SPOILERS AHEAD!!! From Disney Classics to Horror Movies to Adam Sandler; Ella, Alex, Melissa, and Elizabeth talk and give their thoughts on it all. Listen in to learn some insights behind movies and shows that we grew up watching and add them to your movie watch list! Check out our socials!
The FujiFilm mini Evo instant camera has numerous features, lenses, and filters that make this camera one of a kind. Also on top, the camera has bluetooth that connects to your FujiFilm app to not only offload images to your phone, but can upload images to the camera to instantly print your phone’s photos onto polaroid film.
Why the FujiFilm mini Evo?
Proof and edit your photos before you print them; make sure your eyes are open and you’re looking stunning!
Print multiple versions of the same photo for each of your friends; no more retaking the same photo so everyone can have their own copy on film
Aesthetically pleasing! Has the design and look of a classic film camera
Numerous lenses and filters to keep your photos unique
Lenses & Filters: There are 10 different lenses that are built into the camera that range from silly fish eye lenses to beautiful soft lenses that makes the subject look like an angle.There are also 10 filters that can be applied to the lenses that vary from retro to several different colors.
Personal Thoughts: The physicality of the camera is very aesthetic and doesn’t just take good photos, but looks good in them too. The quality of the photos is good and intentionally made to look similar to film. When printing polaroid film from the camera, it takes just seconds and the quality has been nice quality. The camera fits well in my hand, is a good size and is a very light weight. I originally was looking for a film camera for road trips and summer and this camera caught my eye instantly, a simple way to have cute prints and quality digitals for social media. I’m excited for the future photoshoots and adventures I get to capture with this killer camera.
Over the past year I have been going to concerts and during those times up until now, I never had to worry about my camera quality. Right before I was even planning on going to concerts, I bought a new iPhone and its camera features were pretty impressive. Luckily I got the phone right on time for concert videos and pictures. Now, I’ll go in depth of my experience with the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s camera.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max has 3 back camera lenses. In the photos above, I am using the Ultra Wide Camera (left) and the Wide Camera (right) in section 511 of SoFi Stadium. The Ultra Wide lens is perfect for “zooming out” or trying to show more of what’s in front of you and the Wide lens is the usual lens to get a regular photo/video. Both lenses produce good quality photos no matter how near or far you are.
The third lens, Telephoto, is kind of tricky to work with. In the first three photos, I took those photos while recording with the Telephoto Camera in 1080p HD at 60 fps. I was in section C243 of SoFi Stadium and with the Telephoto Camera, it all depends on how much you zoom in. If you don’t zoom in enough, it will not smooth the quality of what you’re recording and instead you will get a more pixelated result. In photos 4 and 5, I was recording in 1080p HD at 30 fps. The quality is around the same as 60 fps but of course not as good. Lastly for photos 6 and 7, I was recording in 4K at 30 fps. When you’re closer to an object or person, you will get stunning results when using 4K. I was at the Honda Center in section 208 and that is the main reason why I used 4K instead of 1080p HD.
After going to these concerts, I learned that recording in 4K isn’t the best option to use if you aren’t that close. There’s no need to take up more storage when you can use 1080p HD and still get great results. I also learned that no matter what video quality you use while recording with Telephoto, you will always have to adjust the zoom and brightness to get the best result you want. Aside from recording with the Wide and Telephoto lens, I personally don’t use the Ultra Wide lens only because it doesn’t produce the best quality. If you’re looking for a phone with great camera quality, I strongly recommend getting the iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max and get enough storage for yourself while you’re at it haha.
Growing up during the early 2000s, I didn’t have the fortunate resources teenagers have today with finding their match to the proper foundation, or the extensive shade ranges that you find in your local Sephora. My foundation would turn out too dark or too yellow, and don’t get me started on the blending. Have you seen what paint samples look like at Home Depot? My foundation looked like Joyful Orange bordering next to Natural Almond, just a complete mess.
Thankfully, I have learned from my mistakes and want to share 3 tips I have learned in the last 11 years as a professional makeup artist. These tips will help anyone find their perfect match in foundation that fit within your budget. Not everything has to cost more than $35 USD.
1. Findation.com
I can’t even begin to explain how brilliant and easy this website is. I have been using Findation.com for the last 6 years and was amazing to work with during the COVID-19 pandemic and working as a beauty specialist trying to sell makeup without trying the product out on a customer.
