June & July on Film | Zafira
Hey everyone!
I’m back with one of my favourite types of posts to do one here … A monthly film dump!
It’s summer, and I couldn’t be happier. The sun’s out, I’m finally turning a nice golden shade of brown and most of all, I’ve reunited with my friends and family again for a summer of fun after nearly 2 years apart.
There was a lot going on these past 2 months but it’s been a joy getting back to some sort of normality.
Here’s my June & July on film!
REDOING MY BEDROOM
I graduated and turned 21 in June and July and my room needed a well overdue makeover. The last time it had been painted was when I was around 13 and being the avid clothes collector/hoarder I am, I just needed more practical clothing storage solutions.
As you can see, I decided to paint my room white. I’ll try and post a room tour or some pictures of my new room soon if that’s something you’d like to see?
I turned 21 in June which was more of a shock than excitement. I feel like I’m still 13 sometimes, I can’t believe how old I’m getting. Thank you to my favourite cousin Zahrah for my lovely birthday balloon! It’s surprisingly still floating a little over a month later.
Also how cute is my new rug from Wayfair?! I will definitely be taking more shoe pics on it very soon.
I posted a blue eyeshadow look over on my IG a few weeks ago because it’s been my go to look recently. Blue eyeshadow and brown eyes are the perfect combo and I feel so 60s anytime I put it on.
In the middle is a very blurry picture of a polaroid of me and my cousins when I saw them for the first time since the lockdown in March 2020 which was so crazy, I’ve missed my family so much and it’s the biggest blessing to be seeing everyone again.
A SHOOT WITH MARIA
I’ve started shooting again!
I did a shoot with my friend Maria in June with the cutest baby blue backdrop. I’m not as comfortable using backdrops as I used to be so it was more of a little experimental, play around kind of shoot which are my favourite kinds. Look how amazing she looks!
You can check out all the pictures from the shoot here:
Alpaca Farm
On the hottest day of the summer, me and my cousins ended up at Adventurous Alpacas in Rossendale Valley. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done even though I’m not the biggest animal fan and I was quite scared but these alpacas were adorable and not scary at all.
You get these little bags of food and you get to feed and stroke them (if they let you lol) and take some cute pics.
This is Alfonzo with the pretty blue eyes.
NJ looking like she belongs in the countryside.
It’s such a lovely family activity to do during the summer! We all had so much fun hanging out the alpacas.
That’s my film dump over! Let me know what your favourite pictures were and follow my socials for updates for some very very cool things happening in the next 2 weeks.
Thanks for reading,
October & November on Film | Zafira
Hi!
It’s been quite a while since I’ve done one of these monthly film posts but I haven’t been shooting as much film as I would like to. With lockdown it’s been difficult to get my film developed at my regular spots and also, I don’t have anything exciting to shoot anymore. My life is officially boring.
However these photographs were shot in the little period of time during the beginning of October. When things were slowly on the path to feeling normal again and we were reuniting with friends and family. Little did we know we’d be in yet another lockdown just a few weeks after.
Anyway, enough with the doom and gloom. I hope you’re all taking care of yourselves and staying safe. Here’s a few photographs that will hopefully brighten your day.
I think growing up I never realised how exceptionally lucky I was to grow up around so many people who used to sew. I used to watch my grandma sew, my aunts and of course, my Amma. Now that I’m older I’ve found a little soft spot for sewing. Everyone knows I love clothes but the effort and time that goes into making them is an art in itself that many people don’t appreciate.
This past year I’ve made the time to teach myself how to sew, mainly from random Youtubers and just doing whatever feels right and what I’ve seen my Amma do. I’m not exactly what you’d call an organised sewer lol but there’s nothing more satisfying than wearing something you’ve made with your own two hands.
I’ve made a few things this year but recently I worked on this green dress. It’s not completely finished yet but I adore it so much. These past few months I keep seeing pictures of Gwyneth Paltrow in various shades of green and all it’s done is make me fall in love with the colour. I’ll try and make a post about this dress when I finish it completely over on my Instagram.
And just like that, eating out is once again a myth. A distant memory of something we once did so freely.
Earlier this October, I did manage to eat out once with my favourite cousin (sorry 2 the rest of my cousins) who I hadn’t seen since before the first lockdown earlier this March. It was so nice catching up with her.
We grabbed some lunch at one of our favourite places to eat, Comptoir Libanis. This is the one in Spinningfields and it’s so pretty inside as you can see from my poorly shot blurry photograph of the place. It’s literally one of the most stunning places to lunch. The food is amazing too.
What would these monthly film posts be without some shots of the city?
Here’s my friend Matt and his sleeping puppy Bear.
This is my favourite autumn outfit at the minute. The skirt is from Cow and my cardigan with the little birdies is from Zara! I don’t think it’s available anymore sadly but Zara has such a cute collection of cardigans this season.
And of course, uni was in full swing in October so I loved being reunited with my uni pals again!
And lastly, here’s some more pictures of Manchester looking gloomy and unusually quiet on a cold and breezy Monday afternoon.
I hope you enjoyed these pictures. Thanks for reading!
The Last of Summer on Film | Zafira
Hey guys!
And just like that it’s autumn. I haven’t done one of these ‘On Film’ posts in forever because my life midst this whole Corona business has just not been worth shooting on film so I took a little bit of a break. But I’m back at uni, back to doing things that require leaving my house so I’ve started shooting again.
