Idyllwild Camping On Film

A few film snaps from the little plastic Ultra Wide Slim on our first forest camping trip in Idyllwild. Also, one of my new favorite pictures of my wife. Kicked back, reading a book, under giant trees. Oh, and the skies really are bluer up there. :)

Aquarium Of The Pacific

We finally visited the Aquarium of the Pacific. I've had this on my list of places to visit pretty much since we got here. They have tons of jellyfish, which are fascinating creatures. Lots of fish, some sharks, and even sting rays (yuck). Kim's brother and an auntie was in town for a visit, so we spent the day here with lots of family and saw lots of pretty creatures.

An Oasis In The Desert

A very warm walk in the desert to try to find an oasis of palm trees...

This hike was one of my least favorite yet. It was so, so hot. It seemed endless. Then we found the "oasis" and it was pretty unremarkable. Of course, California is experiencing a horrible drought, so the stream was mostly dry and the palms that surrounded it were a little droopy. Then we had to turn around and walk all the way back. I ran out of water. (Not to worry, I had plenty in the car when we finally got there.)

Granted, we saw some cool skies and creatures, but it was maybe just a tad to hot for this hike a day after camping in the desert. Still, a fun hike and one that the little plastic Ultra Wide Slim captured pretty well.

Olympus XA: It Works!

On one of our strolls around the antique shops in Orange, I found a cheap Olympus XA. I have had an interest in that camera for some time, but didn't really want to spend much money on it. I left that camera sitting in it's case, and was sure it must not work for the price they were asking. We left, went about our day, and went home. The next day, I couldn't shake it, and researched a lot to know what problems to look for. We went and bought batteries and headed back to Orange to check it out again. To my surprise, it was in great condition and it worked! And it was 10% off! I also managed to get an XA2 right around the same time, which I still need to take for a test roll.

This little camera went on a variety of little journeys before I finally finished the roll of film and shipped it off to the lab. 

This is the first photo after I realized I needed to pay attention to the meter... not just the focus. Oops for the six photos before this one. :)

It went with us to Idyllwild on our first forest camping trip. It survived all of the bugs that nearly drove me crazy.

A Rainy Day In The Desert

We chased a rare California thunderstorm out to the desert a few weeks ago. It rained nearly all day in the desert, creating small rivers and lots of mud puddles to play in.The Subaru had a fun day, but we had even more fun. I love the rain and truly miss the rumble of thunder in the skies. This day in the desert made me slightly homesick - rain, thunder, lightning. Ahhh. The sky gave us some dynamic cloud shows and the rain gave this odd terrain a whole new look.

The Getty's Flowers & Sculptures

The flower garden of the Getty is almost as pretty as the art galleries. Definitely has more buzzing bee's though... :)

A Walk Around The Getty

I've been slow to post this adventure, but here it finally is. We took a drive to the Getty just outside of LA, and enjoyed a very warm walk around the grounds and in several of the galleries. The architecture alone is worth a visit. 

A Beachy Sunset

A few photos from an evening at the beach a week or so ago... 

Flowers & Airplanes

We took the Nikon's for a stroll around the Great Park Farmers Market on avery warm Sunday morning. While that didn't show much photographic opportunity, we got tasty snow cones and found a garden full of flowers. Oh, and a couple of airplanes! :)

Wildflower Sunset

Wildflowers and a sunset... lovely! I kinda love this new camera. 

A Little (Nikon) Lite Touch

I snatched up a little box of fun film and a cute point and shoot camera from the FPP (filmphotographyproject.com) and took the little camera out for a test drive. We spent a day walking around Old Town Orange and it was a good chance to take it for a spin! Turns out, I really, really like this new little Nikon Lite Touch. :)

A Newly Sealed Nikon FE

My Nikon FE (that I won from the awesome FPP!) (filmphotographyproject.com) got some new light seals, courtesy of my not so steady or skilled hands. It was my first time doing this type of repair, and it was honestly quite tricky. But, apparently my not so smooth job worked! It doesn't seem to have leaky issues anymore! :)

Welcome Back Nikon!

Well, we tried to love the mirrorless cameras, but it didn't seem to work out for us. While we had some good moments with those little Fuji's, we decided to go back to the land we are familiar with. Big, hefty, gorgeous, Nikon's. It's good to have a Nikon back in my hand!

We anxiously awaited the UPS guy, and quickly loaded our bags and headed out for a test run. The sun was falling quickly, so we grabbed a quick bite at Wahoo's and went to the little sculpture park in Newport for a walk. 

