Day 9
Caitlin was off so we chilled most of the day, went to have lunch with her Mum and a friend and just talked loads and had a nice time.
I was going to San Diego that day. It was an intense few days but so worth it. This also proves how badly I used to plan my time considering how many weeks I had to play with.
Took a coach from downtown LA to San Diego, it was cheap and didn't take long at all
(bear in mind I'm used to being in a car for a long time).
I also stayed in a hostel in SD, started to really enjoy this type of accommodation especially for socializing.
Girls in my room convinced me (didn’t take them too long) to have a drink with them, so we all went to a supermarket to get some stuff. I was so irritated when a cashier didn’t accept my Polish ID and didn’t want to sell me beers, but she let the girl next to me get it FOR ME. How stupid is that?
She also said I should carry my passport with me if I want to buy alcohol. Like WHAT???
For what exactly? To lose it and don’t go back home? I always have at least 2 photo documents with me when traveling, just in case anything happens but I would never walk around with my passport being far away from Europe. People get robbed all the time.
Day 10
What a fun day. Spent most of it by myself, which doesn’t happen very often but I quite enjoyed it. There was this one strange situation, I was peacefully walking around the Old Town, which looks like a Mexican town ( San Diego is very close to the Mexican border).
So I was walking around, taking pictures, minding my own business when suddenly some old guy came up to me with his dog and started walking with me and asking stupid questions.
I think he was looking for a younger wife, he kept telling me about all the money he has and doesn’t know what to do with it (GIVE IT CHARITY YOU IDIOT!). Because I was in a good mood I didn’t tell him to fuck off but as soon I got the opportunity I lost him, next to donkey barn. He had to tie his dog somewhere to don't scare the animals so I used the opportunity and ditched him. Had to hide for a few minutes just in case he sees me.
One girl from the hostel gave me a ticket for whale watching cruise that she couldn’t use as she was leaving San Diego so I went to the marina to ask about it. I missed the one for that day but thankfully I had another day in this interesting city. Next I went to see the Sunset Cliffs Park. Sunset wasn’t impressive at all, it was cloudy and just looked very orange, nothing too special but I stayed there for a while just sitting on a rock and looking at the ocean.
My day got quickly ruined as coming back to the hostel meant I have to go back to reality and do some Uni work, not the nice bit. It was the last day to submit my dissertation, I sent it off to my friend for proofreading before I left for the US but it turned out I didn’t have enough words. I just hate academic writing! If my friend didn’t fix it for me, I would fail for sure.
But I had to add some bullshit to it so I ended up spending all the time from 8pm until 3:30am, mainly doing stupid referencing. This is why I decided to don't continue my education to MA, I don’t want to write this shit ever again. I should’ve just paid someone to write it for me.
It was a stressful evening, and of course I left everything for the last minute. People went out, came back and I was still sitting there and dying.
Day 11
I went for that whale watching cruise. It took 3 hours, was freezing af and of course, I didn't know it will be freezing cold, a waste of time! Thank God I didn’t pay for the ticket. We saw one or two whales but they were super far and it was hard to notice them. People were getting excited, taking cameras out and I was standing there not impressed at all. I don't think it was the season for whales anyway or the best place to see them.
But well, shit happens.
In the evening I went to check out the Gaslamp district, that place was great. I wish I had someone to have a drink with me.
Nora messaged me she’s coming to San Diego and then driving to LA so I can join her.
Day 12
On the way back to Los Angeles we stopped at Lake Elsinore, where orange poppies grow on hills. That was very pretty and quite unusual. I've only seen red ones before.
Nora drove me back to Caitlin’s place (I left my suitcase with her).
In the evening we went for dinner with Anthony and Caitlin’s Mum. Her Mum is so funny, they were telling me her dunk stories. We laughed until we couldn't breathe!
Day 13
The next day I missed my train to LA from Valencia but I wasn’t the only one so we all chipped in and got an Uber to the city.
Few days before I found a guy on Instagram who re-designs and customizes denim jackets and he agreed to let me use his stuff for my shoots.
I left him deposit just in case.
Spent about 3 hours walking around Venice, it was foggy so very picturesque.
Nora was still in town so she joined me.
