Woah, hello there! I haven't posted for about a year, but here I am! Part of the reason I took an unannounced hiatus was that I didn't feel like I was very equipped to start a blog. I didn't have a decent camera, I wasn't going on grand adventures, and I wasn't organized enough to post regularly. Although I'm not exactly superstar blogger material now, nor do plan to be, I think this blog will be a good place to see my own personal growth and share my adventures, no matter how small they may be.
Last month, I bought myself my first DSLR, a refurbished Nikon D3300. I'm not exactly a stranger to DSLR cameras, but I usually shoot with one on predetermined settings (usually set by my sister, whose blog pictures I take sometimes). One of my goals is to learn to take amazing low-light photos, and this past weekend I got to test my beginner photography skills at Petal Drop LA. My friend, Gaby, and I hopped on the metro (because who wants to pay for and deal with parking in Downtown?) and hurried over to Broadway around 7:30 AM in hopes that we would be one of the first people in line to see the art installation. We were woefully mistaken and we took our place in the queue just past the corner of 5th and Broadway.
After about an hour it felt as though we had only advanced a yard or two, but eventually we were given numbered tickets which reserved our place in line and gave us the freedom to leave as long as we returned before our numbers were called.
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| Number 215 out of 300 tickets |
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| Gaby patiently puts up with my test shots |
Other than chatting with the people around us, and patting the occasional dog in line, the only way to pass the time was to chat with one another. Strangers would often stop to ask us what we were in line for, and after hours standing in line I started to feel silly explaining to people that I was waiting to walk through an alleyway so that someone could drop flower petals on my head. Gaby and I braved the queue for about 5 hours until we got cranky and decided to venture off for a cuppa at Verve. We spent a leisurely hour at the cafe before walking back and still waited for another hour! At this point we were close to the front of the line because several people before us had completely given up on waiting and as a result had lost their place. Finally, around 3:00 PM we were handed clipboards and a piece of paper where we were to write a sentence or two about what made L.A. special to us, and then we were shown through a gate to the installation.
We were asked not to use phones or cameras for at least the first 5 minutes inside the installation. That request was for the most part ignored by nearly everyone, including myself. I snapped away as soon as i walked in and then took the rest of the time to bask in the scent of flowers and beauty of the petals steadily fluttering down to us. It was a very unique, beautiful, and serene atmosphere that these artists created in this narrow alleyway. I am glad I had the patience and a good friend with me so that I could experience this!
I believe the artists want to organize a second similar installation in the future. I highly recommend going, if you have the time and patience! It truly is beautiful.