We also happened to be celebrating quite a historic day - the Supreme Court granted legality to same-sex marriages in all states. What better way to celebrate... Wahoo's, cold beers, sculptures, and new cameras with my wife. A good day, June 26th, 2015!

Tulips & Peonies!

Sometimes flowers just beg to have their photograph taken. For instance, tulips and peonies. They are too pretty not to remember. Even Zoe got her nose in for a sniff. A few little cacti got in front of the camera, too.

Tuna Crab Invasion

El Nino is bringing some real warm water to the coast of southern California. Along with the warm water, a bunch - like thousands - of little tuna crabs are floating in, too. 

We went kayaking on June 14th and saw a lot of these little guys bobbing around in the water. We had no idea what they were. They swim backwards, so they look kind of like squids in the water. We beached the kayak for lunch, and when we got out of the boat, the beach was red and covered in these things. Kind of gross and very strange. Still, we didn't know what we were witnessing. I didn't know until Monday when I heard a story on NPR explaining the red masses coming ashore. The warm water has brought them north, and they are covering the beaches. 

We went down to the beach on the next Wednesday to see how it was looking, and by then, it was just a lot of dead crabs and pieces of dead crabs. And wow, did they stink. I found a few still whole for some photos. 

They are creepy, but kind of interesting. They have alien eyes. And pinchers that pinch. :)

Memorial Day Camping

Memorial Day Weekend 2015. We prepped and headed to Idyllwild, to go deep into the mountains and camp out for a day or two. Well, we got to the mountain and the higher we drove, the foggier, colder, and more wet it got. Not ideal for camping. We paused on the side of the road and had to figure out where to go. Joshua Tree. Why not. Maybe there would be a camp site somewhere on the busiest camping weekend of the year!

The view from the road that climbs into Idyllwild:

Bertha Peak

It's May in California and in the midst of a ridiculous drought, it happened to snow quite a lot in the mountains. We got some rain - two days worth - out by the coast, but the mountains got the good stuff. The white stuff. We anxiously waited for the week to end so we could head to the mountains. Saturday morning rolled around and we hit the highway. The winding road that leads up to Big Bear Lake was a cloudy, foggy mess. There were moments when we literally couldn't see much more than a few feet in front of our car. The Subaru took it nice and slow and got up the mountains, through the mist, and safely delivered us to the trail of the day.

We headed up the Cougar Crest Trail from the Big Bear Discovery Center. A couple of miles in, we met the Pacific Coast Trail and trekked along that for a short distance. Eventually, we came to a fork, veered right, and hiked up a steep, steep fire road. Suddenly, some radio towers were in front of us, and we were at the top of Bertha Peak. She sits 8,200 feet up in the air, and we took every one of those feet in by wheel and by foot. The view was worth it.

Neighboring mountains and a lake and ski slopes... all surrounded in clouds and fog. A lovely day hike - slightly less than 8 miles, with an almost 1,700 foot gain. (Legs = sore.)

Zoe In A Cone

The little bean got an eye ulcer. It's a quite painful thing to experience, which means she is getting all of the snuggles. She's on some pain killers that leave her in a pile on the couch for a few hours, which honestly is a good thing. When she is a awake, she is running into walls and kicking the cone and just hating the "cone of shame". We have no idea how this happened to her, but hopefully it gets all healed up rather quickly. It's a hard thing to see her hurting and so uncomfortable. Hopefully her follow-up at the dreaded vet in a couple of days means the cone can go away for good! 

A Cairn Photo

I am so excited that a photo of mine was featured in the Cairn Box for May 2015. It's pretty cool to see my photo printed in something like this. We signed up for Cairn a couple of months ago and love it! It is a surprise box of outdoorsy goodies delivered every month. So far, the things in the box have been fantastic - from a backup battery for my phone, to chap stick and sunscreen, to fire starters, and a fantastic Hydroflask pint glass, and some tasty trail snacks. It's a great surprise in the mail every month, and the company behind the box is pretty fantastic.

For more info, check out their website!

An Idyllwild Adventure

We took a quick trip up to Idyllwild a while back. Kim lived a few young years in this little mountain town. She showed me the house she lived in, the school she briefly attended, and a few other little places that she remembered. We browsed the little downtown area, purchased some cute little souvenirs, and enjoyed a tasty lunch at "The Lumber Mill". A big burger and a burrito, and some cold beer, was a great way to head into the mountains. We got our permits and headed to the trailhead. From there, we met a couple of friendly rangers - good to have those permits! This was my first time ever walking through a mountain forest and the views were just amazing...