Here are a few shots from the end of summer and this September that I hope you’ll like. This roll had a light leak so a few of my shots look a bit glitchy but I kind of love how that looks.
This is my very beautiful friend Britt who I used to shoot on film all the time when we were at college together. But we barely have time to see each other these days because we’re so busy. We had a very cute day out to Heaton Park towards of the end of summer and hung out and it was just like old times.
Some more shots at Heaton Park. I hadn’t been there for years I forgot how lovely it is to walk around.
I can’t entirely remember when I took this but the sunset was something else this day. I love the way the sunlight reflects on the white walls in my parents room in the prettiest shade of orange.
These bags were incredibly popular this year and it’s so wild to me because as kid, I used to get one of these bags every time someone in our family would go to Bangladesh. So when I see brands like Shrimps selling these for hundreds of pounds, it kind of makes me feel a bit weird because it feels almost extortionate.
As much as I love Shrimps, I do have a few issues with someone of the things they sell but that’s a story for another day.
This bag along with a few others like it were kindly made for me in Bangladesh and I think they’re so pretty.
As you can tell, here is the point in my roll where a light leak formed. I actually really love when this happens and you get the orange/red colours at the top of your photographs. I wear this outfit pretty much every summer and I adore it.
A few shots from the city.
I think this was my first day properly back in the city since March so I really enjoyed just walking around and taking a few snaps of places I walk by everyday.
This canal shot is my favourite shot on this entire roll because usually, this little nook hiding the canal on Oxford Road looks quite grimy and gross but on this particular day, the sunlight was hitting the water so perfectly. It was so serene.
What would a roll be without a shot of this cat that isn’t ours? We’re no longer friends because I was quite viciously scratched a few weeks ago whilst trying to stroke it.
This is my friend Tarek looking the coolest in Piccadilly Gardens. (sorry for being half an hour late, i hope this makes up for it)
I took these when I was shooting my uni lookbook which you can check out here if you haven’t already. Some very cute fits.
I’m starting to get back into the swing of shooting often again so there’ll be more of these soon.
Thanks for reading!
The Quarantine Film List: Week 2 | Zafira
Hey, I hope you’re all well!
So as promised, I’m back this week with another round of some amazing films to watch whilst in quarantine. I’ve tried to mix it up a bit more and put a wide range of films in here and I’ve quite badly attempted to illustrate my own version of the film posters so I hope you enjoy those (pls enjoy them i spent too long doing them).
1. American Beauty
I feel like a few people won’t be happy that I’ve put this here considering Kevin Spacey is quite the disgusting person however, his character meets a bit of an unfortunate but well deserved ending in this so in my eyes, I feel like it’s justified a little.
A timeless classic, that’s what American Beauty is. I know that one day I’ll be old and grey and still feel like watching this. It’s about Lester, a middle aged man who has a bit of mid life crisis. He hates his wife, has a daughter he barely knows and hates his job. He ends up becoming infatuated with his teenage daughter’s best friend which causes Lester to completely change his life.
I think you have to at least watch this film once in your life. It’s definitely an experience and will make you think plastic carrier bags are pretty.
2. the killing of a sacred deer
Starring the lovely Nicole Kidman and Collin Farrell, The Killing of Sacred Deer fits into that whole weird psychological horror/thriller genre like Midsommar and Hereditary. It’s one of those films that makes you feel not scared but incredibly uncomfortable afterwards.
Steven, a successful surgeon with a perfect life and family, takes a 16 year old boy named Martin under his wing after his father dies on his operating table. They form a bond and Martin is treated almost like Steven’s adopted son. However, as their bond grows, Martin’s malicious intent becomes clear as he seeks a very messed up sense of justice by punishing Steven and his family. He believes a ‘pure soul’ must be sacrificed in order to set some sort of balance.
Visually, this is stunning. Each frame feels so clean and well structured. It’s easy on the eyes.
3. penelope
I remember the first time I had watched this was during wet play in primary school and even then at like 8 years old, I knew this would be a film I’d think about for the rest of my life.
Christina Ricci stars as a aristocratic heiress named Penelope who was born affected by the Wilhern spell which was put on her family many years ago and gives her the misfortune of being born with the nose of a pig. The only way to break the spell is quite unique and unbelievable. It’s … true love.
Her family bring countless suitors to the house since she’s hidden away at her family’s estate at their attempt to try and break the spell. A tabloid reporter however is eager to get a photograph of the mysterious Penelope and enlists the help of Max (played by the dreamy James McAvoy) who poses as a prospective suitor and ends up slowly falling in love with her.
It’s a great early 00’s rom com. One of the best in my opinion.
4. Queen
After going to Asian wedding event to Asian wedding event, there’s one song that’s always playing at a Mehndi and that is London Thumakda. A few months ago, I saw that this was on Netflix so I ended up watching it and was quite thoroughly surprised at how much I liked it.
Rani, a girl from Dehli is about to marry who she thinks is the perfect man, Vijay. It’s beautiful watching the scenes leading up to her wedding day, seeing her family so happy, seeing all the traditional wedding stuff play out and it’s so colourful and pretty. This all changes when Vijay calls the wedding off the day before leaving her heart broken.
Rani decides to venture out and go on their honeymoon alone to Paris where she makes new friends, meets new people, tries out new experiences and most importantly, discovers herself.
This is so different than most Bollywood movies that I’ve seen, it’s really refreshing actually and I loved every moment of this film.
