Wandering by Rachel Papakhian

Rebecca: Welcome to the first Sunday Blues Selection of 2013.  It was a bit of a crazy holiday season so I wanted to start my first selection with a beautiful Hipsta photographer.  Rachel is new to me as both and IGer and a Sunday Blueser but I already recognize her images right away.  She’s a pure hipsta photographer who is showing me a beautiful wintery version of her part of the country.  The barren trees and stark landscapes are always more cool and “blue” for the brilliant lens and film choices she makes, often using Salvador 84 to give a ghost-like mirror image in her photos.  If you haven’t met Rachel yet, I encourage you to check her out on Instagram at @rachelp.  Happy week!

Rachel: My name is Rachel Papakhian and I live in the suburbs of Washington DC. I have long been a lover of photography – beginning in adolescence with my first 35mm camera, a Pentax K1000. I fell in love with the process of shooting and developing film and was immediately drawn to the excitement and wonder of watching photos develop in the darkroom. It was an amazing combination of thrilling and meditative.

I went on to study art and ended up with a BFA degree in Photography. Although I did not pursue photography as a career, I have kept alive my passion and love for taking photos by shooting almost exclusively with my iPhone and Hipstamatic the past few years.

Since my early days of shooting with film I have intended to capture mood in my photographs. I wish for each photo to tell a story in itself, however, the story is one that I hope the the viewer will create. My aim is to evoke thought and feeling, but one that is unique to each individual. I intentionally shoot in environments that aim to enhance the imaginative process of viewing the image.

I prefer to use film and lens combos in Hipstamatic that allow to me create a dream-like feel, which I love. On using Hipstamatic: Having been trained using 35mm film and SLR cameras I was instantly drawn to Hipstamatic due to it’s film like feel. I am able to pair combos of lenses and films that enable me to to achieve effects I was once able to create in the darkroom using developers and developing processes. The iPhone has been an a way for me to have a “camera” in my pocket at all times, complete with multiple films and lens with endless combinations.

About Author

Rebecca Cornwell

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