u/262Hz

Taken on I-2 auto, underexposed at -1/3 or -2/3 (depends on photo).

Wondering if anyone has tips on capturing more of the pink in the sky? Seems that my sunset photos come out with a lot of orange and blue, but the soft pink above the horizon doesn’t show up.

I bleached all of my hair hot pink in 2016, grew it all out, then dyed it again in 2025. (Whyyyy did I do that 🫩)

It was not looking good the week before my wedding (2026). Luckily it wasn’t as damaged as when I went platinum blonde for the pink.

I was thinking I’d have to put my hair up for the wedding. But I went to my hairdresser the week before my wedding, and asked her to please fix my hair. I don’t know what she did, but she worked a miracle.

I got to leave my hair down the whole time for my wedding, and the pictures turned out great!!

Sadly I moved away right after, so now I have to find another hairdresser who actually trims an inch when they say an inch 😭😭

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Hair care:

- Tsubaki Premium Ex Repair conditioner - 1-2x a week

- Suave Professionals conditionsr - 1-5x a week, depending on gym workouts

- I never brush my hair, I only comb it, and I keep it in a braid the majority of the time with silk scrunchies

I recently bought this 24k gold vermeil ring, which is actually made of dried hydrangeas inside! It’s the first time I’ve seen anything like this before, so I was very excited to get it.

The artist was SophiesInJupiter.

I bought this ring as a 1-year work anniversary gift for myself, from an online Canadian jeweler called EidelPrecious. It’s all sapphires with smaller accent diamonds, though most people think the center stone is amethyst.

I took this at Point Lobos on the Polaroid Flip!

This is a solid platinum bangle that I got for myself last year from a studio called Suzantino Studio. The studio specializes in hand-forged, pure (or near-pure) gold and platinum pieces, which was exactly what I was looking for. Although it’s easy to find solid platinum pieces, online stores like Mene sell machine-cast platinum, rather than hand-forged platinum.

This bangle is 70g of 950 ruthenium platinum. Because platinum is dense, the bracelet looks small but is very solid and heavy. (For comparison, the classic Cartier Love Bracelet is about 30-35g of alloyed gold.) I love the weight of this bangle, which is partially why I chose platinum instead of gold.

It is one of my favorite pieces for daily wear.

Hello. You may remember my previous comparison posts of Polaroid Flip vs Instax SQ6 (see my profile or the comments for links).

I’ve had the Polaroid Flip for about 6 months.

I just got an I-2 last week for my birthday, so I thought I would do another comparison post. This time between Polaroid Flip vs Polaroid I-2.

These are rough comparisons, because it’s not super scientific. I don’t use a tripod, and I know this changes the framing and movement which can affect how the cameras adjust for contrast and motion. Also, I am still learning how to compensate for the different viewfinders, so this also affects framing.

What I tried to keep the same:

- All the photos were taken on auto mode.

- All photos were taken from the same foot position.

- Sadly, I didn’t grow taller every shot. :) So all photos taken at about the same height too.

- All photos were turned face down when they came out of the camera, and processed in my insulated lunchbox with hand warmers. (The temperature was about 30F/0C at 5700 ft/1750m elevation.)

My initial observations is that it is easier to frame shots with the Polaroid Flip (this may be because I have used it longer though). But the I-2 has sharper focus and more vibrant colors in its shots (maybe because it overexposes a little?).

I’ve taken some amazing shots on the Flip in the past. And although I am loving my new I-2, I would recommend the Flip as the “better value” camera to go with unless:

- Money is not a concern: The Flip is around $200 and can take some very beautiful photos. The I-2 is around $600, so it is a big jump.

- Manual controls are important to you: It is much easier to adjust settings on I-2. Although you can do it on the phone for the Flip, it’s an extra step and a bit annoying. I have never used manual controls on the Flip. I am just starting to use the manual controls on I-2, because it’s more accessible.

- You take pictures in more complex light conditions: The Flip allows you to use buttons to dial -1/2 and +1/2 EV, but to go farther in either direction, you need to use the app. The I-2 allows you to use a dial for -2 through +2 EV. This is a small difference, but can really affect what kind of light conditions you can shoot in.

- You shoot through windows and glass often, like on trains or from elevated buildings. The Flip uses sonar that focuses on the window instead of the scenery; you can change the focus to infinity using the app, but it is a bit annoying. The I-2 uses lidar, so it doesn’t have the same issue with clear obstacles.

- Filters and accessories matter to you for artistic shots. There are more filters and accessories available for I-2, and the lenses have a 49mm thread for filters. Whereas the Flip have fewer options like that available, and I haven’t figured out a way to use filter lenses with the Flip.

That being said, I am enjoying the I-2 a lot and will probably use it more often than the Flip so that I can grow my photography skills with the manual controls.

We eloped in Olympic National Park! The weather was perfect, and the day was beautiful.

Early on, we considered going to the courthouse and skipping the whole fuss. I’m so, so glad we didn’t!

Here is the breakdown of the budget and vendors (2 witnesses and 1 guest):

Rings ($3750)

Wedding band - Caysie van Bebber https://www.instagram.com/cvb.insiders/ - 2250

Wedding band - Caysie van Bebber https://www.instagram.com/cvb.insiders/ - 1500

Dress ($2700)

Dress - Unona Wedding https://unona-wedding.com/ - 300

Accessories - various Etsy shops - 400

Alterations - Lani’s Tailor and Atelier https://lanistailor.com/ - 2000

Suit ($2500)

Suit - Hugo Boss at Nordstrom - 1000

Tie, dress socks, shoes - Nordstrom, various online shops - 500

Alterations - Lani’s Tailor and Atelier https://lanistailor.com/ - 1000

Flowers ($1200)

Florals - Farmhouse Box and Bloom https://farmhouseboxandbloom.com/ - 500 (bridal bouquet + accessories for guests and groom; we transported these on ice to the site for the ceremony)

Preservation - Hudson Stems https://hudsonstems.com/products/pressed-floral-frames - 700

Venue and Food ($4200)

Lodgings - Lake Crescent Lodge https://exploreolympic.com/ - 2100 (paid for lodgings for ourselves and guests)

Pass and event permit - 100

Food - various restaurants - 2000 (paid for all meals for everyone from Friday dinner to Sunday breakfast)

Services ($11070)

Marriage license - 170

Photographer and album - Marla Manes https://www.marlamanesphotography.com/ - 8100 (worth every cent!)

Officiant - Officiant Grace https://www.officiantgrace.com/ - 1600 (so fun and quirky)

Hair and makeup - Jocelyn Dechenne https://www.instagram.com/hairandmakeupbyjocelyndechenne/ - 700 (total paid for hair/makeup for bride and 1 female guest, and hair for groom; I didn’t do a trial, only sent inspo pics, and Jocelyn did an amazing job)

Total: 25,420 (including tax and tip)