Analog Love Letter: Lovers On A Rock

I'm not quite sure what prompts lovers to scale objects just to sit on them. This isn't the first time I've seen this phenomenon or documented.

During a location scouting session, I happened to come across this couple sitting atop this rock. I'm quite sure they were looking out at the ocean and it boggles me a bit. It's not like sitting on top will change the entire view. It's just the same as if you were sitting down on the beach this rock was located. Sure, it's just you two so I suppose the experience can be argued as different.

I'm not entirely sure why I felt the need to capture this either. Maybe I'm just starting on another project of couples just sitting on rocks and I just don't know it yet.

"Lovers rock #2" / 6x6 medium format Kodak Ektar 100 / December 2014

Analog Love Letter: Sunbathers

An interesting trend in the new hotels that are propping up these days is having rooftop pools surrounded by cabanas and sun chairs (I think that's what they're called?).

Many of the newer hotels in Los Angeles have them and I'm not really one to frequent such places so this was the first time I've ever been to one, and to this date, my only experience of the rooftop pool.

I was invited to my friend Melissa's birthday party to what was then the SLS Hotel. She's seen here (pictured middle) surrounded by her friends Jessica and Lee Ann. I took a great deal of photos on this day and even went in the water with my camera in hand to take a couple of shots as seen here. The water was ankle deep in this pool but I have other photos where I'm pretty much submerged and tried my best not to drop my camera under water. Anything to get the shot.

"Jessica, Melissa and Lee Ann" / 6x6 medium format Kodak 125PX / April 2011

Analog Love Letter: Much Too Bright

This is a photo from my earlier days of film photography. I was using a standard Canon AE-1 Program SLR, and heavy in the Flickr scene when it was a big thing, uploading all my scanned film photos and joining the various analog groups on there. I discovered the very small niche scene of lomography and xpro'ing film which highly interested me. It was something new and exciting and I wanted to know more about it so the more research I did on the subject and scene, the more I wanted to go out and buy a toy camera and try out cross processing my film.

The day I purchased my first toy camera, a Holga CFN, I bought some film and promptly began shooting. There was a small house party of sorts and I went through my first few rolls of film that night when I took this photo of my friend Flor.

The CFN has a special flash built in which has colored gel filters on it so you're able to change the color of the flash at your choosing. That ability, along with the various color shifts that come with cross processing film, the resulting image possibilities are nearly endless.

For some people, the niche look of lomography and cross processing film can get boring and tiresome but to this day, I'm still shooting on various toy cameras and cross processing film.

"Too bright of a flash" / 6x4.5 medium format Kodak Ektachrome 64T / February 2007

Analog Love Letter: No Pictures Please

Sometimes I don't understand the shyness of people whenever a camera is pointed towards their direction. Photos are taken all the time, often without people knowing of it. I find little to distinguish between knowing that a photo is being taken to not knowing. The end result is the same.

Jorge doesn't really like having his picture taken. At least from my experience but he's getting a bit better about it. Maybe because he knows I always have at least one camera on me at all times and at some point I may feel inclined to take his photo. Or maybe he's getting used to the fact that I'll keep taking his photo when I wish and I'm stubborn about getting the right shot. This photo was taken long ago before he warmed up to my picture taking when I first purchased my Fuji Instax camera.

"Jorge being shy" / Fuji Instax instant film / Circa 2014

Analog Love Letter: Casa De Cadillac

When the temperatures get warm enough, I like to venture out into the night and do a bit of night shooting. It's one of my favorite pastimes. Sometimes during the summer, it can get pretty hot in Los Angeles, especially the San Fernando Valley, and I don't even bother going out but during those hot summer nights, the evening temperature can get into the 70s and 80s which is quite lovely.

This time around, I was testing a camera and hit my friend Jasson up to do some night shooting in Van Nuys, Calif. when I took this photo of Casa De Cadillac which is a Cadillac dealership on Ventura Blvd. What I really love about this dealership, other than the caddies they sell (I love cars), is the font they use for the sign. I'm no font nerd but I do know a bit of history to this place. It opened up sometime in the '50s and has been in business ever since. The font reminds me of the "futuristic" styling and outlook of American industry in that era. America had just won World War II and the middle class was on the up and up and everyone was focused on the optimism of tomorrow.

There's a bit of a light leak in this image but it's in a good place where it isn't totally distracting and it gives the photo a bit of character.

"Casa De Cadillac" / 35mm Fuji Provia 400X / July 2014

Analog Love Letter: A Little Too Much

New Years Eve is one of those nights where people really let loose to celebrate the end of the year and the optimistic outlook for the next. Imbibing is almost a given (except when you're tasked as being a designated driver to which you really shouldn't drink) but sometimes people can take it a bit far.

During one NYE, my brother apparently went a little too fast too early. I arrived at a friend's house to celebrate the night after coming off of work to find my friends a couple of hours into the night already "feeling good" (expected) but I didn't expect to see my brother half way passed out as seen in this photo. Actually, I didn't really even expect my brother to be there at all. There's a running joke within my circle of friends that you'll never see me and my brother at the same place, at the same time. There have been many instances where I was at a party first and leaving early, only to have my brother arrive at the same party well after I have gone and vice versa. That's neither here nor there but it's an interesting piece of information. Anyway, from what I gathered that night, my brother had gone a little bit too hard earlier in the party and started to begin his burnout just as I have arrived. Not long after I got there, he was pretty much passed out on the couch. If I remember correctly, it was around 10:30pm.

Pace is the trick.

"Go hard, burn hard" / 6x6 medium format Ilford Pan F 50 / December 2011

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: Los Angeles Living

Some people say that Los Angeles has no distinct weather pattern. No real winter or fall. Just sun and more sun. Contrary to popular belief, it does rain sometimes. It hasn't in a while which is sad because we need it. Having said that, I love sun. Warm is good. So are palm trees.

"Two sticks and a clear sky" / 35mm Kodak Portra 160VC / April 2011

Analog Love Letter: Awake

Sometimes all it takes is good timing.

I used to frequent my friend's house quite often. Most of the time I come unannounced. I'm almost like the Kimmie Gibbler (from Full House fame) of my group of friends.

My friend Flor was babysitting while the parents worked and this photo was taken just as my friend's son was waking up from a nap and his mother had just come from work to pick him up. As she was feeding him, he looked towards me and gave this curious look.

Me and kids are weird. I love kids but sometimes kids are stranger danger with me which is fine. Some take to me well from the start while others I just need more time so I can grow on them.

"Wrong side of a nap" / 35mm Kodak Portra 160VC / April 2011

Analog Love Letter: Co-workers

I took this photo of co-workers at Frankie's Italian Kitchen on my Fuji Instax 210 camera and I love the faded look of the images produce. It looks like I took this photo in the '70s or '80s when in fact I took it sometime last year. It's no Polaroid but it's a much more inexpensive option to Impossible Film. 

I also love how the red rendered in her hair. Kind of reminds me of a waitress in a proper diner.

"Jorge and Carol" / Fuji Instax 210 instant film / Circa 2014