The site has big claims as it states “1577 global brands, over 8,000 products, & 77,000 makeup shades.” Of course they couldn’t accomplish this without their users. Findation states they “use data from over 46 million foundation users worldwide and a sophisticated propriety algorithm to match shades between brands.”
Image taken from Findation.com
When you reach Findation.com, you will be welcomed by the “Get Started” page, where you will proceed to enter in current or past products you wear that are an exact match in just 3 easy steps. For the sake of demonstration we’re going to use a L’Oreal Paris discontinued product for my search.
After you have filled out the short questionnaire, the menu will then pull up all the brands on their website in which your shade will match to another brand of any preference.
I personally have used this for clients who want to move into a cleaner brand, into a less costly brand, and even when looking for a substitute in a drugstore on vacation. The greatest part about this website, is that it doesn’t just do foundation, but does all makeup and even skincare. With the ease of access on your mobile phone, you can use Findation.com anywhere!
2. Finding Your Undertone
Neutral, warm, cool, red, blue, yellow, and green! A lot of makeup users aren’t aware that foundation has an undertone that matches our natural skin undertone. Some even result to swatching more than 10 foundations on their arm and end up looking like a monochromatic tiger. Here are some easy ways to determine your foundation match right.
First start by figuring out your skin undertone. According to Maybelline.com, there are 4 different ways you can determine your skin undertone that won’t make you frustrated or dizzy.
Vein Test: looking at the veins on the underside of your forearm can help determine your undertone. If your veins are green, you are likely a warm tone; if your veins have a bluish color, you are likely a cool tone.
Jewelry Test: Do you look better in Gold or Silver jewelry? If gold is your color, you are most likely have warm undertones; if you prefer silver, you are most likely to have cool undertones.
White Cloth Test: Put a white cloth next to your bare face and carefully see what color you skin takes on. Your warm tone will show if you seem yellowish, and your cool tone will appear blue or pinkish.
The White vs. Cream TestWhile wearing no makeup, hold up a white and off-white piece of fabric to your face. If your skin compliments the white fabric, you are warm in color; if your skin compliments the off-white fabric, you are cool in tone. If your skin is complimented by both, you are a neutral!
3. Ask for Help!
Yes, you may laugh at this tip, but it’s a great suggestion. If you do not have access to a friend or family member who is skilled in makeup, go to your local makeup store like Sephora or Ulta and have a conversation with the Makeup Specialist. Not many know this, but THIS IS FREE SERVICE!! You don’t have to purchase a minimum to get help to find the foundation that is right for you.
Also, if you are concerned about foundation looking different in the store vs. at home, ask your specialist for a sample of 2-3 foundations that you can try with your own set up. I’ve never met someone who refuses, we are here to help our clients for their own benefits.
One of the first aids I always suggest to clients, is Sephora’s Color IQ technology. Just a simple scan of the face addresses all of the client’s needs and puts it together in a digital look book.
Sephora uses digital technology to prepare a custom catalog for their clients to find their exact match that not only addresses color and undertone, but includes skincare needs and hydration preference.
With the ever evolving technology, you can get your foundation match in less than 20 minutes, and that’s from walking in the store, finding your match, purchasing, and walking out. Leaving you enough time to walk next door and get your fancy latte before you need to pick up the kids.
Now hit the floor running and go find a product that works for you!
Growing up a first-generation Mexican-American, I always felt there was a lack of representation in the media for people like me. As a creative, there was always some hesitancy to pursue any type of career in visual arts, music, or tv and film because there was nobody like me doing it. It wasn’t until now, in my mid-20’s, where I finally grew the confidence to follow my dreams of working in a creative field because of musical artists like Omar Apollo and Era.
Omar Apollo and Era are both musical artists that share a similar upbringing to mine, but what’s refreshing about these two is that they incorporate their culture into their sound and visuals. They implement elements into their work that’re staples to our culture, such as foods like Maruchan and Jarritos and television shows we saw our parents watch like Sabado Gigante and Destilando Amor. Furthermore, social media has made it easier for artists to express themselves in more ways than just music; social media users now make it easier to give us a glimpse of their lives.
