Inertia Fotos

Lake Merritt 

I hadn't seen my friend Tim in awhile; we had met in another lifetime when I was a bumbling model. It was nice to catch up together as our updated selves. Tim is not only a well-known Bay Area photographer but he is also a musician dabbling in beat-making and electronic music. Tim finds inspiration from his love of hip-hop and nostalgia: niche anime, low-fidelity media, and iconic midnight bumps from Adult Swim. Quintessential Bay-Area. It felt awesome to be with another Filipino American, sharing our experiences as brown artists navigating on land that is experiencing the tides of gentrification and cultural displacement. All I know is that Oakland cannot be Oaklandish without the black community and the culture they've established here in the East Bay. 

Morcom Rose Garden

I love this rose garden. It's walking distance and is doted on by local gardeners. Stef, pictured on the left, came over to celebrate July 4th with me and Elijah. We prepared hotdogs and corn, then went for a walk to the rose garden. While sitting on a bench listening to Stef share one funny story after the other, I spotted another photographer I know, Alex. 

Alex and I had planned for him to photograph me with his large format film camera at the rose garden on a Friday -- I was impressed to see him preparing a couple days beforehand. Alex is from Santa Barbara and is an OG photographer: he actually was a photojournalist. Alex doesn't say much but his images speak for themselves, displaying great technical skill and attention to detail.

Sense of Community

July is a weird month because I feel this pressure to be out and about but it's a good exercise for my introversion. On one of those July days, I got to watch my friend Emily, who is also a popular model, sing the national anthem at the Giants stadium. Emily has performed for almost every major sport stadium and arena in the Bay Area. I photographed her singing with a baseball player standing for the national anthem and just thought, "This woman is a fucking creative force. How lucky am I to know this person?" Afterwards, we gathered together with our friends, mingled, and watched the game to its entirety drinking beer and enjoying each others company.

Sometime the following week, Emily organized a small get-together with our mutual friends at her place. We sat by the pool drinking and chatting about our shared experiences in the photography and modeling community. There's nothing more that I love than being surrounded by other female artists; I find it to be healing and invigorating. Photographed to the right, is Valin and her partner. Valin is also a model turned photographer! I look forward to seeing where her photography takes her and am so glad that she's taking space in a field that is historically male-dominated. 

Pictured on the left, is a lone chair and watermelon. While walking around Lake Merritt, folks were giving out watermelons during a heat-wave. 

Surrounded by Beauty

I like beautiful things, especially beautiful people! Kelsey, pictured on the left, is from Iowa and currently lives in Martinez ; She's a writer, an incredible pianist, and ever-evolving artist. I gifted her a film camera because honestly, I think she's exceptional. That day, we went to the SFMOMA together and it was fascinating to see what interested and inspired her: some were images, some were handwritten letters, and another was a sheet of music.  

Soukey, pictured in the middle, is kind of an enigma. Our relationship has evolved from the model/photographer dynamic to now getting to know each other as individuals who also happen to be artists. That day, we drove around Berkeley looking for photo spots, then had a lovely dinner in Moraga. We talked for hours about our experiences with misogyny and how we navigate the world as queer women. We ended the evening at the Berkeley rose garden. I can usually get to know someone by asking what their favorite flower is... or isn't. Soukey loves brilliant red roses. I kind of predicted that. She's a Scorpio and I'm a Virgo, if that says anything. 

Sarah, pictured on the right, is also another queer female, model and freshly graduated environmental engineer! I love photographing her because she delivers with confidence. I also like photographing her because she looks like a combination of Maggie Gyllenhal and Chloë Sevigny. That day, Sarah had drove from Sonoma to see me which I thought was fucking sweet. However, I had went on a 14 mile bike ride to the Bay Bridge and back, didn't fuel myself afterwards, so by the time I met with her at a cute local coffee shop, I was stumbling on myself from low-blood sugar, excitement to see her, and general nerves from being around someone who is so effortlessly cool. Anyway, I accidentally stepped on a dog's foot while getting our coffee, dropped my scone, and knocked over my chair while getting up. 

SFMOMA

I organized a SFMOMA trip with Kelsey, Elijah and my fellow model friend, Charlotte. We had a great time. I enjoy hanging out with these three. Elijah and Kelsey are very talkative as they already know each other: They both grew up in Iowa and are basically family considering that Kelsey has been the girlfriend of his older brother for now, 10 years. Charlotte and I both come from the age of Model Mayhem -- a modeling site from the 2000's. Charlotte is introverted like me, so I feel very comfortable spending time with her and sharing jokes about our cringe modeling experiences. The installation that day was Nam June Paik, a Korean, German and American artist. 

Look Both Ways

Both shots are moments of where I looked up and when I had looked down. A month ago, I had a photoshoot with my friend, Malaya, and while meeting up, I had gotten lost on the way to our location: As I drove around Treasure Island, I noticed the bridges above me forming curves that I couldn't help but stop to look at. Recently, I visited the area again and tried to capture it with my film camera. It wasn't as successful because I'm still learning with the focus, but you get the picture. 

Another day, I was walking around Lake Merritt, looked down and saw this Egret strolling in the water: bright, white, with a slender neck and long yellow legs. I took my shot. Birds are pretty prehistoric. I can't help but imagine what Oakland might have looked like before colonization and mass industrialization.