Welcome to FaFiFotography, short for fashion, film, food and photography.

My name is Crystal. I’m based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I have a passion for fashion, sushi and travel. My favourite city to visit is New York. My MACT cohort came up with this motto for me: No matter how sleep deprived you are, shoes still matter!

I’m fairly new to the world of blogging even though this is my second blog. The first is specifically academic. But, this one is going to cater to my personal interests.

My love of fashion goes all the way back to my childhood. I would try on my mom’s clothes all the time, pretending I was a princess. And, when I reached the tender age of seven, I told my mom I wanted to start sewing lessons. Even though the community league wouldn’t technically accept students until they were at least eight, my friend’s mother taught the course. As long as I was truly committed to learning, I was able to enroll. Sewing remained a creative outlet for me as I grew up. While I have since stopped due to issues of time, it is something that I hope to get back to at some point in time. To tide myself over, I like to keep up with the latest trends, looks, news and fashion stars. In addition, I design jewelry in my spare time, both for myself as well as others.

Movies have played a big role in my life. My parents have regularly told me of my first outing to the theatre where I saw Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Apparently as a four year old I was unafraid of Ursula. As I grew up I found that I could relate to characters in films. Who didn’t want to be Cher Horowitz from Clueless? Well, maybe a bit more intelligent than her. However, it was a movie that proved how much films can influence our daily lives. From the vocabulary spoken to the fashion worn by the cast, my generation, in our youth, became a depiction of the teenagers portrayed in that film. It wasn’t until my high school film elective did I really see the artistry that takes place in films. They usually start out as the vision of one or maybe a handful of people, but they come together through the cooperation of dozens or hundreds of people. I thank my teacher for introducing me to classic and contemporary films that I likely wouldn’t have watched myself. It opened up my eyes to the variety that was out there and gave me an appreciation for that method of narrative at a much earlier point in my life than I would have otherwise. That’s not to say I don’t have my guilty pleasures. Yet, I am just as likely to see an independently made documentary as I am a summer blockbuster. In any case, my high school experience extended beyond that fateful class and into my time in university. I majored in and graduated from the University of Alberta with my BA in Film and Media Studies. Though I cannot say I became a director or a screen writer as a result (Who knows? This could still happen.), films (and scripted TV shows) are still pieces of art that I can lose myself in for a couple hours and for that I am grateful.

Food is what I survive on. Most of us do! Good food, when you stuff yourself and you know you shouldn’t, is what I seek out. Whether I am in my hometown or traveling, I make sure to see what each city has to offer. It seems that it has become popular in recent years to blog about restaurants that you have tried or about recipes you have attempted, therefore, I figure since I love a good dish, why not make it a part of my own blog and share whatever I come across with others, too.

Photography is something I like to do at all times. The photography bug is something I seem to have caught early on in life and I would like to learn how to use a DSLR in the future. In the meantime, I will stick with my smartphone and point and shoot camera. Thank goodness for Instagram (and many other similar apps) for making it easy nowadays. An art history course that I took in university about the history of photography is what really spurred my interest. Perhaps it is because photographs are like movies in still form. There is so much to consider. While I’m no professional, I do attempt to take memorable shots on the go, when I’m with friends and whenever I am on holiday. I would like to share some of them here. In fact, the photo in my header was taken with my Ricoh camera on a recent April 2012 trip to Las Vegas. The poppies were planted as part of the annual spring celebration at the Bellagio’s Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

On a closing note, though it isn’t listed in the title of my blog, I will, on occasion, very likely touch on music that moves me or something else that strikes my fancy. I hope that you will come along for the ride as I continue on my blogging adventure.