Music of the Month: September | Zafira
Hi!
September lasted a total of 5 minutes and just like that, we’re 3 months away until the end of the year (thank god). It’s been quite the hectic month. I started uni again which has been a whole disaster in it’s own. In Manchester, it feels like it’s already winter. There is a very distinct chill in the air. The coats and boots are out, it’s all so exciting. I think this is my favourite time of year.
Anyway, here’s a bunch of my favourite songs and albums that I’ve been listening to this September:
nectar
-
joji
It’s crazy because this was only released a week ago and it’s become the most listened to album in my library this month.
I love anything Joji releases, but Nectar definitely feels a lot softer and love-ier than anything he’s done before. His songs have this upbeat-moodiness about them. Something that can’t really be put into words but when you listen to one of his songs you can hear it straight away. They’re almost in this monotone manner but still the most catchiest songs.
There’s so many amazing collaborations on this album too which caught my eye straight away. It features Diplo, Lil Yachty, Omar Apollo & Yves Tumor (i’m a massive fan of these two), BENEE and lastly, Rei Brown.
My favourites are Ew, Tick Tock and Pretty Boy (feat Lil Yachty). But I could easily sit and listen to the entire album on repeat for days on days.
borderline - blood orange remix
Blood Orange is someone who peacefully lives in my mind rent free. Dev Hynes ,in my opinion, is a musical genius. Every song he makes and album he releases is masterpiece. So when I saw he released this Borderline remix, I knew straight away that this would be love at first sight.
It vastly contrasts the original which I adore. Tame Impala is classed by some as a modern type of psychedelic rock and this version by Blood Orange has this psychedelic feel but in a completely different way. It’s dreamier and so much softer.
run away with me - sufjan stevens
On the topic of dreaminess, Sufjan Stevens’ song Run Away With Me from his latest album is now my favourite song to sit and daydream to.
I haven’t listened to the entire of the Ascension but after hearing this one song from it, I think I should probably get around to it.
It’s incredibly synth-y which has recently become something I quite like in songs these days and has some powerful lyrics.
It will make you fall in love instantly. In fact, if Sufjan Stevens ever sang this to me or just anyone I would 1000% run away with them without thinking twice about it.
chip chrome & the mono-tones - the neighbourhood
I don’t think I’ve been this fond of a Neighbourhood album since they released I Love You in 2013. I love all the aesthetics they’ve done for this album too with Jesse Rutherford completely painted silver from head to toe. I’m here for it, it’s all very Ziggy Stardust.
Although this album is a little all over the place, I like that the songs all have different vibes. Whether they’re more electronic pop to hip hop, they’re all so great.
Some of my favourites have to be Cherry Flavoured, Lost in Translation and Devil’s Advocate.
whole new mess - angel olsen
Angel Olsen is someone who I’ve very recently become incredibly infatuated with. I think I’ve seen every single live session she’s done because there’s something just so mesmerising about her voice and presence.
Her voice is very old school and retro and so full. I haven’t heard the entire album yet because I’ve been so stuck on Whole New Mess for days now.
You can really hear the tenderness and vulnerability in her voice in this song. It’s amazing.
feel away - slowthai (featuring james blake & mount kimbie)
I love this song.
The way these three artists combine their skills so perfectly in this song is so beautiful.
I haven’t listened to a lot of Slowthai’s songs but I think I might have to after this. This was a pretty personal song dedicated to the memory of Slowthai’s younger brother which is so touching and sweet. You can hear the sadness in his lyrics and the addition of James Blake really adds to the melancholic tone of the song.
call me (freestyle) - blood orange & park hye jin
Whoops is this another Blood Orange song?
Dev Hynes vocals in this are truly the most stunning thing ever and with the piano in the background, it’s almost like he’s trying to serenade us.
I’m not too sure who Park Hye Jin is but I thoroughly enjoyed her addition to this.
It’s just so great.
HIT DIFFERENT - SZA, TY DOLLA
$
IGN, THE NEPTUNES & PHARREL WILLIAMS
The return of SZA is something not only I needed this year, but the rest of the world needed it too.
I’ve really missed her voice and hearing it on this slow ballad R&B type song has made my dreams come true.
Here are a few other songs I’m also loving at the minute:
As always, you can check out my entire September playlist here.
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!
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 (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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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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November & October on Film | Zafira
I'm back with another one of these film blog posts!
In my September post I said I'd combine the film shots from October and November because I knew it'd be a hectic couple of months. But, it's December and I'm finally on a fresh roll of film and I've finally gotten round to getting my previous roll developed and scanned in!
October was pretty uneventful, I was feeling quite uninspired but a day out with my cousins shopping in Manchester slowly changed that. It was nice to be out and about. I think I'd like to do some sort of film series based in Manchester, I have lived here my entire life and I've only just started to explore it.
This bin was looking particularly photogenic I couldn't help but take a picture.
At the beginning of November, I spent a weekend in Birmingham with family to mainly look at BCU as I'm applying there, but it was also really nice to just explore Birmingham a little bit since it could possibly be my home for the next 3 years. This is the Bullring and I love how it looks.
Whilst in Birmingham, I spent some quality time with these two cuties.
Since when did My Little Ponies look like this?
It was Bonfire night when I was still in Birmingham and these shots are pretty decent considering I had no tripod.
This bathroom was really nice but you can't see.
These are pretty underexposed but they have a bit of gloomy vibe and I appreciate some good old Mughal era paintings. This was when me and my family went out to eat in Birmingham.
We went out to local park and took a nice stroll and my little cousin Liyana helped me take some pretty shots.