5. Perfect Blue
Now we’re all suffering from a bit of headache from being inside too long and Perfect Blue will extenuate that headache and leave you feeling quite confused. But in a good way of course. I don’t think even after watching this a handful of times, I’m still exactly sure what happened in this.
I haven’t ventured into the world of anime at all but from what I’ve heard, Satoshi Kon (director of Perfect Blue) is wonderful. So wonderful in fact that his films have inspired films such as Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan. These are both films that are so so so amazing.
Perfect Blue is about a retired pop singer who decides to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. Her sense of reality however becomes a little disturbing when a fan from her past begins stalking her and Mima finds it difficult to separate what is real and what isn’t.
This is animated beautifully, every little detail is done perfectly whether that’s little objects in Mima’s room or what she’s wearing.
6. Frank
I actually watched this a few days ago and shared this on my Instagram stories because I absolutely loved this.
Jon, a young man who is an aspiring musician with a bit of boring life, decides to take the plunge and join an eccentric pop band led by Frank. Frank is a very mysterious and strange man who always wears this freakish fake head that he never takes off (as illustrated above).
I think this film is a bit of everything. It explores mental illness but at the same time, it’s also a very bittersweet comedy about friendship and identity. It’s one of the most unpredictable films you could ever watch. Everything I anticipated didn’t happen, the film had a life of its own.
I also love all the songs they sing in this, as strange as they are, they’re pretty good.
7. the darjeeling limited
I had to try and restrain myself from filling these lists with Wes Anderson films because I adore them so much but the Darjeeling Limited is something I think everyone will truly like.
Three brothers come together after a year of not seeing or speaking to each other since their father’s funeral decide to set off on a train voyage across Indian to try and reconnect with each other.
All three of them of so different, one of them is obnoxiously wealthy, the other is heartbroken over a break up (watch Hotel Chevalier please this is who it’s about and most importantly Natalie Portman is in it!) and the last, who enjoys taking things from his family without asking and is about to become a father.
It’s a story about family and grief, it’s hilarious and obviously, aesthetically the most beautiful thing I’ll see. Even the train itself is set up in the most visually stunning way and hello? They’re in India. The most colourful and wonderful place you could possibly be.
8. i lost my body
This felt like what I can only describe as a fever dream. It was so weird and dark and just so incredibly sad but with hints of upliftingness?
The story focuses on the character Naoufel, or rather Naoufel’s hand who is roaming the streets of Paris trying to find the rest of it’s body and we through Naoufel’s memories slowly unravel how his hand became severed from it’s body. It’s about self exploration but it’s also about love and life and death. It’s a strange watch but a good watch.
I hope you enjoyed this second round of films! I’ll post my third series sometime next week so make sure you follow me on my socials to know when that’s up.
Thanks for reading,
January on Film | Zafira
Hey!
January has lasted a good 3 years or that’s honestly what it’s felt like. It’s been a quiet month. I think like a lot of people, I’ve been trying to get my life back on track a little bit after almost a month off uni. I’m happy to be back into my usual schedule though and also happy to see what this year has to offer!
Here’s my January on film:
For the past few weeks, I’ve been adoring this little spot in my parents room. It’s on top of my mum’s dresser, a spot where she keeps a vintage jewellery box, her perfume, a mirror and a spinny bangle holder (not pictured). I think it might be the way it looks when the sun starts to set or the way an immense amount of light shines through no matter what the weather. It’s just very pretty.
Pictured here is an & Other Stories Perfume I got my mum for her birthday which I occasionally steal a spritz or two of and my favourite favourite & Other Stories lipstick that has most definitely been loved.
We spent Christmas and Boxing Day in London this year compared to our usual family shindig in Birmingham so we could visit some family. I took this somewhere in Whitechapel on Boxing Day. Honestly I think it’s kinda disgusting. There’s nothing I hate more than pigeons.
Here I am dressed like I’m cosplaying Shrek in this funky green silky dress from none other than Zara. I love this dress however, I hate wearing it because it creases instantly. I am also wearing some vibrant green eye shadow that you can barely see. I have my massive vintage coat from Headlock Vintage on too which everyone seems to hate but I am completely smitten with it. My personal tutor at university actually asked if I picked this coat of a skip which was very nice of him.
I was going to do this whole “only buy two things a month” thing but it’s now the end of January and once again, my wardrobe doors are incapable of closing without an aggressive shove.
These dreamy babies were a little bit of an impulsive buy from ASOS but my god are they beautiful. I love Mary Janes. They’re probably my all-time favourite style of shoe. These are plain black and velvet and pretty much match everything in my wardrobe.
As I said, this whole “only buy two things a month” thing did not go well whatsoever.
I’ve been quite in love with various shades of green for a while now which is strange because I used to hate the colour green. I think it’s incredibly flattering on brown-ier skin tones.
This blazer style corduroy jacket is from TK Maxx but is from a brand called Y.A.S that I know nothing about other than they are expensive are sold on ASOS. This jacket was originally £80 however because TK Maxx is a literal heaven on earth, this jacket only cost me £14.99. Bargain of the year.
Considering I’ve lived in Manchester my entire life, I don’t think I’ve ever been to the Whitworth Gallery.
It’s an incredibly pretty building, not only from the outside but the inside too. It’s so open and bright and I think this might be my new favourite place in Manchester. They’ve also got the most aesthetically pleasing cafe that’s lined with tall window after tall window (there’s a little snippet of it on the smaller pic).
