June Mood Board - 2017

Mood board (noun) - an arrangement of images, materials, pieces of text, etc., intended to evoke or project a particular style or concept.

In an effort to gather some inspiration, I've compiled a few photos to create a mood board for the month of June. With summer here and the bright colors associated the season, I'm going to try my best to incorporate the colors you see in the mood board into my photos. 

To see more of my pins and boards check out my Pinterest

-Lorenzo

Why I Shoot Film

Film photography is something I have always been interested in and was always scared about trying because I knew little about it. My aunt was the family photographer, and she carried her Canon DSLR film camera everywhere we went - family vacations, school events and day trips. I was always so fascinated by it.

A few months ago, I was organizing my closet and came across a gifted film camera. When I came across it I had a blank stare and immediately a light bulb went on in my head. I don't know what it was but I had this urge to use it and see how the photos would come out.

The next day I picked up film at a local drug store, loaded the film camera and made my way to the city. With every shot I took, I felt like I was in the moment, and wasn't worried about whether or not the shot came out perfectly. There wasn't an electronic display to look at. It was different and I loved it. It was a substantial change from the hundreds of digital photos I take on my day trips into the city. I was more aware of my surroundings, lighting and composition.

After a few hours into my day trip and 36 exposures later - I was ready to take my film to a photo lab to get the exposed roll developed. I asked the Lab Technician to develop the photos and for digital scans of the negatives.

The next day I received a call from the lab that my order is ready for pick up. I rushed over to the photo lab to pick them up, and ran home to see how they had come out. I was in love. The colors were unreal, it was sharp but grainy (in a good way) and it had a look I have yet to replicate in Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop.

Here are a few pictures from that roll:

Film photography is not only a way to improve what I already know about photography, but it forces me to learn something I think everyone needs to learn more about - patience. I have now moved onto shooting medium format film, but that's a different story. 

-Lorenzo 

Coffee Shop Project

My friends and family call me a coffee snob and I can agree with that.

When I brew coffee at home I use a grinder, a timer, a kettle, a Chemex, filters, a scale and lets not forget the coffee. Some people will call it extreme but I think it's totally necessary. It's a process and I can't live without it. 

A few months ago, I started an Instagram account called @coffeeshopinteriors. The idea of the photo project is to focus on coffee shop interiors and the pictures of coffee I have there. I realized I inhabit these beautiful places and wanted to share my experiences with everyone.

The account now has more than a thousand followers and the hashtag #coffeeshopinteriors has been used 2,012 times.

Give it a follow or take a look - instagram.com/coffeeshopinteriors

-Lorenzo 

The Roost Outpost / Hoboken, New Jersey 

The Roost Outpost / Hoboken, New Jersey 

Three Seat Espresso & Barber / East Village, New York 

Three Seat Espresso & Barber / East Village, New York 

Jane Motorcycles / Williamsburg, New York  

Jane Motorcycles / Williamsburg, New York  

Lackawanna / Jersey City, New Jersey 

Lackawanna / Jersey City, New Jersey 

Toby's Estate Coffee / Williamsburg, New York 

Toby's Estate Coffee / Williamsburg, New York