Camping At Joshua Tree

We finally got out first camping trip to Joshua Tree on the books. This magical place is definitely one of my favorite little spots to run away to. It was so much fun to sleep under the stars and under our own little Joshua Tree at our campsite. We started off the day by stopping at a couple of campsites to find the "perfect spot". We just so happened to land on a weekend with a wind advisory, so most of the spots were way too windy for a tent. We finally settled on one spot, with a nook between some rocks and bushes... hoping it would shield us from the wind overnight. It's pretty rough sleeping - or not sleeping - in a tent being blown in wind gusts. We did that at Anza-Borrego, and basically, stayed awake all night. After picking a spot, we took a little hike from our site to let the sun go down a little before making camp. This place, it's a desert wonderland... so much to explore.

The SX-70 Goes To The Desert!

The SX-70 took its first trip to the desert (with me, anyway). Instant photos with focus and some sharpness. Who knew! I love this camera. :)

My First SX-70 Photos

I joined the "Polaroid Week" group on Flickr this year on somewhat of a whim. I don't shoot a ton of instant, but I sure do love the little bit that I do. I didn't have much to share, since everything you share has to be "new" and unshared previously. I blog most of my photos, so I didn't have much. It worked out quite perfectly that a good pal happened to mail me a surprise pack of authentic Polaroid film. I used that on an 11 mile hike, along with a pack of Impossible, so I would have some photos to share. 

I didn't know that there would be giveaways, but oh, there were! I entered one giveaway specific giveaway really hoping to win, but highly doubting that I would. A Polaroid SX-70 camera was the prize. I went to bed early one night and missed the winner announcement. Thanks to one guy tweeting at me, I woke up to a wonderful surprise. I won! A few days later, a new camera arrived in the mail and I stuffed in with one of two packs of film I had on hand. 

The first photo I take is always the wife and the kitty. Here they are. :)

Joshua Tree on "Infrared" Film

I shot a roll of the always surprising Ilford SFX out at Joshua Tree last weekend. This film is one of my favorites, mainly because it never ceases to offer a surprise when it comes back from processing. It's a faux infrared black and white film. You add a red filter to the camera and shoot away, and the result is super dark skies, super bright foliage, and apparently, it has fun with Joshua Tree rocks, too.

Purple Chrome Joshua Tree

Here is another film that is completely new to me. This roll is another from Lomography called Purple Chrome. It is hyped as a faux color infrared, but also for just giving crazy purples and teals. I took this to the other-wordly terrain of Joshua Tree to see what it would do. I love the teal skies and the purple trees and cacti. It's strange to shoot film that sees things other than what my eyes can see, but makes for a fun surprise when the film comes back. 

My First Try At Redscale

I attended the Film Photography Podcast Walking Workshop a few weeks ago. There was some discussion there about redscale film and it intrigued me. I spent a little bit of time researching about this film, and decided to try it out. Here is my first shot at trying out a roll!

These photos were also taken in a little Minolta Auto Zoom that I got at the same workshop. We went camping in Anza-Borrego, which included climbing around on big rocks. This camera came in so handy and was so easy to run around with.

For some strange reason, sometimes this film gave me yellow results, sometimes red, sometimes hot pink. I'm assuming the light variances played a roll in this. Otherwise, no idea why or what caused it, but I like the variances. Also, notice that super cool date stamp in the corner - prior to my figuring out how to turn it off. :)

The Film Photography Project Walking Workshop 2015!

The folks at the Film Photography Project (a fantastic podcast all about film photography) chose California as the site for their 2015 Walking Workshop. Even better, they chose San Clemente which is just a little traffic-filled trek down the 5 away. We attended on Saturday and were treated to breakfast, a Darkroom lab tour, a fantastic camera giveaway (I won a Nikon FE! See my last post for it's light leaky wonderfulness), a couple of contests (we won a Diana set!), lunch and then a not-school bus ride down to the San Clemente Pier. On Sunday, we got a tour of various large format cameras and got to play with some Lomography cameras. Here are my photos from the events!

These photos were taken with my F100, except for the light leaky ones, which were the new Nikon FE that needs some light seals. The overlappy edge ones are from a Diana Mini that the hosts let me borrow for the day!