I don’t even know where to begin with these cheeky babies. They both came over a few days ago and were causing chaos left, right and centre. They gave each other makeovers with some pretty pink lipstick, made me draw everyone and everything ever possible, ate of course (their fave activity) and both took turns drinking from my water bottle/cup in this picture.
Thanks for reading!
It’s been wild watching these two grow up the past 2 years.
Lots of love,
October on Film | Zafira
Hi!
It’s been a wild month. I’ve finally settled into uni after 4 months off. I’ve realised that I don’t really talk about uni a whole lot on here but that’s mainly because I have the biggest love/hate relationship with it (by this i mean i cry not to go but i still go in everyday). Brexit has been postponed. Zac Posen has closed his beautiful fashion label. Harry Styles released a new song. CO2 levels probably rose a bit. Like I said, it’s been a wild month.
But as always, I tried to capture this month as best as I could so here is my October on Film!
We start October off with this beauty of a dress.
Me and my cousins had a lovely day out towards the end of September and one them kindly bought me this dress from Zara and obviously, I had to wear it to Uni the next day. I love dresses in this style and cut because they are such classic pieces to have and super easy to style. This dress is also the comfiest thing ever. I spent the day running around Manchester and uni in it and it didn’t get in the way at all.
Can we also talk about how great I look in this photograph? Not to like toot my own horn or be a complete and utter narcissist but I love this picture of myself. Thank you Victoria!
Since these photographs were taken I have also accidentally accumulated this dress in black too.
On every roll there’s always an odd shot of my room. Here is my dad’s boutonniere from my cousin’s wedding over a year ago that I haven’t had the heart to throw away yet.
Here’s Vicky applying lip gloss after our little brunch date.
I’ve weirdly been spending a lot of time in Harvey Nichols recently because I love walking around and looking at things I can’t afford. This is a shot from either the second or third floor.
I was walking back to uni one day and ended up walking past a massive protest on Oxford Road. This was about what’s happening with Turkey and Rojava and to raise awareness. I can’t say I’m too educated or read enough on the topic to fully explain to you what’s happening but there’s a page over on the Independent that cover a lot to do with it. You can check that out here.
I feel it all it looks like I’ve done this month is go for brunch. I promise you I’ve done a lot more. This is my cousin Zahrah on our brunch date at Evelyn’s where we spent so long taking pictures of our food that it went cold.
There’s also always a shot of me drinking something on every roll now too. I’m actually wearing the black version of my blue dress here but you can’t see it very well.
I bought this Ralph Lauren tweed blazer at the Thrift Shop in Manchester for £12 and not only did I buy this for an absolute bargain but I met Oli Sykes too from Bring Me the Horizon! I have nothing but a badly taken picture on my phone to show for that but it was truly a great day. The 13 year old in me was filled with pure joy.
This is Jack being a hardworking student and also looking very grumpy because he wasn’t too happy about having his photograph taken.
We had a wedding in the family (again) so the end of this month was spent getting dressed up and hopping from wedding event to wedding event.
I took this because we were at a wedding at the exact same time last year at the exact same place and saw this exact same cat. You can’t see the cat very well but it’s been strolling around the British Muslim Heritage Centre for a year now. Maybe even longer who knows.
I love autumn so much.
It’s your favourite child bride! I really have to stop making that joke now that I’m no longer a child. But here I am all dressed up on a freezing cold autumn day.
Here’s my cousin Zahrah again looking pretty.
Daylight savings happened this month too which contrary to popular opinion, I actually really love. I like it when it gets dark earlier. How beautiful is the sun setting behind the marquee?
September on Film | Zafira
Hey!
After an abundance of requests asking for my monthly film blog posts, I’ve decided to bring back what seems like everybody’s favourite series over on here. The roll I shot on this month has actually been in my camera since the end of July/beginning of August and it might just be the longest I’ve ever had a film roll in my camera.
This summer was a little chaotic to say the least and shooting on film felt like a massive inconvenience. I was shooting frequently on digital so to carry around my DSLR, the lenses for that and then my film camera with all it’s accessories would have been quite the struggle. It’s a shame because there were so many moments this summer that could have been beautifully captured on film. I’m hoping to get a little film camera soon, something like Contax T3 (maybe something a little cheaper jesus i had no idea that these were that expensive) so I can take it everywhere hassle free.
I don’t know how this month is already over, I don’t remember feeling like it ever began. It’s been just as busy as this summer with me starting my second year of uni. I actually love September, it’s so lovely seeing everything transition into autumn and there’s just something about Manchester during this time of year that I completely adore.
Here a few snaps from late July, August and of course, September.
I think I took this in August when I was walking through Piccadilly Gardens to probably go shop or something but I ended up bumping into this huge marching band. It was pretty cool and very random but I love their hats.
This roll has more photographs of me than I’m used to but here’s a shot of me in the COW changing rooms because they’re so cute. I can’t remember if I bought anything from there but this is a very rare shot of me in a printed white t-shirt.
My mum hates all animals, especially this little daredevil of a cat. This is our neighbour’s cat that might as well belong to us. If you’ve followed these monthly film posts for a while, she’s made quite a few appearances and loves her time in-front the camera. What a pretty girl.
Moose Coffee looking pretty in the sunlight.
