Unable to grow sufficient facial hair. Unwilling to get a tattoo on my out of shape person. I was left with few options for maintaining my membership in Oakland’s fraternity of 30-something dads. So I went the mechanical route and decided to start shooting with film for the first time since I was 10. It’s been an exciting, frustrating and illuminating first week as I’ve come to better understand my — not my equipment’s — obvious limits as a photographer.

I found a great deal on an old Leica M5 with a non-functioning meter, and then met a wonderful street photographer in San Francisco who was willing to part with a 50mm Summarit from the ‘50s. Being two of the more divisive products Leica ever made also meant I could afford them without having to sell one of my kids.

Nothing could be more different than the digital cameras I’m used to. Learning to take care of everything on my own is like learning to walk all over. But my hope, my tiny little hope, is that I’ll end up a better photographer because of this, and that as film lays bare my own shortcomings, I might finally get off my butt and take some classes.

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A Road Trip Through California

July 20th, 2015

Family visits to end and start the years

Mar Vista, Anchor Bay, California

Mar Vista and a Book

July 20^th, 2015