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. :)

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.

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... 

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.)

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. :)

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. 

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.

Impossible Laumeier

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

Instax Laumeier

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