I picked up this amazing jumper this month at Thrift Shop Manchester for £7 and I can’t stop wearing it. It’s super 80/90s style and it’s one of my favourite things in my wardrobe at the minute. I also got these lovely Chanel button looking earrings from my friend Vicky as a late birthday present which was very sweet of her and my clip is from Primark!
Also how insane is it that this time last year, I had a bob and now my hair is sooo long? I think this the longest I’ve had it in a while, I usually get it cut into a bob every summer but this year I thought I’d let it grow out and go wild.
I finally updated my photo walls in my room with some newer shots. I also upgraded to 5x7 prints too and I loove how they look. I love being surrounded with photographs of my family and friends and most importantly, shots of me.
When I say I’ve lived in my boiler suit this summer, I’m not even exaggerating. It was my go to outfit and was so easy to wear and style. Anytime I’d leave the house to run some errands or even to come into the city, I’d throw this on with a pair of boots or my Vans. This is the best £35 I’ve ever spent. Here I am in TK Maxx in my 5 hour quest to find some jeans that actually fit me (no luck unfortunately but I got a cute pair from Topshop).
I remember when I first started shooting on film, I’d always take these mirror pictures cos I thought they were so cool. I still love them so they’re slowly making a comeback.
I had lunch at Mackie Mayor a week or so ago and it’s one of the coolest places to eat in Manchester. Maybe one day I’ll have to do a post about my favourite places to eat in Manchester because there’s sooo many. Mackie Mayor is filled with different food stalls so there’s so much to pick from. From pizza to tacos to all sorts. It’s the perfect place to eat if you’re with a lot of people because they have such a good range of food to pick from so there’s something for everyone.
Here are a few of my favourite things this month:
Pearl Clips - Primark
Burt’s Bees Lip Balm in Pomegranate (hands down best lip balm ever made by anyone)
Hugo Boss Watch
The Ordinary - Alpha Arbutin Serum (so so so good for dark spots)
All necklaces are from Lovisa
Bangle - from some little cheap stall on Green Street in London
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Rome (i’ve been wearing this everyday since i was 16 it’s my favourite lipstick of all time)
Gold Hoops - & Other Stories (i also wear these almost everyday)
Her'e’s me and my friend Divine in our matching outfits for our first day back at uni! (you don’t even need to ask both of these shirts are obviously from Zara)
When I was around 8/9 years old, I had a dress so similar to this. Me and my cousin Zahrah would wear matching outfits and we both had this dress so when I saw this in Oliver Bonas the other day it immediately took me back to our childhood. Over this dress, I’m wearing a puffy sleeved shirt from Zara that I’ve tied at the front and my new Converse.
Can you believe this dress was on sale for £20 down from £68? I love a good bargain.
That’s all I have for this month! I’ll try and make this into a regular thing since it’s in high demand. To see more of my film pics and photographs in general, follow me over on my Instagram and other social medias (everything is linked at the bottom of each post!)
Thanks for reading!
Lots of love,
October (and a bit of November) on Film | Zafira
Hi!
I'm back with my film series! This is probably my favourite thing to post on here just because I love looking back at everything I've done at the end of each month.
October was a bit of a weird one, I feel like it was so eventful but I only remember picking up my camera a handful of times. I was feeling a bit meh towards my photography work recently so this roll of film was a bit of a struggle to get through. It ended up being in my camera for over a month which is completely unlike me. Anyway, I had a good mope about it and now I feel a lot better. I'm also looking forward to doing so many new projects very very very soon! I switched up my film this month so if things are looking slightly different than usual then it's because I used the famous Kodak Porta 400 which I bought for waaay too much.
(also how weird is it that in literally 2 months, it will 2019. wtf.)
I started off October with a shoot with my favourite model Hannah. I stupidly started a new roll right towards the end of our shoot so I had to wait until I had filled up my roll which like I mentioned earlier, took forever.
Since I not only live in Manchester but go to uni here too, it's impossible for me not to snap a pic here and there of the pretty city scenes it has to offer. It's so amazing seeing it how it changes through the seasons.
This is my friend Vicky. We had a bit of a flashback Mary moment but it's okay, she's still cute.
My outfit was inspired by Rachel Berry from Glee lol.
Sorry for taking bad pics of you Vicky.
I walk past this everyday and I've never realised how beautiful it is, especially in autumn.
I'm trying so much more to photograph strangers because despite being told to stay away and never speak to them, they're actually quite interesting people.
This is Manny, he's my favourite barista at Krispy Kreme where I go twice a day to over caffienate myself.
And what would my monthly film series be without these losers? I'm looking a bit rough in this I had the worst cough and cold ever.
This was taken at Leaf when I went out for lunch with my friend Matt.
This is Matt in an overpriced white t-shirt.
I look so grown up in these I do
not
like it whatsoever.
This is Rianna who's always disappointed in me.
Thanks for reading!
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What's in My Bag? | Zafira
Hi!
I think that one of the very first YouTube beauty guru-esque videos I watched was a 'What's in My Bag' and I think I've been dying to do one ever since. A couple of months ago, I was kindly gifted the most beautiful satchel from MAHI Leather and ever since then, I've been using it pretty much everyday.
This has been my life saver since mid November. It fits everything I could possibly need for a busy day at college or even shooting. This is the Harvard Satchel in black. I decided on black because I knew that it would match my outfits a lot better than brown. It has a small compartment at the front where I dump stuff that I need easy access to so my bus pass, keys etc. It has a small zipped compartment at the back which I use occasionally but it's mainly full of receipts. Inside, there's so much space I'm sure I could fit a small child in there. It has two big compartments and then a little zipped compartment which I use for some back up film rolls, SD cards and anything else along those lines.
