JOURNAL — Mark Talavera Reno-Tahoe Wedding & Portrait Hybrid Film Photographer

The timing and weather could not have been more perfect during last month's film session with the beautiful Ngo Family! My brother suggested we explore a secluded beach in La Jolla. He sure wasn't kidding when he told us it's one of the most beautiful spots in San Diego! The location was absolutely gorgeous, with zero tourists! It truly is a hidden gem!

Little Harvey wasn't initially pleased with the idea of being barefoot in the sand, but once he warmed up to it, he had a blast! Thank you, Phan and Tony for being awesome troopers during the shoot! And a huge thank you to my friends Dara and Faith for assisting me and keeping Harvey entertained!

Date: November 5, 2017

Location: La Jolla, San Diego, California

All images taken using a mix of medium format film and digital photography.

Film images shot with a Pentax 645N on Fuji 400H film, dev and scan by The FIND Lab.

Digital images shot with a Canon 5D III, processed with Mastin Labs Presets.

Back in July, myself and several co-workers traveled to Monterey, CA for a week to attend a class for some continued education and development related to our job. One of the best perks while traveling for work is exploring the area where you are staying during the free time hours.

I brought along my Canon AE-1 for the trip to take some shots along the sights of Cannery Row. However, I was saddened I couldn't take more photos than I would have liked. For a while I thought my camera was malfunctioning thinking the shutter button was stuck, but it turns out that a dying battery inside a perfectly functioning camera don't quite pair up well (I didn't realize the battery was dead until very recently haha, #filmnewbie).

Being in Monterey was not only a great escape from the office, it was also nice to getaway from the hot July weather in Reno. The whole week's forecast remained in the high 60's!