dot com baby vol. 01 - mary’s underground
vol. 01 - @marysunderground
Went to Mary’s Underground last night. The main quest was to interview one of the local heroes, @kittyofthevalley_
When I arrived, I immediately ran into more local heroes: @blairrromance and @cherry__rype (I tried the chocolate yesterday btw… I finally understand why she hates it now).
Lucy walked in wearing a T-shirt, denim, and full tattoos. I told her that’s exactly why she looks effortlessly grungy.
Then I spotted @1lastflick photos on the wall, so obviously I had to take a photo of them in front of them works.
I said hi to @allegrapezz_ , we chatted a bit, and I told her, “Let’s do the interview outside after the show.”
And yes, I still wish my mom had let me get tattoos growing up. The irony is insane considering the people I hang around now lol.
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dot com baby vol. 01 - from the 13th debut runway backstage
vol. 01 — @fromthethirteenth debut runway backstage
I arrived at 2 PM for The 13th backstage shoot and spotted Kim with a big suitcase. Turns out she is one of the makeup artists for the show. When we got to the venue, the first people we met were Jordan and Adi. Jordan asked how long the interview would take. I said, “Ten minutes max, but I can make it shorter,” knowing we would both be busy once things kicked off.
While at the venue, I started talking to everyone, makeup artists, models, literally no one was left behind because, well, I am a yapper lol. Conversations drifted from how strong Vietnamese coffee is (it actually made me tremble) to people trying to guess if I am Filipino or not. I had just come back from the Philippines earlier this year for my friend’s wedding, so I get it, we probably are cousins from different islands lol. Also, the Philippines slaps, you should definitely go.
I shot most of the backstage moments with my legendary digicam paired with a tiny external flash for some extra punch. Creative decision, almost everything in the collection is black, so I wanted the flash to hit the garments directly and pull out the textures, stitching, and tiny details at their fullest. Of course, I forgot to charge the digicam the night before, so the battery started dying two thirds into the show. Luckily, my mirrorless camera stepped in like a dependable sidekick.
This was my first time shooting a runway backstage, so massive shoutout to Jordan for letting me capture the making of his debut runway, raw and in progress, behind the big long black curtain.
For the IG edit, I shaped the story into two flows within this series.
The first focuses on candid moments, the quiet concentration, the jokes, the last minute touch ups, to show that behind the glamour, we are all just humans doing what we love.
The second is where everyone looks majestic and gorgeous. Someone backstage told me the best moments to capture are the ones right before the runway starts. I would describe it as beautiful chaos, just like the current Dot Com Baby edition, chaos and dreams lol.
So enjoy The 13th, the creation in progress behind the curtain, plus the gorgeous guests who came to celebrate the debut.
Also, mom, I made a lot of new friends.
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dot com baby vol. 01 - cherry rype
vol. 01 — @cherry__rype
See the two of us yapping after the show at @unionhotelnewtown . My two personal favourites are Shed My Skin and Strawberry Fields.
I even did my homework by listening to the whole Rory album so I could understand her better before asking rapid-fire questions lol.
Music videos by @1lastflick @coveredflaws @mallgoth6 @domengo.ig
I added subtitles for people with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) like me. APD affects an estimated 2 to 5 percent of people according to NSW Education and Frontiers in Neurology, and many cases go undiagnosed. I only learned I had it last year.
It is a niche condition, so I wanted to share in case it helps. If you ever struggle to follow conversations in noisy places, getting checked by an audiologist can make a big difference.
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dot com baby vol. 01 - nya
vol. 01 – @n.cbx
I met Nya at Second Life Market two weeks ago. My gut said she had a Southeast Asian background like me, and turns out I was right. She’s Filo. Cousins from another island lol.
I noticed she really likes brown. She said it’s just easy to mix and match outfits with that colour.
We started at the Art Gallery of NSW. One thing I remember about taking photos in museums and galleries is the no flash rule, otherwise it can degrade the artworks.
We took some photos in front of a projector because it looked trippy lol.
Then we moved from the art gallery to the State Library because she said she’d never been there before. I suddenly became a tour guide.
By the way, the State Library was so packed during the day. It felt like everyone was trying to finish something flawlessly before the year ended.
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