happens next :3 You'll have to watch the movie.

 

To change the subject, I've been looking around for VINTAGE <3 items  lately. Here's a collection of some vintage items and photos I like:

                                                                        

The bright red saddle shoes were hand painted by Elsie. She has really nice tutorials on her blog on how to make cute things. Here's the link to her site: Abeautifulmess 

I don't have a lot of vintage clothing because I can't afford them right now. That's why I asked my grandma if she still had some of her old clothes. She said that they are in her storage, so if she gets a chance, she'll bring them to me the next time she comes. How exciting! It's like opening up a treasure box  :)

Well, that's all for today! Thanks for reading!

-Aria

Interview with Lara Zankoul; photographer

Have you ever wanted to step into a fairy tale? A magical world with enchanting colors and lights? Well you can. That is what Lebanese photographer, Lara Zankoul, creates with her beautiful photographs. Her stunning works take you to a breathtaking new world where dreams are born.

Lara Zankoul was born in 1987 and is definitely one of my favorite photographers. 

She generously answered all of my questions for this interview. 

 How old were you when you started photography?

I was 20.

What inspired you? 

Flickr website inspired me to buy my own camera and try out photography.

 

How do you come up with the ideas for your photographs? 

They usually come to me spontaneously. But when I'm not really inspired I try to get photos ideas from feelings, emotions and situations of life.

  

What camera do you use?

 I started with the Sony Alpha 200 but now shifted to the Canon 5d mark ii.

 How did you develop the style you have in your photographs?

 I worked on shaping my preferences in composition, color schemes and light, and it lead to this current style I have.

Who are some of your favorite artists?

Contemporary artists: Brooke SHaden, Tim Burton, Annie Leibovitz
I also like surreal artists like Dali.

What would you like to say to the young photographers out there?

I would say don't be afraid to try new things in photography and be creative.

8) What is your favorite song?

My favorite song this week is "Telling stories" for Tracy Chapman.

Lara Zankoul is an amazing and inspiring photographer that all young photographers can look up to. You can tell that she puts in a lot of time and care into her work. Lara captures dreams, imaginations and puts them into a single photograph. That's what so magical about art. 

Here is a link to her website: http://larazankoul.com/

I hope you guys enjoyed this interview! Special thanks to Lara Zankoul taking the time to answer the questions!

-Aria