dot com baby vol. 01 - the abercrombie
vol. 01 - The Abercrombie
To be honest, this is my fifth night going out late lol. I went to @cosmicboogie.syd at the @abercrombie.sydney because the music there always feels friendly. That is exactly why my friend and I end up going once a month. Somehow, it has become our monthly routine.
When I arrived at the Abercrombie, I was greeted by the headmaster of Cosmic Boogie himself, @rururubio.dj . He said, “Welcome back to Cosmic Boogie.”
Of course I will always come back lol. Why not.
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dot com baby vol. 01 - alternative kids
vol. 01 - alternative kids
@404ngelina asked me to come to the @unionhotelnewtown . I was literally there a few weeks ago for Halloween lol. She was shooting for @binsadband and said, “I reckon your vibe… post-punk emo indie kinda vibes.”
Of course I f*****g love it.
Honestly, I woke up feeling like s**t today. No idea why. Maybe the gloomy weather hit my mood, or maybe it’s Mercury retrograde being chaotic again lol.
I was surprisingly nervous when I arrived at the venue. The original plan was just to enjoy the night without taking any photos. For me, the first photo is always the hardest. Once that first shot is out of the way, everything becomes easy like usual.
I swear I’m friendly lol.
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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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