Analog Love Letter: Salt In Her Veins

I don't think I've met someone so drawn to the ocean as my friend Genna. Before meeting her, I rarely went to the beach. It just wasn't my sort of thing but after meeting her, I found myself being at the beach more since she would invite me to come. It's a good place to spend the day to escape the scorching summer temperatures of the valley which is when we would always go.

There is this rock on a beach (that will be unnamed because it's her favorite "secret" beach and I swore not to give out) and we both climbed it when I took this photo of her as she was looking out towards the ocean. 

It's a lovely beach and it's quite secluded which is what I enjoy about it. I apologize for not divulging its whereabouts.

"Genna's rock" / 35mm Cinestill 800t / June 2014

Analog Love Letter: Legal Brew

I remember when I first turned 21. It was great being able to drink alcohol legally. Not that I drank before turning 21. I was never really a drinker. I've seen friends drink before and seeing them turned me off a bit because they drank to get drunk but as I grew into legal age, I imbibe to enjoy and rarely do I get drunk.

I took this photo of my friend Genna at Outside Lands last year and while she has been to previous Outside Lands, this was the time when she was able to finally buy her own beer legally. I'm sure it felt great to walk into Beer Lands, order her drink and show her wristband to the bartender. My first alcoholic drink was a wine cooler so it wasn't much, but it was great.

"Finally legal" / 35mm Adox CHS 100 / August 2014

Analog Love Letter: Unguarded

Posed or candid? I've always debated which I like more. With posed shots, you have direct control over not only your subject, but how your photograph plays out. With candid photos, you're at the mercy of whatever happens right before your eyes. Most of my photographs are documentary/photojournalistic in style so I have an affinity for the element of chaos with candid photos/portraits. I suppose I prefer that my subjects be unguarded when I photograph them. It's cliche but there's truth when a person let's their guard down.

It's probably why this is one of my favorite photos in my archive of my friend Genna. We were waiting in line to watch the Cinespia screening of Jaws at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and I saw her laying there on the grass, drinking her Stella beer and she was talking, I forget about what, but as she was talking, she was slowly peeling the label off the bottle. I was curious about that action and I wanted to document it so I tried my best to sneak my camera and prep it for a shot and once she looked at up at me, I fired the shutter. There's a light leak in the photo but it's at a place in the photo where it works.

"In the waiting line" / 35mm Cinestill 800T / June 2014