Beginner Film Photography :: The First Batch

      Let's hope the first roll is always the worst.  It can only get better from here on out, right?  In my defense, about half the roll were photos from about 10 years ago.  It was nostalgic to see these photos!  Such a different time.  The film had expired since then, and I accidentally opened the back door of the camera when I first took it back out to shoot on, which resulted in some weird color - or maybe the color is the result of it being expired film? I have no idea! I didn't adjust the color on any of these, just so you can see them for what they are.  I did lighten and crop a couple of them because the tilted horizon line was driving me crazy.  Also, I apologize in advance for what your eyes are about to be exposed to. 😄

     For this round I used The Darkroom Lab to develop and scan.  I might try some other labs just to see what different services are like.  Here's what arrived in the mail a couple days after I received my scans via a download link. 

     Alright, here are the photos!  Keep in mind, I'm showing you the GOOD ones LOL.  Let's not even talk about the others. 😏

San Simeon Pier (I think?) from 2009

From Monterey Bay Aquarium (2009)

     This is probably the best photo from the whole roll, and I'm sure that mostly has to do with the view and not so much the quality of the photo LOL.

     This is from a photography meet up at Joshua Tree - most likely 2009 as well.  

     You can tell this is more recent because of Covid - see the hand sanitizer? 😆

     A few shots from Old Town Tustin.  You really see the weird color here.

     When I edited this one in Photoshop and made it black and white, it actually looked okay - but here it is in its original crappy form. 😆 Dog is still cute though, right? 

     I just got this in yesterday, and I'm excited to start a fresh roll and do better this time around.  We'll see hahaha!

Morning Lavender Tea Box and a Photo Walk

      About a year and a half ago, I gathered a group of gals to check out an afternoon tea service at Morning Lavender Cafe.  It's this adorable little cafe in Old Town Tustin that Instagram dreams are made of. I checked it off on my list of after teas to try out, but have been wanting to return for a while now.  Since Covid, they still do drinks to go, and a few days a month, you can pre-order their afternoon tea boxes.  These things go fast, let me tell ya!  I thought I'd wait until the day before to order them, and they were usually sold out.  Finally, I learned my lesson and ordered a box once the date was released.  For whatever insane reason, I decided to choose the 9am pick up time, and I don't recommend doing that.  I should've picked a later time so it really would've been afternoon tea.  This was more like breakfast tea. 😂 

     They have great safety measures in place, and I'm glad to report that everyone working there was wearing masks and gloves.  I also liked that the box was minimal, yet cute.  The decorative aspects of it were either greens or paper, so very little plastic waste. 👍  My only suggestion would've been to use some parchment paper to wrap around the box instead of the plastic covering. They don't include any utensils because it's assumed you're going to be having this tea somewhere else and hopefully have prepared for it.  Luckily, I had my Final spork and some cloth napkins with me.  They include this little menu card explaining what's in the box. Such a cute touch!

     The desserts in the box include this vegan donut and lavender macaron.  Both were delicious, and just the right amount after all the finger sandwiches.

     I ended up having my tea box on of the many metal benches that line the street Old Town Tustin is on.  It worked out okay, since my original location to have this tea was closed due to the fires in SoCal right now.  

     On a brighter note, how cute is this gold spork?!  Final really hit it out of the park with their color selection on these.  I find myself finding reasons to use this spork just because it's so cute.  Less plastic consumption AND Instagram-worthy? Win, win!

     Okay, confession.  When I first saw the box on their Instagram account, I wasn't sure how big it was.  Then I saw it in person, and it looked tiny.  I did have concerns about being hungry afterwards hahaha, but I am happy to report that by the time I put some clotted cream and preserves on this scone, I was already pretty full.  I didn't even touch the donut and macaron til dinner time.  

     Another thing I wanted to note is that you won't be given a cup of hot water for your tea.  Again, it's assumed you're probably taking this box home instead of taking it somewhere immediately to consume.  I saved my tea for later since I failed to bring hot water with me.  Luckily, I had some coffee with me. 

     After consuming all the yummy carbs, I decided I needed to walk off some of them and took a drive down to San Juan Capistrano.  There was plenty of space there, and the air wasn't too horrible from the fires yet.  There is a lot of foliage and flowers right now, so if you're looking for a relaxing place to photo walk, this is a good choice.  

