The Romantics

The Romantics is a series dealing with the marriage of fine-art and fashion photography through analog and alternative photographic techniques in order to create unique imagery.  In The Romantics, the photographs are shot with traditional black & white 120 film, then exposed on water-color paper through a liquid emulsion process, and finally, each print is individually hand-tinted with pigmented dyes.
(Better viewed here).


    Prague, Czech Republic (2013)

Credits:
Photography - Nicole Lewis
Models - Veronika A., Dolly V., Tereza R. (Unique-One Models), & Simona M. (Unique-One Models)
Hair & Make-Up - Alexandra Jiříková & Nedbalá Elegance
Styling - Nicole Lewis

 www.dancingshutter.com

I'M BACK!!

(Quick photo I snapped on the Charles Bridge, with 3 birds who decided to block my view of the Prague Castle.)

I'M BACK (In the states that is...)!! And I apologize for the hiatus I unintentionally took during the last couple months of my time overseas.  I became so busy preparing for our final exhibition and last minute traveling that I just did not have the time to post anything on this blog. However, now I have loads and loads of material to edit and upload - as well as film negatives to scan into my computer (I'm talking around 50 rolls of 120 and 35mm film).  So expect a very busy blog over the next couple of months. :)

To give you an idea of what's to come - I have about 5 fashion photo shoots I shot in Prague, more shots of Prague that has been hiding in my harddrive, as well as the rest of the photos from my weekend travels during the semester, all of my photographs taken with my Rolleiflex (which dates back to January-February), my final exhibition portfolio - which was done with an alternative photographic technique using liquid emulsion and hand colored with dyes (as well as the black & white film shots that I didn't select to go into the exhibition), photographs from my two week trip across Europe with my close friend (and fellow photographer!), Carli Choi, AND photos from a wedding I recently shot the day after I landed back in San Diego, CA. I am also planning to give a HUGE makeover to my poor, out-of-date portfolio website.

I'm excited to share my adventures with you all!! Even though I am currently drowning under the photographic workload I have allowed to accumulate while I was busy gallivanting across Europe - eeep. Good thing I have a free summer to get everything up-to-speed.

Cheers!

Rockin' Champ 2013 - International Breakdancing Battle

 A little background - before I moved to San Francisco for college, dance was a huge part of my life.  Ever since I was a freshman in high school, the hip-hop community has been an integral part of who I am. For the next six years of my life, the friends I made, the music I listened to, what I did in my free time, how I managed my schedule and time all revolved around hip-hop dancing. I fell in love with the family feel of being a part of something bigger than my own individual life. Dancing on multiple crews helped me grow not just as a dancer, but helped me learn a lot about myself as a peson as well. The many, many friendships I made during those years are the kinds that last a lifetime. When you are on a hip-hop dance team, you become a family - simple as that, and I'm sure that anyone who has been blessed with the chance to be a part of a one will agree on this. The beauty of dance is that it has the power to bring hundreds of thousands of people together to share one passion.

Since I left San Diego to pursue art and photography, I have always felt like that small part of my heart that was connected to the San Diego dance community was missing. And now that I am all the way in Prague, the chance of finding any kind of connection to the hip-hop culture is slim to none (or I just have no clue where to look!). Except for one amazing, and completely unexpected night of dance overload!

To my surprise, there's an international breakdancing competition called Rockin' Champ that's held in Prague every year, where over 70 crews fly in from all over the world to battle for the right to the Rockin' Champ title.  Although I was a hip-hop dancer, I knew fairly little about the b-boying culture, so this event was an entirely new experience for me!  The vibe and atmosphere of a breakdancing battle is completely different from a regular hip-hop dance competition - where there is a stage for the dance teams to perform on, seats for the audience, a set show line-up, etc.

Rockin' Champ took place at a club called Sasazu, which had a huge dance floor, and a small stage for the DJ. The battles were held in the center of the floor, and hundreds of people crowded around in a shoulder-to-shoulder cypher circle to see the crews battle against one another. The underground scene that I walked into that night was something straight out of a dance movie!

