RSD chance find, courtesy of the wall @gimmerecords . I've been looking for this one for years, such an amazing album, rare to be found anywhere on vinyl, and now it's mine to spin. 🥰
#thedirtbombs #rsd2026 #recordstoreday
A rainy day in LA seems like the right time to revisit this equally aquatic one.
Rancho-Cenote Sayab Kuxtal, Felipe Carillo Puerto, MX
Kentmere B&W 200 120 Holga 120S #Na'atik #Na'atikExperience #JanalPixan #DiaDeMuertos #DayOfTheDead #FelipeCarrilloPuerto #ceynote #analogfilm #filmisnotdead #filmphotography #120mmfilm #streetphotography #holga #lofifilm #shootingfilm #filmphoto #kentmere120 #kentmere200 #ilford
In October, I traveled to the Mayan city of Felipe Carrillo Puerto on the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico. It was only a two and half-week trip, but was so crammed-full of unique experiences that it felt like a proverbial lifetime. Woven into the fabric of my time there were two twin threads. First, the immersive Spanish program at the incredible Na’atik Language and Cultural Institute, where I amped-up my español each morning in class (¡mil gracias, Oscar!) And I continued to practice it (oh did I ever) at my wonderful homestay during conversation with the Cauich family, Miguel and Doña Daniela, and in my daily life in the town as one of only a handful of gringos on the streets.
But we alumnos were also there to experience Janal Pixán, the Mayan version of el Día de Muertos. Facilitated by Na’atik, we spent time with local Mayan priests and their families and learned about the intimate and family-centered celebration that brings generations together at this time of year, literally around food and the dinner table. Those celebrations continued in the central squares of the towns we traveled to, but I was touched at how it all started in the homes with the very real and loving veneration of the dead who come close this time of year.
I came to study Spanish in action but I couldn’t have been offered a better time to also experience the beautiful richness of Mayan and Mexican culture. Tamales baked in backyard fire pits (pibil), black and colored candles on altares in homes and in the town squares, trips into the jungle to spot hidden entrances to caves and learn Mayan names for medicinal plants, the incredible street food and celebrations around Janal Pixán, they were part of the rich tapestry of the area and I’m honored that we were welcomed and allowed to share in these traditions. Gracias, Na’atik. Gracias, Carrillo. Gracias de todo corazón.
#filmphotography #35mm #35mmfilm #Na'atik #Na'atikExperience #JanalPixan #DiaDeMuertos #DayOfTheDead #FelipeCarrilloPuerto #Bacalar #tihosuco #analogfilm #canonetql17giii #filmisnotdead #streetphotography #holga #fuji400 #cinestill800t #lofifilm #shootingfilm #filmphoto #fuji200 #ilfordphoto
Henry Miller Memorial Library on 35mm, September 7th, 2025.
Fujifilm 200, Canonet QL17 GIII
#analogfilm #canonetql17giii #filmisnotdead #filmphotography #35mm #35mmfilm #esalen #bigsur
With a birthday on the horizon and little desire to celebrate it in LA, I followed a prompting from my gut and signed up for a long overdue, first-time trip to the Esalen Institute in the wildness of Big Sur.
I was drawn by the historic roots of the place, with its connection to Beat culture and 60s psychology/wellness/weirdness, visited as it was by many names I admire: Alan Watts, Joseph Campbell, Ram Dass…
...but also the promise of cliffside, hot-spring baths, homegrown food, redwood trees, and maybe a few like-minded, friendly folks. If I had some time to contemplate my navel and squeeze in a little self-learning in the process, awesome.
The weekend rose to the call and blew away my expectations. I quickly felt a sincere sense of community I've never encountered at any "resort" and haven't fully felt since the last time Burning Man was in my rearview mirror.
Culty-hippie vibes, right? Or at least a heaping serving of NorCal woo-woo? Refreshingly, a default air of self-awareness and a spirit of “you do you” extinguished those flames.
There were so many things which seemed like personal birthday celebrations for me, a 5am view of the full moon over kelp-filled waves from the white porcelain tubs on the cliffs, to the quiet of the meditation hut and the nekkid dip in the cold stream just yards away, to the addiction I instantly felt to the delicious, morning oatmeal bar. (Do they lace it with something? Who cares! 🤷♂️)
But the greatest pleasure of all was connecting with so many of those fellow participants. Key in facilitating this was the incredible workshop "Embrace Uncertainty Through Play" led by the equally incredible Stacie Blanke and Anthony Veneziale. Artfully pulling us out of our guardedness with the tools of improv, storytelling, and freestyle music creation, they sneakily got us going deep and getting vulnerable with 40 or so strangers and cemented us into friends in no time flat. I’m still stunned by their ability to have us laughing our asses off one minute and hiding tears the next. Human alchemy.
Thanks, Esalen. And thank you, my trusty gut. I’m learning to listen to you more often. Just ease up on the overnight oats addiction, okay?
So much deliciousness. The Gelato Festival World Masters was incredible. So many flavors and in phenomenal combinations. Thank you to @lataco for their contest and tickets. 🙏😋
@gelatofestivalworldmasters #gelato #gelatofestival #lataco
While on a trip back home, I finished out a roll of Kentmere B&W 400 film while listening to @garlandofhours play duets with our 89 year-old dad. Totally forgot that I was pushing (shooting at an intentionally higher ASA than the film stock's rating) when I was dropping it off for development. The result--underbaked shots... 🤦♂️
But...I still like them. Photos are about how they make you feel.
#analoguephotography #canonetql17giii #kentmere400 #analogphotography #filmphotography #filmisnotdead
What an amazing night at Secret Byrd. The music of Elizabethan composerWilliam Byrd brought to life by the incredible singers of @thegesualdosix and @concerttheatreworks .
The immersive nature of the evening magically transported us all to another time and place, but with music so sublimely powerful that we could not help but be fully present in the moment, no matter when that moment was. I'm still intoxicated.
(Music on this post not from the night, nor the performers--just the only William Byrd IG had available. 😅)
