Trip to China in 2008

So I finally posted some photos from my recent trip to China on my website so go check them out and let me know what you think! Melissa Renee Photography

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

So a small picture from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland has already made it's way around the internet and eventually got to me. I almost died. What a tease!!! Now I find out that the release date is not until March 5th, 2010. I was thinking more "Summer 2009" but no luck. This dark fantasy film has...you guessed it, composer Danny Elfman for the score, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Queen of Hearts.....have I died and gone to heaven? I think so.....As for this photo...I feel another tattoo idea coming on :)

Oh, and for those of you that are considering getting the G1...it is a great phone! I love it except that there is no flash support. LAME.

And the Winner is......T-Mobile G1!

So after reading through every possible website that compares the T-Mobile G1 with the iPhone I decided to go with the G1. A few reasons: It has the flip top to type and is not ONLY touch screen, it's cheaper, and based on feedback by ACTUAL G1 holders - they love it! These were my reasons and I'm sure there are many hard-core Apple lovers out there that would disagree but that is why THEY have an iPhone and I have a G1. To each his own right? It seemed that the website reviews got feedback from people that have only read about the G1 and have never actually seen it in person, plus it came out not even a month ago and they were reviewing it back in September. I guess only time will tell if I made the right decision, either way I am stuck for 2 years now.....

China photos for Lomography

I got back my first few rolls from my recent trip to China! Medium photography is a nice change for a different view of the same city and sightseeing spots. It captured China in a different light, the fog and grainy black and white film gave it an almost dreamy, eerie feel to it. All photos have been uploaded to my Flickr gallery but here is one shot of the Great Wall of China in Beijing taken with a Holga 120 CFN on Ilford HP5+, 400 ISO, 120 black and white film. The photo above was taken on the same roll on the West Lake in Hangzhou, China

Here is a shot of the Great Wall in color with light leaks, what the holga is famous for!

Day of the Dead weekend photoshoot, New website launched, and a whole lot of Los Angeles cruisin'

So I made some changes to my photography website but still tried to keep it G rated since I am sure some of my viewers would not appreciate the whole Los Angeles gangsta' "Livin' La Vida Loca" chola look. The photo shoot was fun, we almost got rained out but luckily Dia De Los Muertos afternoon was nice and cloudy but not rainy. The weather actually made for some nice shots. All photos have been uploaded to my flickr gallery as well as on the myspace and the website. The new classy riot mob website has also been launched, this time including a splash page with music to provide a soundtrack while you are shopping and surfing around the site. We figured it would be a nice touch. Hollywood Forever Cemetery held their annual Day of the Dead festival on Saturday night and for whatever reason they decided to start charging a $5 entry when I have never had to pay to get in. So basically you pay to get in and walk around to see what else you can pay for, maybe some overpriced tamales? The event overall was amazing as usual after I got over that little bit of disappointing news but I hope there was enough complaining that they decide to not pull that again! I did walk out with a Virgen de Guadalupe purse that i absolutely loved even though it set me back about $40. Totally worth it. We also attended the Dia De los Muertos event in Los Angeles the Sunday afternoon after the photoshoot at Self Help Graphics (free entry). To be honest, after attending the festival in Hollywood, SHG does not compare, it was almost a waste of time to attend. The place was TINY. I would probably just stick to Olvera Street next time, which I did not attend this year because of these other 2 events.

Happy Halloween!

Well today is Friday, October 31st and that means HALLOWEEN~! My favorite time of the year. Last night we got a chance to go out to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights and I must say it was great! The Bill & Ted Halloween show was so much fun, they did an awesome job. I have no voice today from all the screaming last night and only got about 3 hours of sleep before coming to work but it was well worth it! My favorite maze had to be the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, bloody, gory, what more could I ask for? Freddy and Jason were also great, I think Universal really did it right this year and I will definitely be back. You can't go wrong with all the classic Horror movies, it's a shame that they don't make them like that anymore but I guess that's what keeps the classics classic. Here is a little Halloween treat for all you trick or treaters....

1929 Disney Skeleton Dance

Holga took a trip to the train station

So I bought five rolls of Ilford HP5 Plus 400 ISO film from Lomography and loaded one up to test it out on my Holga CFN before I leave for my trip to China. I figured I would get some practice in and get a feel for it before I completely blew it by snapping away and not knowing what I was doing. Here is a sample shot from my first developed roll! The photos of the station were taken at Griffith Park's Travel Town. If you want to see more they have been uploaded to my Flickr photostream, I also picked up some Fuji Superia 120 film for color shots....China: Here I Come!

Cholas in East Los Angeles, Nikkor Lens, and Expensive Film From Lomography.com

So the ClassyRiotMob ladies are at it again! I will be the official photographer for the girls up coming shoot in the East Los Angeles area. The theme will be the original gangster girl. Should be a fun shoot. Above is a shot of the main ladies, Mizz Traviesa & Mizz Hunny, from our first shoot. This time they are looking for fresh new faces. I think this will be a great opportunity for someone to build up their modeling portfolio since they will have the opportunity to work with a photographer for free. Also, the exposure is great. These girls network like crazy via print media, myspace etc. So if you are in the Los Angeles area and would like to take advantage of this opportunity and be part of C.R.M. then contact me or the girls at myspace.com/classyriot.


I recently picked up my new Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF Lens and have already taken it for a test run. I absolutely love the colors and makes taking pictures that much more fun since the lens is small and there is no need for a flash, making your subject much more comfortable in front of the camera. Here is a sample shot, I was happy with about 99% of the shots without any editing.

Today I bought my first few rolls of film for my upcoming trip to China. I got some 35mm slide film and 10 rolls of 120 film for my Holga, I will post some photos when I get back from my trip...