photography – The Big Hair Diaries

I Love You a Latte, Nature

Published on September 30, 2018 by hellosamanthadear8 Comments

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Hello hello! Like my socks? 🙂

Fall is for SOCKS. All kinds! For me personally, I really love over-the-knee socks. They add such a fun look to an outfit.

The temperature is dropping quite fast, and by next week, there is rain expected (yessss!). I’m really looking forward to the upcoming fall weather. ♥♥♥

I tried a dusty ol’ vintage look with my camera today. 😀

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Bring out the fun cardigans and socks! Love it. I was so torn as to what kind of shoes to wear with this…I ended up choosing right, though.

What I learned today: socks with sandals are a-okay! 😀

You know what else is a-okay are Maple Pecan Lattes…

With the sprinkles…oh my gosssssssssshhhhhhhhh. They are MORE than just a-okay. I will probably get one of these again sometime. This is from Starbucks and it’s a new drink that just made its debut a few days ago. I had to give it a try! 🙂

So this evening, I took myself on a nature date! I went for the sole purpose of fully appreciating the transition into fall around me, and taking photographs of it all. I highly recommend trying this sometime, to anyone reading! Bring a camera and snap away. It’s refreshing and inspires you to get creative, in my opinion.

I feel such a deep joy when I listen to the silence of nature. There’s nothing quite like it! Also, when you’re out in nature, do you ever feel like it’s all so alive around you? I really felt that way this evening. ♥

‘Til Next Time!

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Take a Picture

Published on July 10, 2018 by hellosamanthadear6 Comments

“Awake on my airplaaaane, awake on my airplaaaane…”

Welcome back to the 90’s! My blog post title is very fitting for two reasons:

1) “Take a Picture” by Filter is a 90’s tune (one of my top favorite 90’s songs), and my outfit today was very 90’s!

2) I’m quite literally going to discuss pictures. My last blog post featured my favorite paintings that have always stuck with me; today I’ll feature my favorite photographs taken throughout history! ♥

Let’s get started!

The skirt is a hand-me-down, and it was purchased in the 90’s (maybe early 90’s, I’d guess?) I paired it with a striped shirt for some daring pattern-mixing!!! Kinda Saved By the Bell-ish…

I made the belt!

The headband is the new yellow rose one I made! Agggggghhhhhh, I love this outfit SO MUCH. The pattern-mixing was a bold move but hey! I loved it, and if we love what we wear, that’s all that matters! I felt super happy and confident in this ensemble today. 😀 ♥

“Could you take my picture…’cause I won’t remember…”

Now, under the umbrella of art, I really appreciate photography. It speaks volumes without a word needed to be said! It’s something I’ve always admired, and like artwork, photographs speak to me just as much.

I took a photography class in college…I was okay at it! It wasn’t my strongest skill, but I liked to admire other people’s photography.

These are my top favorite photography stills of all time! Unfortunately, I have no idea who took any of these photos, even after research.

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Ohhh boy, this photo has always stuck with me. The striking contrast of pure joy on the young girl’s face amidst the crowd of women is powerful. If I had to guess, I’d think this is one of Steve McCurry’s work (who is famous for taking photographs in Afghanistan, and most notably his portrait of ‘Afghan Girl’).

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An East German soldier passing a flower through the Berlin Wall before it was torn down, 1989.

This photo is actually hanging on my wall in my room! I love the feeling of peace and unity that it evokes, in my opinion. ♥

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A young private waits on the beach during the Marine landing at Da Nang, 1965.

A photo that really sticks out to me from the Vietnam War.

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Titanic Disaster – Newspaper boy, 1912.

This was the first picture that made me interested in photography as a child. I read everything about the Titanic when I was a kid and I’ve always remembered this photo. ♥

Yeeeeeah! This wraps up my featured ‘favorite art/photography’ series, I guess! Haha, it was fun to share! 😀 Hope you enjoyed.

See you next time!

The Fool on the Hill

Published on November 20, 2017 by hellosamanthadear8 Comments

What a nice weekend it was!! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend as well. ❤

I took some nice snapshots from a long walk I took Sunday evening. It was COLD, but ultimately worth it. Or, perhaps I just need to dress warmer, which would be the more logical approach.

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Where would I be without self-timers? I brought my mini-tripod that is flexible enough to fit in my purse, and I sat it on a nearby fence. Totally looks like someone took the picture for me, right?

I wasn’t too shy about taking photos because hardly anyone is around in this particular area of the park. Plus, I walk out here so often that I’m sure by now I’ve earned the reputation as the woman with big hair and a flower crown who wanders around and takes photos of stuff.