A Light Leaky Nikon FE

I won this nifty little Nikon FE at the Film Photography Project Walking Workshop. I went hoping so so much that they'd have a Nikon SLR from the FM-FE era available, and I'm still a little stunned that I won it. Sadly, it appears to have almost no light seals left. Not a big surprise, but it definitely leaked on my first roll. I already have replacement seals on order, and will get to try my hands at replacing them for the first time ever! In the meantime, here are some light leaked photos from, where else, Joshua Tree! :)

We found this desert color out in the Twin Tanks area, trying to choose a campsite for future backcountry camping excursions. The desert is in bloom! 

(Nikon FE with Agfa Color 400 film)

Joshua Tree on the Mamiya

A little more film from the Joshua Tree obsession, this time from my Mamiya 645S. A little more medium format fun, this time on Fuji 400H! We truly are obsessed with the desert. 

Yashica Goes To Joshua Tree

The mighty Yeshiva 124G took a trip up Ryan Mountain in Joshua Tree. This is medium format 120 Kodak Ektar.

Mojave Camping & Joshua Tree In Bloom

Here are a few photos from my Nikon F100 on some old, noisy, grainy Portra 800. First, a few scenes from our Mojave camping trip. Then, a few of the Joshua Tree desert in bloom!

Joshua Tree & Mojave Preserve in Black & White

I just recently got some film developed that has been sitting in various cameras for quite some time. I have a horrible habit of taking most of a roll of film, but leaving a few shots and then they sit for a long while.

This first roll is out of my trusty old Canon AE-1, with my very last roll of Neopan 100. It went to Joshua Tree way back on our second trip there. It then went camping with us at the Mojave Preserve. Then it went back to Joshua Tree, just a couple of weekends ago. The outcome... a variety of desert wonderland, on this lovely old black and white film.

Anza-Borrego: Camping

Our second camping trip, this time to Anza-Borrego's Culp Valley. And with a new tent, this time! Thanks REI, for the big coupon! We also scored new hiking boots at the REI Garage Sale, so trekking around in the desert was much more comfy than all of our other times. 

Anza-Borrego: Rocks and Boulders

One of my very favorite parts of the desert wilderness has to be the piles of rocks. Boulders and rocks that just beg to be played on. Anza-Borrego has no shortage of these piles and boulders.

Our first day there, we drove down a random little dirt road and found the first set of rocks to wander around on.

Anza-Borrego: Roadways and Hillsides

We left our camp and drove down the big hills of S22, a very steep and winding road that goes to the desert floor of Borrego Springs. A gorgeous drive, to say the least.

Anza-Borrego: Plant Life

We enjoyed a weekend adventure down at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. We arrived, pitched our camp, and headed out to explore. A winding road took us down from our high desert camp to the very warm desert below. Along the way, we saw so many variations of plant life. From blooming bright pink cacti, to pretty little yellow flowers growing on rocks, to scraggly little bushes that have their own special kind of "pretty". This terrain is so unique. Here are a few photos from our trek around the area and the plant life that we stumbled upon along the way.

Impossible Laumeier

These don't require much introduction... Laumeier on Impossible instant film.

Instax Friends and Family

I decided to take some instant photos of the St. Louis family and friends while we were home. I wanted a photo with everyone we saw. Mostly, a success, though we did miss a few people. But I have these little souvenirs of a fantastic time at home with a bunch of my favorite people! :)

Grandma and Prince with me.

Instax Laumeier

The Instax took a trip to Laumeier... a snowy, instant film version of one of my favorite little places.

A Snowy Trip To Laumeier

We made a little trip back to St. Louis in February, just in time for a bit of snow to be waiting on the ground. It was frigid for most of the trip, but the snow made it worth it. Of course, we made a stop or two (or three) at this little park. This park, Laumeier, was such a piece of "home" for us. We have such a wealth of memories from here, it was truly a wonderful little bit of home to visit. We even got to build a little snowman! :)

A Trip Home

Almost one year, to the date, since we moved away from St. Louis, we made the trip back home. There was Dewey's Pizza, Ted Drewes, soon much Imo's, White Castle, Gingham's breakfast, and grandma's cooking. We loved the time with friends and with family. I loved the frigid air and the snow on the ground - Kim didn't appreciate that as much, my warm air loving wife. :) I got to do some fix-up's at grandma's house, including shoveling snow! We saw the Blues win a game on home ice. And we loaded up on Imo's pizza, including two extra large pizza's that we packed up and brought to our freezer in California. It was a great trip. :) We didn't spend a ton of time with our cameras out, instead, just enjoyed our time there. Here are the few snaps I did get, and there will be some instant film in blogs to follow! 

