Chinese New Years

Hello, one. Hello, all. Stevie here. Shelby and I went to the Chinese New Years festival held every year downtown. For those of you who aren't sure what Chinese New Years is all about, it's the mark of the new year for the Chinese culture. Chinese New Years falls on a different day every year, based on the lunar calendar. It always falls on the second moon after the winter solstice. Here's a great link if you're interested in learning more about the holiday.

This is the third year Shelby and I have gone together, and we have photo traditions. What is a photo tradition? Well, some people always take photos in front of the Christmas tree for Christmas. I take a photo of Shelby with a Chinese paper fan every Chinese New Year. Seriously. I have three pictures of her holding a Chinese fan like she's Mulan or something.

Shelby looking like Mulan

We decided to have a mini shoot whilst downtown, and I have to say, it was pretty fantastic. Shelby wore these cute high waisted shorts from a thrift shop (no, she didn't have to pop any tags.) I just wore my brother's bleached Nixon tank top and a pleated skirt from American Apparel, since that's the only place that sells clothes that actually fit my body type.

Shelby in her cute shorts

Me in my flow-y skirt

The last two years we've been to the fair, we've seen people with rice picking hats, but never knew where they got them. We wanted some so very bad. We couldn't find them. Anywhere. How lame. 

BUT THIS WAS THE YEAR, READERS. THIS WAS THE YEAR WE GOT OUR RICE PICKING HATS. They're pretty cute, I'm not gonna lie, and they do a great job at keeping the sun from blinding your eyes, which is a problem we have here in southern California, even in the winter time. 

We didn't get good photos of the fun dragons and people dressed up because of the crowds (damn, people.) However, we got a lot of awesome shots. Some are posted on our Flickr, my Instagram, and our Peculiar Curls Instagram. So be sure to check all of those out and have a wonderful week. 

Nikon D3200 Review

Oh my lantas.
It's been so long since I've posted; Stevie convinced me to write a review on my Nikon camera, so here we are. This past Christmas, I begged my parents to buy me a Nikon camera. I wanted a DSLR with interchangeable lens and all the fancy shmancy adjustments. I did my research and stumbled upon the Nikon D3200.
God's gift to photographers, I'm telling you, is this model of Nikon DSLRs.
Adjustable apertures? Done.
Fantastic focusing (even on manual)? Psh, yeah.
Clarity with every photo? Boo-ya.

If you like light-weight, get-up-and-shoot cameras with a nice grip, crystal clear quality, and tons of features you can adjust (no flash, capturing children and pets, nighttime friendly settings, etc), then the Nikon D3200 is a model you should consider purchasing!


Of course, the content of your photos are all your doing, but the Nikon D3200 has a way of guiding you in the right direction. With 24.2 megapixels, this camera does not disappoint. The clarity of the photos will definitely impress you, as well as the bonus 1080p video recording feature. At local Best Buy retailers, the Nikon D3200 ranges from about $500-$800, depending on whether or not you'll be purchasing the starter kit!

My parents bought me the starter kit, which includes the camera itself, standard 18-55mm lenses, as well as an additional 55-200mm Nikkor lenses.



For more details regarding pricing, technical features, and general overviews of the Nikon D3200, click HERE or HERE.

I've included some sample photos below to give you a brief preview of just how great this camera is.

My Maine Coon, Plymouth, awakening.

Stevie embracing the sunny weather we've had.

A patch of dried plants in a hidden canyon we visited.

My little black Ming being adventurous.

Hopefully, this review has helped you in your decision to purchase the right DSLR for you! Until next time.

Xx

Shelby Alice

Gated Communities

Hello, one. Hello, all. Stevie here. Sorry Shelby and I haven't been posting much lately. With school starting and all of that jazz, things have been pretty hectic for the both of us. High school is a full time job that neither of us want.

We have squeezed in time together to take a large amounts of photos, though. Shelby invited me over, and we were in search of a new place to take photos. Somewhere with calm streets and beautiful scenery. That's hard to find when you're in a busy and bustling suburb, so we decided to go to a "friend's" house who lives in a gated community, and it was the best idea we've had yet.

Shelby and Stevie in the street

Pretty nice, right? The best part was the weather. It wasn't disgustingly hot, but it wasn't freezing cold. Well, freezing cold to San Diego standards. The weather was just fantastic that day, and the lighting was perfect.

 Stevie aka me

Shelby aka not me

I don't know if Shelby mentioned what she got for Christmas, so I will. She got the lovely Nikon D3200, which we used for these lovely photos, which I'm sure she'll write a review about soon. 

January 2nd Photo Shoot

What other way to kick off 2013 than another shoot? We thought it was a pretty good idea, too. This week, we explored our local canyons in search of some new locations. Stevie forgot her memory card, so we used Shelby's Nikon and 55-200mm lens for this shoot. While scouting for little hideaways to take some photos, we got in about three miles of walking, which is definitely a good way to start the new year.

Stevie, looking rather regal, here.

Shelby's dress is from Forever 21, for you fashion junkies out there.

More photos from this week's shoot can be found HERE.

Chicken.

Shelby & Stevie