^ Another cool thing about self-timers are the unexpected facial expressions you get when you’re not quite ready for the camera, or a blurry hand, in this case. ^

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I had my music on of course, and I was listening to the Beatles. The right scenery can easily make me gravitate toward a specific band or genre.

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But the fool on the hill, sees the sun going down, and the eyes in his head, see the world spinning round.

See you next time! ❤

Monterey, CA

Published on November 12, 2017 by hellosamanthadear4 Comments

Hello everyone! I went to the coast yesterday and wanted to share some photos I took along the way! I have a lot of photos to share, so sit back and enjoy. 🙂

Casa de Fruta

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Casa de Fruta is a cute place nestled in Hollister, CA that largely sells fresh fruit and vegetables, and also lots of delicious candy to choose from (primarily chocolates). 🙂

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I bought these things to eat, which look really weird but they were soooooo good!! These were mashed up peach, mango, and lemon (the long one) coated with coconut.

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Monterey

Next stop was fisherman’s wharf in Monterey! I really love it here because the buildings are bright-colored and cute, with lots of restaurants to choose from.

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Anytime I go to the coast, clam chowder is what I always gravitate to. 😉 This, and a side order of bread smeared with cheese and roasted garlic. Super delicious!

Dog in a Dress

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eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Look at it’s little face!!! jfieowjfndkvmkdmvladjfifwfmkf

Secret Garden

I always tend to veer off the main path of the tourist sections and wander into the little hidden areas. Next to the busy walking/biking path that runs along the ocean were some small office buildings, and to my surprise, hidden gardens. ❤

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Monterey is such a beautiful little city with lots of Spanish villa style buildings (my favorite style of building, next to Tudor), and beautiful, lush plant life. One moment you’re on the city street, and one turn can take you into a beautiful garden.

I hope you enjoyed the photos. 🙂 Have a great start of the week!

Manhattan Beach

Published on September 17, 2017 by hellosamanthadear4 Comments

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Hello everyone! So happy to write a post about my day trip to Manhattan Beach, CA. ❤

My friend and I left early this morning, and like I always do when I go to Southern California, I had to stop by my favorite little coffee shop gem: It’s a Grind, located in Castaic, CA.

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I seriously love this place, because how could you not?! Look at those comfy chairs! And of course, the artsy vibe going on (that’s a painting of the lovely Josephine Baker in the background behind my shoulder). Their coffee is delicious to boot; that’s a Mocha Rush, with chocolate chips mixed in. Yum!

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Southern California never ceases to take my breath away. I have always romanticized the area in general, and I blame watching Clueless and She’s All That a trillion times growing up and seeing so many iconic shots of the L.A. area.

For a late lunch, we went to an Indian restaurant in Hawthorne. It was soooo good! Indian cuisine is one of my top favorites, so naturally I loved the food. I was amazed by the beautiful artwork they had in the restaurant…

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So gorgeous. ❤ It was such a great day! It’s always refreshing to get out of town and see the sights elsewhere.

I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend! 🙂

Garden Party

Published on August 2, 2017 by hellosamanthadear1 Comment

I had time to kill this evening and I figured – what better way to spend it than by frolicking around my backyard, taking pictures of brightly-colored pinwheels and a few outfit shots?

The dress is very old; I bought it years and years ago. The black bow is handmade by me.

This was just a whimsical, last-minute, amateur photography idea. Enjoy!

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Here Comes the Sun

Published on July 31, 2017 by hellosamanthadear2 Comments

Happy Monday, world! ❤

On Saturday night, I perused through my local Claire’s and found a sale going on for hair accessories, so needless to say, I couldn’t pass through without buying something. I’ve always wanted a black-and-red-checkered hair bow, because it has such a rockabilly vibe to it. Finally found one, and I’m in love with it! I have a feeling it’s going to become one of my go-to hair bows now. 😛

I got my nails re-done. FINALLY. I have a bad habit of thinking, I’ll get them re-done tomorrow…okay the next day…wait, I’ll go next week! They were super grown out and it didn’t look so good, lol! I love these; they’re a nice neutral color, which I typically prefer for my nail shape and length.

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I usually take my blog photos in the morning, but I ended up taking photos in the evening, right before I went for a walk. The late evening sun made for some interesting lighting concepts! I like it.

The green skirt I’ve had for awhile and bought at Forever 21, and the blouse is a hand-me-down from my mom.