Grandma and Kim, waiting for Prince to piddle. 

Mojave Camping: Day Three

Day three of camping in Mojave started after a rather long night. The temperatures dropped a little lower and the wind blew significantly harder. Our tent at one point was caving in and literally laying on my face. At around 4am, I got up and moved my car into the "yard" to attempt to block the wind. It worked enough that we got another two hours of sleep. This night of sleep seemed significantly colder than the other, probably due to the wind. But, when we did finally decide to emerge from the tent, we were greeted by another lovely sunrise at our front door, and a falling moon in the opposite direction. Beautiful.

Mojave Camping: Day Two

We survived the first night of 30-40 degree temperatures and rather gusty winds. We had a friendly owl hooting all night. No coyotes, no wild animals. I do think a fox was sniffing around outside of our tent at one point, and some other campers saw some foxes that night. It was cold for sleeping. We had lot of layers, hand warmers, and kept the windows closed. I still woke up shivering at least once. There was lots of tossing and turning, but we actually managed to sleep, and in the tent (not the car) so I consider it a success. :)

This sunrise... quite a gorgeous thing to see right outside the tent door!

Mojave Camping: Day One

We decided to take a camping trip. Rather impulsively, this decision was made. But then a great deal of planning and list making happened over just a couple of days. This would be my first camping trip since I was a teenager, and that last trip way back then did not go so well. I was scared the entire time that the sun was not up. So, we weren't too sure how I'd handle this. But, we purchased sleeping bags and a few little camping essentials, loaded up the Subie, and headed to the desert. This was our first trip to the Mojave National Preserve, also. Another gorgeous desert landscape, similar, but so much larger and diverse than Joshua Tree.

Our first day consisted of the several hours of driving to get to Mojave. We filled up the gas tank at the last stop available - there is no gas anywhere near this preserve, so a full tank to start is essential. We pulled off of the big interstate and were immediately on dirt roads with big ruts and potholes. Eventually, we made our way to the campsite at the Hole-In-The-Wall area. We picked out spot and settled our camp! The scenery did not disappoint, nor did the solitude of this little piece of land.

Off-Road In Joshua Tree

We got a new car, so of course, we went to the desert. Joshua Tree has a few roads that need 4x4 to trek, so the Crosstrek fit the bill. The sights to see we just as fantastic as every other time. We were in the middle of the desert and saw a snowy mountain in the distance. We got to the end of one such road and found a few good rocks to climb. We turned around and saw our winding road leading through the desert. Honestly, this desert environment is new to me and I can't seem to get enough of it.

A New Subaru

Here he is... meet Joshua the Subaru!

We shopped and we shopped, and finally found the perfect package with the paint color we wanted... all the way down in San Diego. Obvious next step, drive to San Diego after work on a Thursday and buy a car. It even rained for us. Welcome to our world, Crosstrek XV, and we really hope you like to get your feet dirty. :)

Joshua Tree: Trip Two

Joshua Tree was just too gorgeous for one day... we headed back for a second little journey of exploring the rocks and desert. It is such a beautiful place. This also happened to be the last time my little Mazda (Emmitt) got to go for a little road trip. He had a good little last run through the desert. :)

We found an old mill, a broken down abandoned building, and a couple of old vehicles out in the desert along a long hike. We climbed around the "Jumbo Rocks" - no skinned knees this time. These rock formations provide quite a spectacular landscape, and at times, faces staring back at you.

The sunset and starry sky gave us another beautiful show. Including an amazing wind storm at the top of a peak called Keys View. It was difficult to stand up at times, with gusting wind that wanted to blow everything off the top of that hill.

(There are quite a few photos in this post, so just a tip - if you click on the first image, an image viewer will open and allow you to click through the photos, if you like.)

A Beachy Sunset

After a weekend in the desert, we went for a total opposite scene and went to stick out toes in the ocean for a pretty sunset. Somehow, these scenes always seem different and never get old. 

The Stars of Joshua Tree

When the sun goes down, things get really pretty out in the desert. Sunset is a colorful sky, followed by a darkness that allows every star to shine so bright.

The Trees of Joshua Tree

The trees of Joshua Tree are quite an interesting part of this park. From the actual Joshua Trees, to the "teddy bear" cacti (that feel nothing like teddy bears), to the "dead" plants that somehow seem alive, and living plants that somehow seem dead... the fauna is quite intriguing at times.