     It was nowhere near as busy as it normally is on a Saturday in this area.  

     Thanks for reading!  Let me know what you're doing to maintain a sense of "normal" in the comments! 😊

Beginner Film Photography

      You know it's been a long time since you've made a blog post when you log in and there's a new interface! Hahaha, what a way to be welcomed back. 😏 The world is slower than the last time I posted, so I thought it fitting that my first post of 2020 be about something slow - film photography!  

     I'm no stranger to film.  Back when I was a kid (AKA before the internet), all I had were 35mm and 110 cameras.  They were point and shoot cameras and they always got the job done.  While not the best looking photos in the world, the pictures I have from the 80s and 90s remind me that I always carried a camera, and not once regretted it.  When I was in high school, we had a Minolta SLR as our family camera and boy, did I love that thing (even though I had no idea what I was doing and the pictures to prove it). Fast forward to now, and while I think I know more about photography now, using that knowledge with an old medium like film seems almost foreign.  It's like learning a new genre of photography almost, and with film, there is so much to learn.  

     So why film?  I have plenty of digital DSLRs and mirrorless cameras and lenses to keep me busy. The truth is, I love going back through old photos.  I started noticing that often times I'd look at a set of photos I shot on my DLSR, and sometimes wouldn't remember the experience.  I know it happened, and I know I was there, but the actual memories were either weak or nonexistent.  Everyone always says that shooting film forces you to slow down and really consider the moment, so I figured why not?

     I dug out this old Canon EOS 1N that I purchased from a friend for $100 over a decade ago.  It was in perfect working condition, and still had some exposures left on it from a roll I had shot back in 2009.  What I discovered about shooting film was that I really did spend more time thinking about the shot and a lot less time looking at the back screen.  Heck, I still don't know what those pictures I took look like... but we'll find out in a few days! 😀 That's the other fun aspect of film - the anticipation of seeing the photos.  I've never been so excited to see my crappy photos as I am about this roll!

     There is still so much I need/want to learn.  I'd like to at least learn how to develop the film myself and scan it.  I have a box of these old negatives, and even though they take up space, it's cool to have something tangible to look at and hold.

     One of the fun aspects of this new adventure was looking at the different types of film you can buy.  I'll admit, I was excited about the film simulations of my Fuji X100V, but I don't think film simulations come close to the look of film.  The color rendition might be on point, but not the look/feeling of the photo. I shamefully looked at hundreds of photos on Instagram looking at examples of photos shot on film I was interested in.  I decided to try these three.  I have the Ilford in my 1N right now, and I'm hoping to shoot that roll and try one of the color films.  

     When I needed to develop/scan that old roll in the 1N, I decided to send it to The Darkroom since they're based in SoCal, and I was hoping that meant I'd get the scans back just a tad faster.  Kids, it's not cheap.  It was $22 (including shipping) for that one roll.  I'm gonna be real selective about what I shoot.  I love my dog, but he's not getting all 36 exposures on that black and white roll. 😂

     Hopefully, it's not too long before I get those scans back! I'll be sharing some of the photos here - stay tuned and thanks for reading! 😊

P.S. If anyone sees a mint condition Leica M6 for sale, send me the link! 😂

Hollywood Forever Cemetery :: Dia de los Muertos

     In the past, several people have told me how great this event is.  I finally made myself go, and the portrait opportunities did not disappoint!  I loved all the vibrant colors and creative artistry that went into everyone's outfits/make-up.  Traffic was absolutely insane, so my best advice is to get there early (before 3pm) and you'll likely avoid the massive crowds.  Wait til the sun goes down, grab a few dramatic shots against a darker sky, and then make your way home before it's shoulder to shoulder!  

     I shot with my EOS R and only brought two lenses - my RF 35mm f1.8 and RF 24-105mm f4.  I found these to be more than enough to get the shots that I wanted.  A good, fast prime is a must have - especially once the sun sets.  In retrospect, I should've packed my Litra Pro light.  I saw someone using one of those light wands with adjustable color temperatures, and now I want one!  Maybe for Christmas! 😀

     I can definitely see myself going to this event again.  Enjoy the photos!