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So I stopped by this new place called Rita’s. They serve all kinds of things: Italian shaved ice, frozen custard, etc! It was reeeeally good, and I bought the Juicy Pear flavored Italian shaved ice. It reminded me of Honeydew, which is a favorite flavor of mine.

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And then, for a nice walk. It might look like I live out in the middle of nowhere, and in a way, I kind of do; there’s about half-a-million people here, but it’s right in the middle of California. So it’s like a big city in the middle of nowhere, with the coast about 2 or 3 hours away. 🙂 I like walking at this park because it gets me away from the cityscape for a short while.

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I love the pink and purple shades of the clouds over the Sierra Nevada mountains last night. There’s a chance of rain this week and I really hope it rains, because I miss it! It’s almost always sunny here.

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Capture the beauty that’s all around you. ❤

Summer Daze

Published on June 6, 2017June 6, 2017 by hellosamanthadear3 Comments

So while walking Woodward Park yesterday, this happened:

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Much to my surprise, I saw my first out-in-the-wild snake. NOT cool! It was blocking the pathway to the trail I normally walk…literally right in the middle of it, to where no one could pass. I’m not a fan of snakes in any capacity, so needless to say, I was freaked out.

This afternoon, while momentarily bored and looking for something to occupy my time until I go to the bookstore this evening, I decided to go outdoors (well, outside my house) and take some photos!

I’m definitely an amateur, but I enjoy experimenting with photography! 🙂

Hey there, fly…

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Tried a filter on this one…next little make-shift photoshoot I do, I plan on using one filter for the entire shoot to create a consistent theme.

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Boo!

I’ve already taken photos of this outfit I’m wearing today, so no outfit post. I really enjoyed taking photos of things I would otherwise overlook in my front yard. That’s why boredom can be a gateway to some creative whim!

Happy Monday! I hope everyone’s week is starting off right! ❤

The Rain, the Park, and Other Things…

Published on May 31, 2017 by hellosamanthadearLeave a comment

I got a great view of this sunset last night! I love taking pictures at Woodward Park. Cloudy but unfortunately very windy, not to mention I should have took heed from the high pollen alert, because my left eye was stinging incessantly while attempting to take pictures. Annoying!!!

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Hurry up and take the picture please, it’s windy and my eye is burning…

Still a good time nonetheless, even with the windy, pollen-filled air! Also, that yellow drink in my hand is a smoothie from Lassen’s. If you have a Lassen’s in your town, I highly recommend their smoothies! The one I’m drinking is the Mango Colada. ❤

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In stranger news, I’ve been giving this harmonica of mine a go. Much to the annoyance of my sister when I give her a call, sometimes I randomly start playing it, mid-conversation. While I try to sound like Neil Young playing the harmonica, it instead sounds like a bunch of cats fighting.

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Arguably even stranger is the weather this morning! It’s raining…out of nowhere. This is my ensemble today, attempting to go from summer clothing to chilly-weather clothing in an instant. I dug out an old sweater to keep warm today! 🙂

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I went with some interesting accessories today that I think pair miraculously well together! A statement necklace paired with a polka dot headband makes me feel oh-so girly.

I have to give a shout-out to this new lipstick I’ve been wearing lately! Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Smoked Peach. I think I finally found my ideal lipstick shade! Finding the right lipstick color that compliments my skin tone has been tricky for me…I prefer nude lipstick colors, but they tend to wash me out. Coral brightens my face up immediately and has that retro, early-1960’s vibe going on!

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I hope everyone is enjoying this last day of May! The month seems to have flown by. Looking forward to June and the new round of opportunities that lie ahead! 🙂 Anyone doing anything fun for the upcoming start-of-summer month? Enjoy the day!

Trip to the Central Coast

Published on April 22, 2017 by hellosamanthadear2 Comments

Thursday and Friday, I went with a girl friend of mine to San Simeon, Morro Bay, and lastly, Pismo Beach! It was just a for-fun kind of trip, and the weather was gorgeous. I managed to get some good photos to document my trip…

Hotel room where we stayed, right along the beach. 🙂

I got up really early, around 6:30, and took a neat photo through the hotel curtain overlooking the beach. It came out pretty cool, in my opinion.

There was an awesome walking trail along the coast in Cambria, pictured above.

Awesome cave in Pismo Beach. I hurried to take the photo and get out because I was fearful that a huge wave would splash in there while I was in it, hahaha.

I saw this poster in Morro Bay and just loved it! Picture of a young woman who was a champion skateboarder in San Diego, 1965. I love the retro look!

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Hotel room selfie. 😛

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The weather was really lovely and warm, although I got a sunburn, haha! I hope everyone is having a fantastic Saturday! 🙂