Birthday Road Trip: Part 3

Joshua Tree is a really cool place. The rocks look like they literally sprouted from the ground, along with the most unique trees! This is definitely one place I wish we had spent more time.

After Joshua Tree, we drove to Palm Springs. At this point in the trip, we were getting pretty tired of driving and were really anxious to get to Palm Springs (part of the reason our time in Joshua Tree was so short). Palm Springs is pretty near perfect in my eyes. The weather was wonderful. There were flowers and beautiful palm trees everywhere and multiple stores devoted completely to mid-century modern design. Not to mention the contrast, when looking up, between the bright blue skies, the mountains and the green palms. What a cool city! We forgot to take photos here, so most of the photos I have are iPhone photos unfortunately. I'm not sure if you can see a pattern, but this is when our perfectly thought out video concept was beginning to falter.

After staying in Palm Springs for a day and a half, we drove to Salvation Mountain. See tomorrow's post for our next adventure!

Story // Kelsey Newkman Editing // Michele Davis Photography // Feather & Twine

Birthday Road Trip: Part 2

As part of our Birthday Road Trip chronicle, we bring you part 2 from Feather & Twine:

We were planning to camp at the Grand Canyon campsite (I’m still so sad we weren’t able to), but according to the weather report, it was supposed to be 20 degrees and raining. We had left Tent Rocks late, so we decided to stay in Flagstaff and drive to Grand Canyon the next morning. In addition to that, we left later than we had meant to and would've been trying to find our campsite in the middle of the night.

We left at 5am in order to reach the Grand Canyon by sunrise and I do not regret it for one second. Hands down, it was one of the most beautiful, serene, and humbling experiences of my entire life. It was magnificent to stare at something so vast and complex, and to think it was made completely on its own! This was both our favorite part of the trip. We wished, once we got back, that we had taken more photos and video during our time there, but we spent so much time just sitting and looking. I don't know what words to say that would come close to accurately describing this experience. Not only do I feel so lucky to have been able to see these sights in my lifetime, I also feel so lucky to have had that experience with someone I adore. I can't wait to tell our (far, far future) children about it.

From the Grand Canyon, we drove to Joshua Tree. See tomorrow's post for this trip!

Story // Kelsey Newkman Editing // Michele Davis Photography // Feather & Twine

Amanda Crew's Photography Essentials

Most people know me as an actress, but not everyone knows that I also have a huge passion for photography. Taking photos has always been a part of my life in one way or another, but over the past year or so I've been pushing myself to explore photography more and learn as much as I can. As my skill set grows, so has my equipment. I thought it might be fun to share my photography essentials.

Nikon F3 35mm film camera: I have a few digital cameras but my film camera is my absolute favorite. There's something magical about getting film developed and having no idea how the images are going to turn out. I've had this camera for a couple of years now and it's already been on so many adventures with me.

Kodak Portra Film: This is my go-to film. I love the soft colors this film produces, especially for portraits. It never lets me down.

Polaroid Camera: As a lover of film, it's a no-brainer to have a polaroid camera. Who doesn't love instant photos with unpredictable light leaks and saturations?

Impossible Project Film: Polaroid film was discontinued a few years back, but thankfully the life-savers at Impossible Project brought it back! They have a lot of cool options to choose from including black and white to different colored frames.

iPhone (yes that's my phone in the Panda case): With so many cool photo-editing apps, the iPhone has become a photography staple. I'm addicted to Instagram and love sharing images as well as being inspired by other people's photos.

Sunglasses: It's sunny here in LA so I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.

Brixton ONA bag: This is the mother of all camera bags! I'm constantly traveling so I wanted a bag that was durable enough to protect my camera, yet still matched my style (and let's be honest, most camera bags look like my 5th grad lunch sack). The Brixton was perfect because I can fit a few lenses along with my laptop and it's such a gorgeous bag.

I'd love to hear what your photography essentials are! Tweet or Instagram me!

Amanda is wearing a Shop Ruche dress and Loly in the Sky loafers Story // Amanda Crew Photographs // Jessica Castro Hair and Makeup // Jeanne San Diego