2017 | Bampton and Highclere Castle

Bampton-in-the-Bush and Highclere Castle were both featured on the TV series Downton Abbey. As a fan of the show, I made sure to visit these locations while in the United Kingdom. We stayed for about an hour in Bampton, and just walked around the village looking for some of the locations used in the TV series. I spent most of my time taking photos of St. Mary the Virgin church and its graveyard.

Highclere Castle was used as the main setting for the TV drama, Downton Abbey. I was obsessed with the show. On the weekends that I worked, I remember rushing home on Monday mornings so I can watch the latest episode. It was also one of the few shows that both my parents and I liked. Photography is not allowed inside the castle, since it is still where the Earl of Carnarvon and his family lives. The castle tour took less than an hour, and we spent the rest of our visit roaming the castle grounds and gardens.

All photos taken with a Leica M6 with a Cosina Voigtlander Color-Skopar 35/2.5 on Arista Premium 400 (expired)

Walking up to St. Mary the Virgin Church

Church graveyard

Church graveyard

St. Mary the Virgin Church interior

St. Mary the Virgin Church

Highclere Castle

Front door

Castle Tower

A last look of the castle

2017 | Oxford, UK

We spent a few hours walking around Oxford on a gloomy Thursday morning. There is so much to see, but we only stayed for a short time. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to visit it again. Here’s some of favorite photos from that day.

All photos taken with a Leica M6 with CV Color-Skopar 35/2.5 on Arista Premium 400 (expired film)

Starting the morning with a cup of coffee

 

Passed by this window everyday on the way to and back from the tube station

Earl’s Court Vespa

Somewhere in Oxford

Somewhere in Oxford

No Visitors at the Radcliffe Camera

Radcliffe Camera

Christ Church Meadow walk

The Meadow Building at Christ Church College

Oxford walls

2017 | Windsor, UK

We left London Paddington at around 10  in the morning and boarded a train bound for Windsor and Eton Central Station with a train change at Slough. As we were coming close to the castle, I noticed a long line of people trying to purchase tickets. From the admission center, the line went all the way down the Castle Hill and into High Street. We booked our tickets online weeks before our visit, and were directed to a much shorter queue. We spent over three hours going around the Castle and went to the Long Walk afterwards. We visited some shops and the St. John the Baptist Church along the way.

All photos taken with a Leica M6 with a CV Color-Skopar 35/2.5 PII on Arista Premium 400

London Paddington

Train change at Slough

Admission Center at Windsor Castle

Walking up to the Castle entrance

Making our way to Queen Mary’s Dolls’ house

A last look of the Round Tower before making our way to the Lower Ward

One of the many shops in the castle

The Windsor Guildhall

Walking down High Street

St. John the Baptist Church grounds

St. John the Baptist Church

St. John the Baptist Church

Irish Guardsman Statue

Finally made it to the Long Walk

At a shop in Peascod Street

Windsor Royal Shopping

Windsor Royal Shopping

At Slough, waiting for our train back to London

London Paddington

 

2017 | London, UK

We arrived in London on a sunny Tuesday morning and stayed in the neighborhood of Earl’s Court for the entire duration of our vacation. Since it was still too early to check-in at the hotel, we ended up walking around the area looking for a place to eat and decided to visit Kensington Palace after lunch.

We took the District Line to Kensington High Street, and explored the area for a little bit before making our way to Kensington Palace. It took us nearly 3 hours to go through the royal apartments and the Palace exhibitions. We made a quick stop at the gift shop and spent more time walking around the White Garden.

All photos taken with a Leica M6 with a CV Color-Skopar 35/2.5 PII on Arista Premium 400

 

The ride to Earl’s Court

Walking around Earl’s Court

Heading to Kensington Palace

Please keep to the path

Kensington Palace entrance

The Queen’s Apartment

Princess Diana exhibition

The White Garden

The walk back to the tube station

Waiting for the District Line

Heading back to the hotel

Nevern Square

 

Heritage Square Museum

These photos were from a roll of film that sat in my freezer for over two years. I finally got around to mix up the Unicolor C-41 kit that I bought a year ago and process a few rolls of film.

The Heritage Square Museum is home to Victorian era buildings that were saved from demolition. 

All photos were taken with an Olympus XA and expired Kodak Hawkeye Surveillance film

 

2016 | December Neighborhood Walk

One of the things I most enjoy doing on a Saturday morning is a walk around the neighborhood. I usually carry a camera with me and take snapshots of some of the changes I noticed around the area.

Here are the December highlights:

All photos were taken with a Voigtlander Bessa-L/Voigtlander Heliar 15/4.5 on Arista Premium 400

2016 | Guillermo del Toro Exhibit at the LACMA

A few months ago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art held the Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters exhibition. The items on display included his notebooks, drawings, paintings, film stills, and maquettes. The exhibit ran for a few months, but I only went to see it on its last day. It was crowded but was still fun. I spent about 90 minutes going around the exhibition floor, exploring the the different themes (e.g. death and afterlife, magic, monsters) and learning about del Toro’s inspirations and creative process.

All photos were taken with a Leica M6 /Canon LTM 50/1.4  on Arista Premium 400 (pushed to 1600)