I moved into an Airbnb and that place was very pretty but thinking of it now, I could've spent that money way better. It was crazy expensive and too far from the beach, the only good thing I got from it was meeting a girl from Argentina who I became friends with.
Oh and there was a nice pool I could use and gym.
Day 14
I met with my model at The Getty Center which is a Museum know for its architecture and views overlooking Los Angeles. Another amazing spot that’s free and has the best views of the city. The building is surrounded by gardens with beautiful plants. We were walking around and taking pictures and security wasn't bothered by us. The girl was very professional and pretty, I was surprised she wanted to shoot with me in the first place.
Day 15
Hiked in Griffith Park again with a group of people I met. None of us was in the best shape so we got tired pretty quickly and had a photoshoot at one of the stops.
I took a couple of denim jackets and few of my companions posed for me wearing them.
It was quite a nice setup, beautiful view from the hill, a couple of hours before the sunset and very relaxed vibe. It was probably the easiest shoot I've done on this trip so far, no overthinking.
Day 16
I woke up probably around 10am and went to Santa Monica to buy some stuff for the shoot.
I found a cute dress and some other things and then went straight to my model who lives in Marina Del Rey. She lived in a gorgeous building, right next to the marina and they had a swimming pool, so we just shot around there. After my shoot I didn’t do much.
In the evening I went to Victorian bar again (I think I went there few times before too) with a couple of my new friends.
Day 17
It was raining the whole day and in the evening a friend took me out to a posh club.
I hate those kind of places but they always give girls alcohol for free if you come in with a promoter so I got drunk. But alcohol gave me the courage to speak to people and convince them to model for me.
One guy agreed to it so we exchanged Instagrams and planned a day.
Day 18
Went to the Last Bookstore again to have a model shoot there. I met this girl through Model Mayhem and she told me she’s managing models and that day she brought one of them so I shot with her. Then she had a meeting at Sony Studios because we couldn't leave the parking lot, we've decided to take some photos there.
I was telling them how badly I wanted to go to Grand Canyon and suddenly they looked at me and asked if I want to go to Vegas on Sunday with them.
I quickly said yes before they changed their minds. Couldn't actually believe they wanted to take a stranger with them, it was nice.
Day 19
Another day, another shoot. The girl was lovely, we shot at Venice Canals first which is my favorite part of Venice area. It's all artificial, built in 1905 by a guy who wanted to bring some Italy to Los Angeles. I absolutely adore that place and would love to live there! Houses around the canals must cost a fortune but each of them is so unique and picturesque.
So with my model we walked around, took some photos, and went straight to the beach, which is super close.
Unfortunately at some point, I realized I wasn’t completely satisfied with my project.
I haven’t put a lot of thought into it and overall pictures weren’t as good as I wanted them to be. Everything felt rushed and plain which I wasn't used to. Usually my shoots were overdressed and colorful and sometimes even very weird.
I decided I will get some more clothes and focus on editing that day.
In the end I did manage to get few good photographs but I could've done so much more. It's not about planning but focusing on what's important and on that trip meeting people and seeing places was more important for me than my Uni project. My teacher once told me we shouldn't mix pleasure with work and I finally understood what he meant. At least at that point.
Today I think it's possible to do both but you really need to be focused when you're working.
Day 20
Had a great photoshoot at Griffith Park, this time from a different site. My model took me to a cool cave with a view of the Hollywood sign. This shoot was very relaxed but I felt super inspired plus we couldn't stop talking.
In the afternoon I organized another meet up with a guy I met in a club a few days back. I had to rush it because Caitlin asked me to visit them and I had to get to their place for 5ish. My horrible planning. We were going to see Medieval Times Show.
But then when I was on my way to Union Station Caitlin messaged me that it will be probably better if I go to the place directly (it’s south LA so there was no point for me to go north and then drive down with them). The show was awesome. We had so much fun. They had people riding horses and pretending to fight while we sat and ate, each of us had a server who would give us anything we wanted. I ordered a vegetarian option and ended up getting lots more than meat-eaters. We ate a lot, drunk a bit and laughed so hard I had a stomachache. This Medieval Show is Anthony's favorite.
After the event they drove me back to Venice.
To be continued...
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