Here's a shot of it on film, I think it truly helps to fulfill the whole photographer aesthetic I'm aiming for. (and it matches my Doc Martens so well!)
Here's a few things I carry on a daily basis...
1. Lip balm
I don't think I ever leave the house without lip balm, even if I don't have a bag with me I'll usually slip one in my pocket. This is the watermelon flavoured lip balm from Oliver Bonas. It's smells so good, like if summer had a scent, this would totally be it. It's has such a good consistency and looks super adorable. It's my perfect lip balm.
I can only find the pomegranate one online so you can buy that here:
https://www.oliverbonas.com/gift/pomegranate-lip-balm-50676
2. Film Camera
I'm trying to get into the habit of carrying a camera around to capture memories, moments and anything cool and exciting really. I've been in love with this baby for so long now I can never seem to leave the house without it anymore. This is the Canon 300 and it most likely has a roll of the Fujifilm Superia 200 in it. I adore film. I finish college in a few weeks and I've just been trying to capture moments with my friends and they're just somewhat more special when I take them on film.
3. Lipsticks (usually about 20 shoved into the front pocket)
I don't really touch up on my makeup throughout the day but the one thing I will end up re-applying a couple of times a day is lipstick. I drink coffee a lot and my lipstick usually rubs off on the coffee cups so I'll always have a nice selection of lipsticks to re-apply. Here I have NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams in Rome and Budapest, Barry M Lip Paint in Genie which I don't even think I've worn yet and then an old Nina Ricci lipstick that is ancient but the colour is too pretty to throw away.
4. Mirror & Keys
This vintage mirror was actually given to me for free at a car boot sale. it's really pretty and I just love vintage items. I carry a mirror because I can't stop staring at myself and my keys are quite self explanatory. I need to them to get in and out of my house.
5. Purse
This bright mustard purse was a completely random purchase. I needed a purse so I went to TK Maxx and this Visconti purse caught my eye and I impulsively ended up buying it. I'm usually not a bright colour wearing person but something about this purse really captured my gaze.
6. Body Mist
I enjoy smelling nice so I'll have a couple of random body mists or sprays in my bag. I'm not a huge fan of carrying perfume bottles around just because they're so bulky and I'm always scared they're going to end up breaking and spilling all over my work. This So...? body mist in Fresh Floral is just a very cheap body mist I picked up in Superdrug to throw into my bag. Considering it cost under £2, it smells amazing and so clean and fresh which is something I'm always looking for in a scent.
7. Bobby Pins
The bottom of my bag consists of so many of these. No matter how hard I try to be organised and put them into little bags or pouches, they always end up escaping somehow.
8. SD Card & USB Stick
I think most students carry USB sticks with them, it's just very handy when saving work. Since I do photography as a subject at college, an SD card is a necessity but also great when I'm out and about shooting. Just like the bobby pins, there's usually so many just piling up at the bottom of my bag.
8. Pencil Case
As a photography, English Language and English Literature student, there is never not a moment where I don't need a pen or some sort of writing/drawing material. I got this pencil case a couple of years ago in Wilkos.
9. Hand Cream
I think I wash my hands more than anyone ever should. I wash my hands before and after everything I do and they always end up feeling pretty dry. This is the Zoella Wonder Hand Mosturising Hand Cream and it's okay. I was using one that I picked up at TK Maxx which was my absolute fave but that ran out a few days ago and this is just my back up for now.
10. A Book (sometimes several)
I used to be a huge book worm but these days, I can't seem to find the time or patience to read. However, there are moments when I feel like reading and it's just very handy to have a book in my bag just so I'm not completely bored. I wanted to start reading more of the cult classics and I thought 1984 was a pretty good place to start. Since I'm a literature student, I'm usually carrying books that we're studying alongside whatever I'm reading in my own time too.
11. Sunglasses
I'm aware that currently in the UK, the mini Beast from the East has hit us and it's covered in snow outside, but sunglasses are such a perfect accessory for any and every outfit. It's just handy to have them in case the sun decides to come out of hiding or to complete my look for that particular day. These are some very cheap sunnies from Primark that I've had for years.
12. Glasses
So I'm a bit blind. I've been wearing glasses on and off since I was 3 and they're a necessity because I'm short sighted and can usually never see anything. These have a very grandma vibe which is something I'm quite liking at the minute. These are from Specsavers.
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Zafira
x
February on Film | Zafira
This month, my eldest cousin Tahmina got engaged. In the Bengali culture, we have this thing called a 'Cinifan' which is basically an engagement party. It was so much fun and I'm still bewildered as to how old me and my cousins have gotten. It seems like only yesterday that I was like 8 and Tahmina was 13 and I was dying to borrow her Jacqueline Wilson books (still am).
I'd like to give a very big thanks to Jarred and Rachael for absolutely wrecking and making my Valentines day a very funny and eventful one, I appreciate it lots ❤
We went to the Jungle Jazz Cafe in Manchester during our very short one week holiday for breakfast and discovered such a beautiful place to just chill and hang out. It's so pretty inside and is definitely one of the most photogenic cafes you will find here in Manchester.
