We weren’t intending on spending a March weekend in Washington, DC, but the weather had other plans. We were en route to New York City when we were diverted to Baltimore because of heavy fog delaying our ability to land. My mother-in-law lives in DC, so we decided that we’d head over and visit with her and try NYC again in the morning.

One long day at the airport later, after numerous delays and ultimately a cancelled flight, New York just wasn’t in the cards for us. But we weren’t able to fly home until Sunday, so a weekend in DC it was!

Cherry Blossoms No. 2

Our unexpected stay ended up being worth it—we got to see the cherry trees in full, glorious bloom.

Of course, I couldn’t just take “normal” photos of the blossoms.

I had to experiment with one of my favorite techniques—film soup!

What resulted were these colorful, unique perspectives of the infamous flowers.

One of the many reasons why I love film soup—reimagining scenes, places and things and seeing them in a new way.

Part Two of souping the desert takes us to Sedona, one of the most breathtaking places I’ve ever been to. My jaw was dropped in awe practically the whole time! But seriously, this place makes you feel small—small in the sense of your physical presence to the mountains, but also in the scale of time. Our Airbnb had a book explaining the geology of Sedona and what held me in awe the most was to think of what a blip our time on the planet is compared to the geologic history of the Earth. And that these rocks were once where Antarctica is now, drifting over time to the southwest, submerged underwater, and thrust up thousands of feet to erode to what we see today. I wanted to capture this sense of awe; even though the red of the rocks are stunning, I really like how these souped photos still give me that feeling of wonder of this magical place.

Last October, I visited the state of Arizona—and the desert—for the first time. As someone who’s lived her entire life in the southeastern US, experiencing this climate felt like living in a wonderland for a week. Of course, it helped that the temperature was mild and not excruciatingly hot! What stood out most to me were the Saguaros, the majestic cacti that fill the landscape and can only be found here in the Sonoran Desert. I must have taken hundreds of photos of these plants that anchor the ecosystem and provide shelter, food and water for so many wildlife. One thing I knew for sure was I wanted to soup some of the rolls of film to see how this process could turn an already magical place even more magical. Some of my favorite film soup photos are below.

Desert Dreams No. 2

Desert Dreams No. 3

Desert Mountain Sunset

Solo Saguaro

Prickly Pears

Palm Dreams No. 1

Whoa, that photo is so cool! How’d you get that effect? Did you photoshop that?

Wines & Liquors Lower East Side

Those are just a few reactions and questions I often get when showing my work. I’ll set the record straight: it’s not photoshopped.

Those crazy, colorful effects are the result of an experimental film technique called souping. AKA film soup.

What is film soup, you might ask?

Film soup is the process in which a roll of film is altered by “souping” it in various substances. Basically, I destroy my film by soaking it in water with ingredients that range from lemon juice to dish soap to salt—an act that feels so wrong but it couldn’t be more right!

American Flags No. 2

I was drawn to souping for its unpredictability, its uniqueness and just for the fun of it. You never know what you’re going to get—and when you think you do because you’ve done it many, many times—the technique will surprise you with some funky and hopefully cool results. The film stock, the ingredients, even the colors in the photo react differently each and every time.

Souping my film has helped me learn to let go of perfection because there is no perfect with film soup. Just art. And sometimes, you’re going to fail. The roll will be over-souped or maybe the subject just didn’t work well…that’s all part of the process. But there’s nothing like the excitement of coming across that one image that really is film soup magic. Where the colors, the textures, the ingredients align and produce a totally one-of-a-kind photograph.

Cherry Blossoms No. 1

That’s why I love film soup.

Palm Dreams No. 2

And that’s why I’ll keep experimenting with this technique for as long as it keeps bringing me joy.