Grit & Grain

I don’t know why, but this last roll I shot on my Rolleiflex has taken 4 months to get through and process. I swear I’m not getting complacent!

This shot was down one of the countless “secret” staircases that you’ll find all over San Francisco. Staircases are one of my favorites things about this city, that they are public and beautiful and each one is like your own secret garden. I love to peek into the lovely gateways of the houses that line them, wondering what it takes to have a house on one of these passageways.

// Kodak Portra 400

I took a very quick hop over to Berlin in the fall. While I brought my DSLR with me, I never used it except to take quick snapshots of our apartment while it was still tidy. 

For everything else, it was the Rollei.

Here are two handsome cart horses in the most tourist-infested partsof Berlin: At Brandenburger Tor.

Step into Al’s Attire in North Beach, San Francisco, and you’re stepping back in time. The minute you set foot beyond that wooden dutch door, you’re transported into a time when every piece of clothing was custom tailored to you by the neighborhood tailor. You choose the fabric. You choose the buttons. And Al will work with you every step of the way.

// Rolleiflex 2.8E and Kodak Tmax 400

San Francisco is full of beautiful murals. This one was just around the corner from where I live in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. 

Last summer I was helping shoot a video and pretending to shoot my Rolleiflex around the vibrant, bohemian streets. I kept seeing this medusa woman through the lens and an old man came up to me to tell me about the artist, Lango, who painted it in “honor” of his ex-girlfriend. He is also a tattoo artist who does nice work, and still has several stunning murals around the city.

Unfortunately, time never stands still for street art. The very week after I came back and shot the mural with film in my camera, someone else was on a ladder painting a new, much more boring one in its place. 

// Rolleiflex 2.8E and Kodak Portra 400 (probably)

So, it’s been a while since I’ve posted to my Tumblr account, mostly because I am less than thrilled with how Tumblr works.

However, I really have been shooting film exclusively. Other than for events where other people request photos, I’ve barely picked up my digital camera all year! And when I scan the images, I share them with close friends, and that’s it. Very few people see what I’m doing, so I have quite a bit of content I should share.

Starting off, here’s a few photos from a foggy late summer in San Francisco. It’s touristy, but one of my favorite spots is Land’s End by the trail and Sutro Baths. There’s nothing like feeling the wind on your hair as you come over the hills and feel the night getting colder as you approach the sea. You can just make out the wizened silhouettes of the cypress trees and the moist, heady smell of dirt and salt, and the evening street lights are the only stars for miles.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, mostly because I look through my own shots and think they suck!

This one was from almost a year ago on a quick jaunt up to Seattle. We took the ferry from Seattle to… somewhere west of there. It was a gorgeous day and I was experimenting with keeping my light-leaky Soviet rangefinder out of direct sunlight. It worked, as there are no stripes through the frame.

Since we’ve moved, most of my film cameras are still packed away. I’m kind of missing the 35mm format, though, because it’s just so much easier (and cheaper) to get them developed. I may break them out again soon.

Back from the east, 5 rolls ready to be scanned.

This is the Jersey Shore. The other one.

// Rolleiflex 2.8 and Kodak TMax 400

Sunny SF.

// Rolleiflex 2.8E and Kodak Portra 400