During the final battles of the night, the crowd of people got so big that it was near impossible for us shorter girls to see anything. Luckily, we grabbed a spot right on the stage (next to the DJ!), and got the perfect view of the b-boy/b-girl circle.  The final crews from the day's preliminary battles were called up to battle against the 8 returning finalists from the previous year. And in 12 minute intervals, 2 crews took the floor at a time and brought their best moves.

(Judge Renegade watching the battles.)
All the dancers were judged by 3 very accomplished and well respected break dancers - Renegade from Soul Mavericks, Swift Rock from Battle Squad, and Venum from Skill Methodz. The crews were judged based on their skill, cleanliness, overall performance, how they captured the crowd, and how each dancer did both during his or her own freestyles, and as an entire crew (5 people max per crew).

One thing I love about the hip-hop culture is the fact that dancers will respect one another, even if they are opponents on the dance floor. B-boys will pull out all the jokes and clown on one another when they are in the moment and doing their thing during a session, but once they see another breakdancer hit a power move or trick flawlessly, they turn around and give them props immediately (even if it is the same dancer they were clowning on one minute earlier).

Even at a young age, dancers are taught from the beginning that ultimately, we all share the same passion and it's all love!

Baby b-boy doing his thanng!

(Harry, Kendra, me, Mollie, and Yaba watching the final battles!)

The crew that won was a team from Russia called the Predatorz.  From the minute I saw them dance during the semi-finals, I had a feeling that they would take it home.  All of the members were so skilled at their craft, and when they danced together, they were cleaner than any other crew. Plus they captured the crowd with their charisma and personality every time they took the floor - something that can make or break a team's performance. If a crew can't engage with their audience, people will get bored very quickly and easily forget the battle.

Here are some clips I managed to videotape from my Iphone of the Predatorz during the semi-finals and final battle! 

After the battle was over (around 1:00 am), the venue turned back into a nightclub for the after party! Now, everyone at the competition had the chance to mingle, drink, meet new people, and dance.  One of the judges who happens to also be a DJ, Renegade, took the tables and spun throwback hip-hop and R&B all night - a genre that I rarely hear in the clubs since I came to Europe.  Kendra, Yaba, Mollie, and I danced the rest of the night away and had the chance to meet breakdancers from all over Europe. We ended up befriending the crew that won (Predatorz), and hung out with them as well - who happen to be very nice and a lot of fun despite the fact that they spoke very little English!
I'd have to say that this night was one of my favorites I've experienced since coming to Prague.  Not only did I get to watch an amazing dance event, and was exposed to a side of hip-hop dancing I rarely took part in back home, but I was reminded of the raw energy and pure talent that surrounds this underground culture. I can only hope I find more opportunities to immerse myself in the dance community here in Prague before I leave, and I encourage you all to do the same. You won't regret it!

Traveling disco pants: Barcelona for the win!

Around mid-march, I left the snow covered Praha for some sun rays and blue Barcelona skies.  We were greeted with warm weather all weekend long - something I will forever be grateful for once I am back in California. Our hostel was in the very center of the city, which made it extremely easy for us to hit all the main attractions, nightlife areas, and shopping streets.  I instantly fell in love with the city, everything about it was warm, spontaneous, and absolutely amazing.

(Views from the balcony of our hostel in Barcelona, Spain)

 (Upon arrival in Barca!)

The night we arrived, the Barcelona airport was swarming with study abroad students from all over Europe. It turned out that there was a weekend-long event called Abroad Fest at one of Barcelona's main beach clubs, Opium Mar. The event was geared specifically towards students overseas, (hence it's name), and well-known electronic DJs flew in from around Europe to spin all night long.  So, of course the only logical thing to do was purchase our tickets about 3 hours before the event started so we could join in on the festivities like proper abroad students, after Sangria and tapas of course! 

(Us girls enjoying Sangria before our first Tapa-filled meal!)

