October 12, 2026 · Fujifilm X100V · ISO 200 · f/5.6
Climbed the trail just before sunset. The haze over the basin turned everything a soft copper, and the city lights started blinking on one block at a time. I stayed until the last pink drained from the sky — three frames that mattered, the rest deleted on the walk down.
What I keep returning to is how flat the midtones get up here. Expose for the sky and the hillside falls into silhouette; open up for the trees and the highlights bloom. This one sits in the middle, a little muddy, a little honest.
Morning fog in Santa Monica
August 18, 2026 · Canon AE-1 · 50mm · ND8
The pier disappears into gray at seven in the morning. Long exposures, a cheap ND filter, and a lot of patience. Most of the roll was soft — the wind kept the tripod honest — but this frame holds the quiet I came for: no people, no color, just the line of the pier dissolving.
Fog days are the only mornings I set an alarm for. The beach empties itself. Seagulls sound farther away than they are.
Notes on shooting Portra 400
September 3, 2026 · 35mm film · Kodak Portra 400
Overexpose by a stop, trust the latitude, and stop worrying about the meter. Skin tones stay warm and the highlights barely clip. I rate it at 200 most weekends now — denser negatives, easier scans, and that familiar cream in the midtones that digital still has to chase.
Lab tip: ask for a flat scan. You can always add contrast later. Crushing it at the lab leaves you with nowhere to go.
Street corners after rain
July 22, 2026 · Fujifilm X100V · ISO 800
Los Angeles does not rain often, so when it does the asphalt turns into a mirror for about forty minutes. I walked three blocks of Melrose with wet shoes and a hood that would not stay up. Neon, brake lights, and a single open café made the whole stretch feel borrowed from somewhere colder.
I am learning to leave more negative space. This frame is mostly sidewalk — and that feels right.
Weekend trail, mid-canyon
June 9, 2026 · Fujifilm X100V · 23mm
A short hike inland, nothing dramatic on the map. The light dropped into the canyon around four and turned the switchbacks into a ribbon of gold. I shot less than usual — stopped every few minutes, waited for people to clear, then took one or two frames and kept walking.
Some days the photograph is just a reason to be outside. That is enough.