The social media presence of these young artists is what really solidified the deal for me. Not only were they fearless in representing kids like me through their music, but they also weren’t afraid to show that part of themselves in their everyday lives. It taught me that I shouldn’t be afraid to be me and hide who I really am and where I come from. I know that they have also opened the door and paved the way for future generations of first-generation, Mexican-Americans.
There is an old theatre saying, “The show must go on!” And let me tell you, during this pandemic, we have all had to pivot to finds ways to keep going in this “new normal.” Storytelling, performance and art is an import part of lives and with the stress of the pandemic, the arts have never been more important. The pandemic is not going to keep Ventura Pirates away from the stage.
During the 2020-2021 school year students performed in two unique staging’s of musicals: Angel’s Bone by Du Yun and Monty Python’s Spamalot were presented as virtual productions. Then in December of 2021 the students were able to perform, outdoors with a live audience! They presented The Mystery of Edwin Drood. In addition to the production having a live audience that got to vote on how the murder mystery will end, there was a live orchestra. After a year of being away from live performances, I’m sure it was a treat for all involved: the performers, musicians and audience members.
I had an opportunity to ask Ventura College Costume Designer, Abra Flores, about her experience creating theatre during the pandemic and she said this, “Though I felt it was important to continue offering performance opportunities to our students during the lockdown, I felt the loss of community that usually develops around a show. It’s normally a social and very collaborative activity, but during the lockdown it felt very isolating, as if we were all working in a vacuum.” It looks like, with COVID restrictions being lifted somewhat, that we all will continue to get that chance to attend live performances. There is an end to “working in a vacuum” as the students come back onto campus for classes. And we should be excited to attend live performances once again.
In my first blogpost for VCSocial I wrote about the future of Ventura College’s New Media Gallery. It was my vantage point looking through the windows at a gallery that had weathered the global pandemic essentially by shutting down. In this post, I get the chance to share with you the insight of Cara Lasell Bonewitz, the artist whose work hung in the gallery, in the shadows, for over a year.
Cara speaking to Ventura College students about her process in creating Current in the Shadows. Photo by Gallery Director Jesse Groves.
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to speak with Cara one on one in the gallery that has now opened its doors to the public. She was preparing to take down her exhibition after a brief but well-deserved re-opening of her collected works that embodied Current in the Shadows. Below is the audio recording of that conversation.
“(The shadows)…the most ephemeral part of this show…have ended up being the constant.” -Cara Lasell Bonewitz
As the art world grapples with the complications of a post pandemic future, the questions are many and difficult. The conversation you’re about to listen to shares Cara’s insights as an artist, reflecting on her work and her experience with an exhibition that opened as the world shut down, hung in the shadows in a closed gallery for over a year, and then reopened for a final viewing as the world reopened its doors to a reality we never expected to face.
A dive into the challenges, positives, and everything in between that come with being a full time student and an artist simultaneously, specifically in the lanes of music and fashion. Topics covered include time management, accomplishments and more. Special Guest appearance by TyeDye!Follow me on IGCheck Out my Blog
For the past 30 years William “Bill” Hendricks has been teaching photography to Ventura College students, helping them hone their skills and learn to see the world through their artist eye. His work has taken him on many adventures around the world, including Cuba, Northern India, and South Korea. His work has been published in titles such as the Cosmopolitan and People Magazine and most recently he completed PROOF, a 15 year project with Cuban writer Orlando Hernandez, set to be released in 2021.
The Mysterious Case of Edwin Drood is coming to Ventura College this December. Brought to you by the VC music department, this musical is one you won’t want to miss!
Brian Hotchkin is co-directing the show along with Brent Wilson and said, “We’re so excited to do this really fun story. It actually got put up here at Ventura College 10 years ago and we had so much we’re bribing it back.”
Hotchkin gave us some insight and let us know the show is actually a play within a play:
“In real life Charles Dickens wrote this mystery novel with a murderer and then Charles Dickens unfortunately died before he could finish it and we never found out who the murderer is. So we’ve taken this unfinished play and in the musical version it’s set as a play within a play and we have a quite looney, wacky theatre company where everyone wants to be the diva star and they’re putting on this unfinished play.”
The show is coming to VC December 3-5 and will be taking place outdoors. Show times to be announced soon.
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