I've spent the last two months in these amazingly comfy pants from Zara and making this glum face too.
I quite like this even though it's heavily under exposed.
I'm usually never home until after the sun sets except from on the weekends but I spent most of the weekends in my soft office. I luckily caught this shot and the these lovely warm tones it. It makes me feel really nostalgic.
Towards the end of November, it really felt like Winter.
We had a little baby shower for my Auntie at the end of November and there were a bunch of leftover desserts so I bought some in for my friends Sanjida and Cherie. They loved them.
One of my favourite portrait shots I've ever taken on film.
This is the best purchase of the year I think. I bought it from the little boys section in H&M for the bargain price of £14 and even though it's for 14 yrs +, it's quite big and over sized and has kept me warm over the past couple of weeks.
I was kindly gifted this
and it's the perfect bag for me. It matches everything I wear and has tons of space in which is perfect for me because I now use it for college. It's handiest, prettiest satchel I've ever set my eyes on. Expect a 'What's in My Bag' coming very very soon!
My walls are slowly starting to get completely covered in my film shots.
Kitty is the real star of the show in these film blog posts. I might have bribed her with some string but she's just so photogenic. A film roll isn't complete without her pretty face on it.
Make sure to follow me on social media to stay updated!
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!
Exploring Manchester: Cat Cafe | Zafira
Helloo and welcome to today's post!
I've lived in Manchester my entire life but I've never really had the chance to explore it so I thought, as I explore more of Manchester, I'll document it and write about it on here!
Today, me and friend Britt finally decided to go to the Cat Cafe. Since she loves cat and I have no idea how I feel about them we thought it would be the perfect place to visit. First thing I noticed was how friendly the staff are. I've never felt so at home and welcomed before in my entire life. We only stayed there for about half an hour which came up to the grand total of £6 which is not bad at all considering all drinks are unlimited. It's such a chill and relaxing environment, there's soft music playing in the background and the room is filled with homely furniture that adds to that overall comforting feel.
The cats are basically everywhere doing just about anything but mostly chillin'. It's so lovely to see all these cats with so many different personalities. I think one of the things I was pretty scared about was like a cat jumping onto me or attacking me or something like that just because I've not really had a lot of experience with cats. But I can assure you that nothing like that happened lol, the cats are pretty friendly and won't jump onto you but will come and walk around and near you which is pretty cute.
There's just something in the air whilst you're in there that makes you feel so happy. Me and Britt were almost in tears from happiness whilst we were in there and even after we left. It was such a pleasant experience and will most likely become sort of tradition for us. I think it's perfect for a little get together with friends, dates or just as a stress reliever. I can imagine myself sat in here a lot when exams are going on. It's such a wonderful place and I can't wait to go again!
Here's a few pictures I took today!
I should become a cat photographer.
Not a cat but she might as well be.
Heaven.
Just look how chilled out this angel is, what more could you want in life?
This is Bert, you can follow this qt on Instagram by clicking on the following link:
As you can tell from this, Britt was pretty much crying once we left the place.
Make sure you check out my Instagram for more snaps! 💮
The End As We Know It & Update | Zafira
GUESS WHO'S BACK?
Me!
Hi, it's been a while since I've done a blog post but if you've read my previous post that I did in February, you'll know that I've been preparing and doing my GCSE exams. But, they finally finished on Friday which means it's time to chill and start working on this blog as well as producing some really cool photographs! Before I get into the real purpose of this post, I just wanted to update you on a few cool things that are happening and some changes too! As you can see, my layout has changed and I'm not sure whether the layout at the moment will be permanent so a couple of changes will happen throughout the next couple of weeks. I have also decided to sell a couple of my prints this summer so keep a look out in the next few weeks as they should be available soon! I'm not 100% sure what my uploading schedule will be like this summer but I want to post as frequently as I can. If you have any suggestions for any blog posts that you would like see then comment them below or my Instagram. That's about it so enjoy today's blog post!
I wanted to do today's post on something life changing that happened to me a couple of days ago. After 5 seemingly short years of high school, I finally finished. It's very strange as to how the past 5 years have gone so fast. Each year felt like it had dragged but by the time I had reached Year 11, my final year, time flew past within a blink of an eye. The teachers had all said that this year would go fast but I didn't believe them because I thought it would have been like every other year but it wasn't. It was weird how quickly it became exam season and even weirder how fast it went. It felt like my exams had lasted no longer than a couple of days but in reality they were two very stressful months. High school is always something I'll remember, from the students to the teachers and to the building itself. I experienced so much within 5 years. I just want to say the biggest thank you to my friends, teachers and classmates for making the past 5 years great and good luck in the future. I'll see most of you at prom! Here's a couple of pictures of me and my friends, they're a strange bunch of kiddiwinks. There's a bunch more over on my Instagram! The link is at the end of this post or you can click the tab at the top of this blog.
the famous HSM pose
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Winter is Here! | Zafira
WINTER IS HERE!
The temperature has dipped and it's started to get a little more chilly here in Manchester. I was not at all expecting any snow this year, at least not until around March/April time but one gloomy Saturday morning, little white flakes fell from the clouds and covered little old Manchester in a white blanket of pretty snow. Even though I'm a summer baby, I adore the winter time. Especially when it snows! There's something quite admirable about frosty mornings and darker days. Also it means sweater weather! I live in sweaters or jumpers as we call them here. I took a couple of pictures around where I live as well as up in Derbyshire where the snow was a lot thicker and the weather was absolutely freezing. Enjoy!
I have no idea what happened here.
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