Cabo 2021 • A Xerophyte Study

Last December, Tino was named a Top 100 employee in his company and was invited to the Founder's Club celebration in Cabo San Lucas. The resort was a beautiful illustration of the desert meeting the ocean. My morning walks easily became a study of the desert plants surrounding their campus.

I packed light for this trip, so I only brought two cameras (hehe), and a roll of Fuji 400h ...which might have expired - I can't remember. My goal for a while now is to be able to shoot film side by side with digital and have a cohesive portfolio. It's hard when I visit a new place because I want to see so much of everything I don't have time to pause and take a shot on two different camera mediums. So happy I got to slow down and try it on this trip.

I'll leave these here for you to guess which was shot on film versus digital ...enjoy the cacti, if you can't tell, I did ˙ᵕ˙

I've decided that I prefer changing my camera settings before shooting for my digital workflow and not editing in post-production. This does limit the type of film recipe I try out per outing, but so far, it's been a great experience because there's less tinkering and the shots I post are SOOC.

These were my favorite comparison of the bunch between Fuji 400h film & a Superia 400 film recipe (below). Fuji 400h delivers a punch of coolness, but I love Superia's warmth, which made it a great comparison recipe. Check out the blues in the shadows, mmm I love how the film captured that. I believe I rated Fuji 400h at 200. Most of the shots were taken midday with the sun right above me.

All in all, I think this is my favorite film & digital combo I've shot. I was originally hesitant to post because I misplaced where I saved my film files, and I wasn't too in love with my digital shots for a standalone post. Probably because of the sheer number of interior shots I got of the bathroom. So before I end this post, I need to share this bathroom. I loved this bathroom. I thought I was not too fond of showers outside, but this bathroom changed my mind. I wasn't a huge bath person before, but after eating churros in this tub every night, I AM NOW. Get it? Life changing. Ok, that's it. Bye!

Cancun 2021

I am finally getting around to posting these pictures from last year. I was initially going to break it out into two posts, but this draft has been sitting for weeks - so here we are. I look back fondly on this vacation because it was our first international trip since quarantining. It's become an inside joke in my family, but when we say Cancun, its synonymous to a week of rest. It's my one of my favorite types of vacations we take - just a lot of tacos, golfing and sleep ˙ᵕ˙

We got a chance to visit Tulum on this trip. Tulum (wall in Mayan) was originally named Zama meaning sunrise, place of the dawning sun. So poetic for a city facing east, and being a major trading and religious center. The largest structure is the Castillo (castle) which was used as a temple and our guide pointed out the architectural influences from the Toltec civilization. It's amazing to see what has survived from this period considering most of our current infrastructure in California has been graded a C- since most are nearing their 40-year design life.

The clouds on this day were gorgeous. They hover so low, it's like you can almost touch them. Unfortunately, I didn't get any film shots when we visited Tulum. I had bought an Olympus Pen FT after dropping my first one for this trip but ended up returning it due to its consistent mechanical failures. It ruined two film rolls by not advancing properly. This was the camera before the one I bought for SF in case you're wondering lol.

The only roll that wasn't ruined was Lomography 800, which I wasn't too mad about. I was able to try it out in different lighting conditions throughout the trip. The colors and saturation of the shots I took in the afternoon with the bright sun at box speed are great. Perfect for the tropical vibe, the warmth and green remind me of Fuji C200.

My favorite shots have been the ones taken during sunset. The way Lomo captured the highlights in the clouds surprised me. I honestly regret not composing the shot (below) a little bit better, but I didn't think the clouds would come through. I would definitely use this stock again for more informal scenarios. I love the grain and prefer Lomo for the colors it renders for sunsets and indoor scenes.

LA Walks • Van Gogh on Lomo

Is it cliche to say I love Van Gogh? I love his impasto art style of bold, dramatic brush strokes because I can feel the movement in his artwork. When I saw that Immersive Van Gogh had an exhibit opening up in Los Angeles, I immediately bought tickets to take my sister. The shot below is my favorite from the whole roll, two strangers who I assume were on their first date. I've posted it on other platforms and I got a comment noting that the people in the shot look like they are a part of the painting. Loved that description, it sums up exactly what I loved about the experience.

The exhibit was breathtaking and inspiring. We sat through two sequences of the exhibit. Once to experience its entirety uninterrupted, second for the moments we wanted to capture. Shooting film with alternating bright scenes and complete darkness was a challenge. I was relieved I brought my digital camera because I was overwhelmed. I literally felt like I was shooting blindly at the wall. The scenes flashed quickly that I did not have time to meter and compose properly. Definitely recommend it if you like learning in a sink or swim environment because there is a huge risk of wasting money to scan and develop a bad roll.

When I started shopping for high-speed colored film to use, Kodak Portra 800 was either sold out or sold at a crazy price point. Lomography was an alternative, but I was really hesitant because I had never shot it before. From what I scoped out online, outdoor results varied, and I found few indoor low-light examples. I was super skeptical that any shots would turn out well, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got the scans back. Legit held my breath when I saw the email and didn't breathe until I saw the scans.

Seeing the results now, I think I would have chosen Lomo over Kodak for this specific exhibit - even if in some weird alternative universe Kodak was cheaper. I have to say that Lomo 800 carried the colors well, with amazing saturation and contrast. I loved how well the silhouettes came out against the vibrant imagery. Very true to the colors I saw in person.

^ this was my second favorite shot of the whole roll. I remember rushing to take it because it was one of my favorite scenes during the exhibit. Van Gogh's tragic life always reminds me to check in on myself. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so I hope you're checking in on yourself too.