a couple weeks ago, i went out shooting in embarcadero/northbeach with some flickr folks. after lunch, reese and i made our way back through chinatown where we ducked into the wok shop. it’s an old family run business where you can buy hand-hammered woks. beyond the woks, there are a ton of other kitchen gadgets, tools, and other tchotchkes. when we saw this mirror amidst all the laterns, i knew i had to take a shot of the two of us….

after 10 years of dating and 3 years of engagement, eillenil (my step-sister) and mark got married this month. the ceremony was at mission santa clara de asis, on the santa clara university campus. it was nice to see a formal tie between the sudarios and the dimalantas.

it was such a hot day then, i wished i was wearing a barong tagalog like the goomsmen. dealing with the heat and suit made lugging a pentax 67 not too bad.

in may of 2009, our friend jonathan decided to plan a trip to yosemite to hike up half dome. the time finally came around and six of us took a friday off and camped in the north pines campsite and eventually made our way up.

i’d never actually been to yosemite before and it had been a long time since i’d done any proper camping. it was so fun, and the park was amazingly beautiful in every way. on our first night, galen grilled up some steaks and veggie packets and corn. we had a large delicious meal before packing it up and going to bed early.

the next day we woke up at 6:30am and had another sizeable meal, and headed off on a 4-5 hour hike to the half dome site.

i won’t try to trivialize the hike. thousands of people do it every year. you start at a high elevation, and you go higher (a gain of 4800ft). you hike through the woods, up over two waterfalls, and up large rock steps for hours. then you can see the half dome site.  that means you must again climb the last very steep rock steps up to the rock face. at that point, you need to make a go-or-no-go decision to actually scale the rock face.

at the base of the rock face there is a pile of gloves. you put on a fairly well matched pair because you will be slowly ascending the rock using cables that have been installed on the rock. it’s slow, because people are taking their time, or taking a break, or panicking and turning around and descending. it can take 20-25 minutes to get up there if you decide to go up the “outside” of the cables, or over an hour if you decide to stay within the cables like most folks.

once you are up the rock face, you are at the top of yosemite national park, 8842ft elevation. you have a panoramic view of the valley, and a chance to relax with everybody else who has made it to the top. i was so exhausted and breathing such thin air, that i was wheezing at first until i relaxed a bit. at several points along the hike, i didn’t think i could make it and was formulating back-out plans in my head. i’m so glad i pushed forth and went all the way. in light of foot/hip problems i’ve been dealing with over the past couple years, i feel very accomplished having done this.

at the top of half dome, you are cooling off from the breeze and taking in one of the most amazing sights i have personally seen. the bad news is, you have another 5 hours to hike back and are racing to get back to your camp site before it gets dark. i paused along the way back, wondering how the hell did i go *up* all of this??

hiking half dome was quite awesome and i’m so glad i did it.

notes:

• 2 litres of water is not enough for this hike. filtering fresh water to replenish your store should be done
• eating a granny smith apple on the way down was AMAZING
• if i were doing it again, i would start the hike much earlier and before sunrise.
• having a good flashlight is essential for the trip back

all images were shot on arista premium 400 at iso 6400, developed in rodinal 1+50 for 45 minutes. shot with a widelux f7.

this is my brother tom and his wife clare.

i travelled to indiana last week to reconnect with family, meet clare, and be there for their wedding.

tom and clare were married at the hamilton county courthouse on friday. after the ceremony, i took pictures of everybody on the lawn behind the courthouse. we found a nice shady spot and were able to take some pictures before everybody got too sweaty.

i have a good amount of film to go through, mostly portra 160vc and 400, but also some of the new kodak ektar 100.

this was shot on portra 160vc. camera is the pentax 6×7, 80/2.8. negative scan, dust clone-out, auto-curves, resize.

(2048×839)

the easter bunny plays with kids in mission dolores park, san francisco.

this was the mid day scene in the park, part of the all-day celebration put on by the sisters of perpetual indulgence. it was fun to see the kids running for easter eggs, having a good time, and sharing with those that didn’t get many eggs. after the madness, the easter bunny spent time with everybody, surrounded by parents snapping pics with their cell phones (and a weirdo or two with strange looking panoramic cameras).

shot on ilford pan f+ 50, rodinal 1+50 for 13 minutes.

i was at the 24th/mission bus stop when i noticed the guy in the back of the bus. it looked like he was having a  moment on the bus, one of those poetic times when your mind is calm and everything goes quiet.

35mm tri-x in rodinal 1+25. canonet g-iii ql. newton rings by epson.

i’m being pushed here. i’m reading email threads, hearing a lot of unrest, and feel things are escalating to new heights. i’m talking about the recent passing of proposition 8 in california. 

you know, being a generation-x‘er, i never imagined i would have to deal with something like this or feel this way. it was supposed to be my parents’ generation that fought the good fight for what they believed in. being the son of a boomer, i was supposed to ride on their laurels — i was supposed to be a part of a new generation that used its own tools and techniques to bring the world closer.. and now i find myself conflicted.

did i really just have a civil right taken away?

for the past many years, basically my entire life thus far, i have sat on the sidelines of political and civil issues. growing up where i did, i never experienced hardship, never understood prejudice, and never had to endure intolerance. on top of that, i’ve been a non-vocal minority this whole time.

and now i am nearing the point of snapping. it feels like things are escalating and i think now i want to become a part of it.

i’m pretty sure i know people who voted in favor of proposition 8. i think we all know at least one or two.

what if i had talked to them before the election?

what if i helped them realize what the prop meant to someone they knew?

would that have made a difference?

it really makes me wonder, if i should be more out and more vocal.

this is another folsom street fair image taken with the crown graphic. i had no idea who this person was, they just caught my eye and i wanted to shoot a photo. someone on flickr identified her as shavonna star. it’s interesting to read about people you meet briefly in fleeting moments like this.

i suppose i had a better than average opportunity to chat with the strangers i shot, but i never took the opportunity. i’ll keep working on shooting people, despite my awkwardness i still enjoy it.