For my last ever photography project at my last ever year at college, I chose to explore composition. I'm looking at photographers such as William Eggleston who use composition in such a unique and eye catchy way. Me and a few friends ended up in the Manchester Art Gallery and spent some time walking around, admiring art and as shown in these pictures, watching people admire art.
I'll be posting these plus a lot more over on my Instagram!
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OOTD: Leopard Print Coat | Zafira
Hello!
So, in the January sales, I wasn't really looking for anything (for the first time in my life). I went out into Manchester and had a browse around but nothing really caught my eye until my eyes latched onto the most beautiful item of clothing. A leopard print coat. I can't even remember how long I've wanted one and when I saw this on sale for the bargain price of £15 at Primark, I just couldn't help but it take it home with me.
I'm not 100% sure if this is still available in Primark but I found a semi similar one here:
I feel like it's such a staple in every fashion obsessed person's wardrobe. It's so so so easy to style and I just adore the way the coat looks. You can easily dress it up or down which is usually what I like to do. So far, my absolute favourite combo is this coat and blue jeans. I feel like I look quite casual chic. It's a pretty good way to make it look like you've put a little bit more thought and effort towards your outfit rather than picking it 5 minutes before you have to leave the house. (it's honestly a big struggle)
I've had these jeans forever, it's a nightmare trying to find pants that fit perfectly let alone jeans. These are actually a size too big but they're so comfy like this and have that 'mom' jean effect. Here's a pair like the ones I own:
I don't really go thrifting as much as I would like to but I found this velvet black t-shirt in Cow when I was having a very thorough browse. I wear it so often just because it's extremely comfy and especially on cold days like we've been having in the UK recently, it does an amazing job at keeping me warm opposed to wearing a normal cotton black t-shirt.
Here's some similar to this:
I've had these boots for almost two years now and I don't have the heart to throw them away. They've very quickly become such an essential in my wardrobe and were my very first pair of docs. They match everything I wear and I wear them pretty much everyday. They go amazingly with this outfit and enhance that casual chic look even more.
These are the Doc Marten Flora Boots, you can get them here:
http://www.drmartens.com/uk/p/14649001
These were all taken on film if you wondering! I hope you liked this style of post and let me know if you want to see more OOTDs or even a lookbook.
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December on Film | Zafira
Hi!
IT'S 2018. I still can't get my head wrapped around that it's 2018. It's actually insane how fast time has gone. The last few months of 2017 were quite busy and hectic, especially December. It consisted of finishing college work and most importantly, the end of a very very very long term. I was very much looking forward to the 2 week holiday and I spent it quite wisely (I did nothing whatsoever). It was a pretty good month.
Here's December through my eyes.
I love love love the snow. It's something I look forward too very year and this year it actually snowed at the right time of year here in the UK.
In December, everyone who applied for Uni pretty much had interviews. This is my friend Cherie on the day of her first interview!
This year I'm starting I'm portrait series on film, I'm going to photograph pretty much everyone I see and Richard was a great place to start.
This is everyone taking their snaps, Instagram stories, Whatsapp pictures and Whatsapp stories of our wonderful Christmas dinner.
The food was a solid 10/10 just to let you know (yes that chicken was as good as it looks).
Baby Zakariya turned into a big boy this month! He turned one in December and you can already tell by that turtleneck of his, he gets a lot of his outfit inspo from me.
Not only have we been blessed with one baby boy in the family this year, but two! This is Mikail looking as handsome and adorable as ever in his little bow tie.
This was taken earlier in December when we had little family gathering. Liyana in her pretty dress!
Christmas has turned into a annual massive family gathering for us. It's really the only time of year where everyone is free and doesn't have work or college or school. We usually have a lovely Christmas dinner, followed by a game of secret Santa and then a couple of quizzes and games and movies to finish off the day. It's my favourite time of year.
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September on Film | Zafira
Hi!
I'm back with another post in my film series! I'm quite aware it's mid October, well pretty much past mid at this point but I've been insanely busy at college but I've finally found a little bit of time to show you a couple of snaps I took during the month of September!
All I can remember from September was the stress of being back at college, writing my personal statement and catching up with all my amazing friends. It's weird how fast college has gone, this is my last year and I want to treasure every moment possible.
This is Britt, she smells nice.
I'm currently trying to jazz my room up a bit. It looks quite plain so I stuck pretty much all my film shots up on my walls and it looked quite cute. I think I'll probably end up getting some fairy lights too just to complete that ever so 'Tumblr' look.
This is Cherie and Sanjida. They make college that little bit more bearable.
Here's a snap of Cherie looking cute as per usual.
Lydia and Jazmine having waay too much fun in the art department.
Another cat one. We've become particularly close over the past few days. I often find that when I come home, he/she is waiting for me outside my window.
My mum likes buying fresh flowers every week.
I'm Asian of course my house contains at least one chili plant.
We have a little bit of a jungle theme going on in our living room, it's very nice and relaxing.
Sparkly macaroons are apparently a thing?
Me in the only shirt I seem to own. I don't even look like myself in this it's strange.
I took this on the way home from college. I spend too much of my life sat on a bus.
Since I had experimented a lot this month, a lot of my shots were pretty much under exposed but it's all good, I've got a fresh roll and I'm excited to shoot again. I think I'm going to merge October and November together so get ready for a nice chunky post!
Remember to follow me on all my social media to stay updated and to see some cool behind the scenes and extra shots!
Summer on Film | Zafira
Hi!