If you are ever in Barcelona, you have to try all the delicious tapas the cafes have to offer! Tapas are small, savory Spanish dishes that are usually served with drinks at cafes or bars.  They are priced fairly cheaply so you can purchase multiple dishes to share with everyone!  I recommend finding an outdoor cafe (they are everywhere), and getting a tapa-filled lunch with a pitcher of ice-cold Sangria with your group of friends. Spanish street musicians will come around from time-to-time to play for all the lunch-goers, and with the sun on your face, it's just absolutely perfect! 5 tapa dishes easily fed us 4 girls. I regret not stopping to take pictures of the all dishes before eating them, woops.

After dinner, we rushed to buy our tickets, and got ready for an unforgettable night on the beaches of Barcelona!

Abroad Fest was definitely a crazy experience, the night was filled with non-stop dancing on a jam-packed dance floor, over-priced drinks, an awesome outside outside terrace right on the beach, and some spontaneous night swimming. Although, I don't like electronic music as much, I had a great time. With the bass booming throughout my entire body, it was hard not to let the music take me over as I moved as one with the hundreds of people surrounding us on the dance floor. 

(Rachel & I)

(Larissa)

(Puja)

The following day, we spent the afternoon exploring the city centre and Las Rambla - a famous shopping street filled with souvenir stands, little alleyways filled with various shops, food markets, and outdoor cafes.

 We spent a good half hour stuck at a stand selling baby animal pets.

 My favorite were the stacks of turtle babies.

 :)

 Enjoying our second tapa meal! This cafe was our favorite (I wish I had written down the name). We came across it while browsing through the local food market (La Boqueria), the tapas were much cheaper than the ones in the city centre. The outdoor cafe was tucked away in a small courtyard near the back of the market, and Spanish street musicians serenaded us with music the whole time. 

That night, the ladies and I decided to check out a self-service bar I had read about called Taberna del Espit before hitting another beach club. The bar had a really awesome drink special where you paid 3.50 Euros for a tall glass, and you pick whatever alcohol you want in your drink (out of tequila, rum, vodka, gin, or whisky). And then the bartender gives you the bottle, and you get to pour however much you want into your glass. Finally, the bartender will top it off with whatever soda (or lemonade) you want. It was such a great concept, and a dangerous one, but we loved it! The bar also served free popcorn to their customers, which was awesome (and also made us that much more thirsty). If you ever find yourself in Barca, I highly recommend this bar, they have friendly bartenders, great drinks and music, and awesome atmosphere. It is a great place to stop by before going to the clubs, and it's also a nice place to meet fellow travelers! 

 The following day we walked around Parc Guell - an amazing park designed by Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi. The park felt like a cross between a gingerbread town and Narnia, and I only wish we had more time to explore!  It was filled with whimsical buildings, sculptures, and archways all beautifully tiled with vibrant mosaics.  And the highest points of the park offers an amazing view of the city, all the way to the ocean!

One of Guadi's beautiful mosaic pieces.

After Parc Guell, we made yet another last minute, spontaneous decision and decided to head to the Camp Nou Stadium in search of futbol tickets for that night's game, because when in Barca...Why not watch a futbol game??

Finally, after searching the arena's streets, we got tickets to our first futbol game!

(Larissa, me, Rachel, Puja, and Army - who towers over us all.)

ANND BARCA WINS!! It was definitely a crazy experience being surrounded by screaming Spanish fans. Even though the actual game itself was pretty uneventful (Barcelona - 2, Deportivo - 0), it was still a blast and I am so glad we went!

Our favorite bartender, Gustavo!!

To end the night (and our trip), us girls decided to head back to Taberna del Espit since we loved it so much! Instead of doing the self-service drinks,we decided to try out the cocktail pitchers we saw everyone drinking.  Basically for around 10-12 Euros, they would make any of their cocktail drinks as a pitcher for your group to share. We tried their "secret" drink cocktail first, which turned out to be delicious! After, that we ordered a Sex On the Beach (which is always a great drink), then the bartender remembered us from the last night, and gave us another pitcher for free!  This bar has undoubtedly made it on my list of the best bars I've been to in Europe. It was a great way to end our insane weekend in Barcelona. :)

Good-bye beautiful Barcelona with your blue seas and skies...Thanks for a unforgettable trip!