shooting with Michelle, round two

Months and months ago (I'm seriously the worst), my friend Michelle approached me to take some photos for her of a costume she'd made for a cosplay convention. I've photographed Michelle before, so this is not our first rodeo, but our previous collaboration was for my portfolio. This is why having talented friends is the best - you get to trade for each others' skill sets.

Michelle showed up to our shoot in one of the raddest/kookiest (in the best way possible) costumes I've ever seen. We took these photos on campus, in front of Bond Chapel - a passerby asked us if we were shooting for a wedding. I remember both of us being very amused by this question, commenting that we'd love to attend a wedding where the bride was wearing this non-traditional of a dress. Either way, the backdrop was perfectly coordinated with Michelle's outfit, so it worked out well - she even had the foresight to wear shoes matching the copper hardware on the bodice. On that note, check out the intricacy of the wiring, the beading, the hanging feathers, and the painted designs on the dress - all hand-done (Michelle is seriously amazing and I'm so honored that she asked me to photograph this costume for her). Photos below!

Also, I'm currently in Houston where it couldn't feel less like the holidays (mid-60s and sunny today, a far cry from the winter wonderland I'm sure I left behind in Chicago), but Merry Christmas regardless - hope you and yours have a safe and happy day!

new beginnings + snaps from the road

Rebuilding this blog from the bottom up! So far, I've revamped the appearance and am reimagining the posts to be a mix of food, travel, fashion... whatever I have to post about now that I spend most of my waking hours in an office. Cool?

A month ago (can't believe it's already been so long since then), M and I went on a road trip toward South Dakota. The draw for this trip was Badlands National Park - I've been wanting to go on a Southwest US road trip for years now, but it's a little too far to drive from Chicago when I only have five or six days for the entire trip, so we had to pick a place a little closer to home. The Badlands offered much of what I wanted to see in the SWUS, which was why it was on my mind as a potential destination.

We left Chicago on a Friday night and spent the entire first day driving toward Minneapolis, which was our first overnight layover. The next morning, we hit the road for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, stopping along the way at an interesting combination of Jim's Apple Farm and what was purported to be Minnesota's Largest Candy Store (see below)...

We didn't actually buy any candy, but amused ourselves for an hour or so wandering through the store and wondering what buffalo chicken flavored soda would taste like. I ended up getting some apple cookies for the road, because why would you go to an apple farm and not buy anything with apples?

Sioux Falls itself has really cool geography in that the city is surrounded pretty much all the way around by the Big Sioux River, and smack dab in the middle of it all is Falls Park, which is lined with waterfalls formed by the river. It was late afternoon by the time we got there, so the lighting wasn't ideal for pictures, but we took some anyway (must get the film developed soon).

The highlight of the trip was, of course, the Badlands - there's not much I could say about them that would do them justice, to be honest. The geologic deposits, prairie grass, and animal sightings add up to a really special place. The photos will do a better job describing it than I can, but seriously, visit if you have a chance - the Badlands alone were worth the 13+ hour drive from Chicago.

Oh yeah, and we went to Mount Rushmore as well. Super cool even though it's a big tourist attraction. (Never really understood why people think of themselves as being too good for tourist traps - I mean, tourist traps are tourist traps because usually they're really freaking cool, right? I get that the crowds are a turn-off, but I don't get why you would go to a city for the first time and not see the things it's most famous for.)