That's Appetizing

Went to a little restaurant in North Hollywood, just off Ventura, I think, a few weeks ago before heading to the Hollywood Bowl. Next door, in the driveway, was another restaurant with this statue of a horse (looks a little cow-like from this angle) in a glass case. Why there? Why that? Why in glass? Why not!

Better than Expected

Seems that the no-name color film purchased for 99 cents isn't as dreadful as I'd hoped. Shot under Grand Avenue, near the Disney Concert Hall.

Old School

I've had the same roll of Tri-X in the Canon for a number of months, and I finally rolled it out. It's always a bit of a surprise, in this case a pleasant one, to see images whose capture is long-since forgotten come back from processing. This one, shot at a strip mall on Hollywood Boulevard near Normandie, is of more recent vintage. In the coming days I'll throw up some shot over the last few months, dating back to the summer when I was spending more time downtown.

A couple notes on film. A few posts ago I discussed my black-and-whiting of a digital image shot on the Nikon. Now, this image is a machine print - since I'm scanning and posting, I ask Nardulli, where I have my processing done, to do the prints instead of a contact sheet - and it could use a personal touch, maybe dodging a bit around the boy's head and the SUV below. But still, the richness of film is something I haven't seen digital match yet. Yes, they pop - especially on a crisp computer screen - but I'm still left wanting. The next test will be color, in the form of some no-name stuff I bought at the 99 Cent store, just to see how the color would play.

Roll it Back

OK, two points to make here. If you look at the Oct.18 post, of Randy's Donuts shot with the Treo, you'll see I marveled at its architecture - or engineering, wasn't sure which. So this roll from the Holga comes back today, and I find that I shot it twice. Nice, I like to compare similar images from different cameras when I can. But this one my wife sees and says, "Oh the most photographed doughnut shop in Los Angeles!" Seems eight years in town is not enough.

The other point, one I made a little earlier but think bears repeating, is the fickleness of this Holga. One day I'm counting on it being shaky and abstract and it gives me a sharp image. Expect a sharp image, and well...

Trifecta

This one, for me, was a three-fer. Good light, a person... and a dead cat for pathos. It was the light I was looking at first, yesterday in the late afternoon was particularly hazy because of the fires by the coast, and it was by chance that I looked down to see the cat. I find shooting people a bit of an intrusion, as I've mentioned earlier, and I had some complicated feelings about even taking aim at the cat. There is another shot without the bicyclist, but when I saw him out of the corner of my eye I knew I want to wait for him. Not only does he add life and motion to the image, but he's looking at the cat, too.

Dawn, Catalina

I was up before dawn on Catalina this past weekend. Actually, was more like up all night and dawn just sort of happened in the middle of that. Shot with a Nikon pocket digital.

Donuts

Found myself down by the airport the other day. I came to a stop, I think at La Cienega, to be confronted by this great big doughnut and couldn't resist using the phone to shoot it. One wonders how a) the thing doesn't blow over in a strong wind, or b) crush the little shack beneath it.

Big

Rolling through East Hollywood.

Let Me Out

Again over in NoHo, where there is an extraordinary amount of residential construction going on. I know it's on top of a transit hub and pretty convenient to the freeways, but I can't say I get all that high-rise living there. Anyway, the other day there was a lone drywaller working in this new condo development, all the more lonely for the pleading body language as he took a break and looked out the window.

Waiting for a Train

I'm waiting for film to come back - actually waiting to take it in - and so I pulled out the long-languishing DSLR. Over in North Hollywood, I figured I'd shoot black and white, just noodle with the digital image on Photoshop until I got something I liked. I thought this image, at first, would be better in color, but I happen to like it this way better. It does drive home the point, though, that digital still can't deliver the tone and softness of film.