So I've decided to start a new series on here. I'm going to start doing a blog post about whatever month it is but shot in film. I hope it gets me experimenting with film a lot more and also one thing I really love doing is talking about my photographs and why I took them which is why this series is pretty much perfect. I love love film. I can't even get over how much I adore shooting on it. I'm always trying to find new and fun ways to document my life and so far, using film has been my absolute fave. I just love how it looks and shooting on it is so so so much more fun that digital. It's exiciting, you don't know what the outcome is going to be.
The first post in this series are some shots I took over summer, I honestly didn't get out much. I spent a lot of time travelling to see family but I was either indoors or in a car most of the time or just at home lazing around.
Here are some of my favourites from over this summer!
Like I mentioned earlier, I want to document my life and I feel like I've currently hit my peak teen years, next year I'm going to be an adult which I don't even wanna talk about. But here's the door to my room which makes me feel so young and childish and I love it.
I own a troll that looks like a roadman. I don't really know why I bought this but it's sat on a shelf in my room looking quite cute.
I remember I took this when the weather because extremely bipolar and it was raining cats and dogs once minute and the next it was so sunny. You can see the grey clouds clearing in the top of the picture. I love taking pictures of the sky.
Just the view outside my bedroom window.
I wanted to take a picture of the moon but obviously considering it was the middle of the night and it was pitch black, the picture didn't come out as great as I had visioned it too but it still looks semi cool.
Here's my cat that isn't actually my cat. I think it belongs to our neighbour but it seems to love me a lot.
Here's my cousin looking pretty cute, I spent a lot of time with family this summer and it was really nice.
A cute tiny little vase thing with flowers in with pink water because my obsession with pink has honestly hit a new level of extreme where I'm basically killing all my plants with this pink water that consists of paint.
I also bought a hat (from New Look) and this shirt (from Zara, also in my prev blog post) which I wore like everyday. It's a cute combo.
I also took this on digital which you can see over on my Instagram, links to everything will be at the end of this post.
Of course there was some pictures of the lovely Hannah on my camera as always. She's my go to model and I had to take some images for my photography project for college. These film ones are quite blurry because I didn't use lighting and I didn't really want that artificial look to them. But, I really like the different tones and hues in these and I don't mind the blurryness at all. These were all inspired by the photographer
.
Here's a behind the scenes of the star face shot, this is my fave image I've ever taken.
Also for my college photography project, I had to choose another phtotographer and create images inspired by them. So I chose
and here's a behind the scenes. If you check out my Instagram, you can see one of the final versions from this set! Links to all my social media will be at the end of this post.
It was Eid on September 1st and here's me looking overly happy in my Eid outift.
I took this the day before college started, pretty sure I was procrastinating and avoiding all the work I had to do.
Make sure to follow me on Instagram and my other social media to find out when I post the next post in this series and when I just post in general!
Shooting on Film | Zafira
Heelllllllllllllooooooooooooo!
When I was younger, I was so fascinated by film strips. I remember how my dad would have them laid out when he was sorting out all of his photographs and I would just love to look at them. These brown strips with these tiny pictures in them were the coolest things I had ever seen. I'm pretty sure my dad shot on film for quite a while, even in the 00s when digital was a lot more popular, I still remember him shooting pictures of me and family on film. Now it's just so fascinating and utterly amazing looking back at the pictures because I can literally see the whole of my life and my family's life in images. I love how my family always document everything, it's one of the reasons I started getting more into photography and taking it more seriously. There's nothing I love more on the weekends then looking through the endless photo albums. It's a joy. Film shots look so good, I love the different hues and tones the images have. They just feel a lot more raw and gritty than digital. I asked my dad if I could borrow one of his film cameras recently and it's what I've been playing around on for the past few months. It's been amazing. I love film now.
Basically during my first set of film photos I was really dumb and when I told people I was shooting on film, they were like huh wut so I opened the back of the camera to show the film itself which is a big no no unless you want something like this. I still think these look so cool which is why I've kept them. I love the sunset-y colours, reminds me of the Instagram logo.
And then some of the pictures from my first set were two images merged together which had some quite strange outcomes but this is one of my friend Britt that I took at college. It's actually two separate images. The right side is of an image I took inside where she was leaning against the wall but you can only see her knees and the second image is one where she was sat on a bench outside but these two images have merged together and they kind of fit as one in a strange way lol?
The cutest candid of my friend Sunny.
The final one from my first set is when it snowed really heavily back in Jan/Feb time for about 20 mins and then it rained and all washed away.
My second set came out so well and it is truly when I realised film was the love of my life. Here's another snap of Britt with a swanky fringe this time.
This is probably the best picture I've taken in my entire life.
Here's me with the brightest thing in my wardrobe.
The famous pink jacket I wear pretty much everyday.
This was the day one of my favourite people in this entire world died.
My lovely boots when they were shiny and new.
I took this when I was on a shoot with two of my hilarious friends from high school.
When I started getting more into photography a few years back I would always take pictures out of my bedroom window. I don't what but there's something about it that looks so calm and peaceful. It was also really fun seeing how everything would change throughout the seasons as well which is something I might try with my film camera and document all the flowers growing and sky being blue and stuff.
Somewhere in London.
Columbia Road Flower Market which was amazing btw.
Me looking extra cute in my pink jumper from Bershka at the lovely Flower Markets.
That's all I have for now, make sure to follow me on Instagram for updates and just some really cool pictures!