Random Black and White Shots

So I finally got my black and white film roll developed and digitalized, but before I show them, I’d like to tell you a story…

On Saturday, I first went to Inkley’s to have the developing done. I could only assume that they provided that service, but they said that they outsource black and white film, and the turnaround time is usually 2-3 weeks. “Uh, I don’t think so – there’s no way I’m waiting that long,” I thought to myself. The kind associate then referred me to Nichol’s (probably by reading my facial reaction), which is another local photo lab who does in-house developing. I was all for heading over there immediately. Unfortunately for me, however, they are only open weekdays from 8-5 (like, seriously?). And who else would happen to have a full-time job and works until 5, Monday through Friday? Me, of course! Seeing no chance at making it across the valley from my work place without sacrificing too many hours on-the-clock, I knew there was only one way that I would ever see the 36 images I had produced over the course of two years: develop them myself. After a few days of sporadic back-and-forth texts to prior photography instructor Kerry Jones, I had set up a time to make a visit to the photo lab in the Communications building at the U.

Thursday at 7:30 p.m. came all too soon, but I welcomed it with wide-open arms. I walked into the photo lab that I used to know so well (I was a photo lab tech there for more than a year). I saw the cheery old man getting things all set up just for me, and I couldn’t help but feel the familiar feelings of joy and anticipation associated with manual film development. (I feel extremely sorry for all you digital-junkies who have never stepped foot in a dark room – you’re missing out on A LOT)! After a brief bout of friendly conversation, Kerry left me to it.

I’m not going to deny that I had shoved my knowledge of the film development process into the back of my mind, since the last time I actually developed was probably about a year ago. It took me a little while to orient myself, but I eventually got started. With the handful of instruction sheets hanging on the walls, there was no way I could mess it up, right? Wrong. Just kidding – but I did find myself panicking when I thought that I had missed a step. (Silly me – there is no Stop Bath step in development. Duh)! Phew.

When my film was all done and dry, Kyle and I viewed the frames through a magnifying glass and tried to identify each scene. If I had more time, I would have gladly done some prints – but after spending almost two hours in the lab, I was ready to go. The next day, I went back to Inkley’s and had the negatives scanned onto a CD. Once I got it back, I discovered that this roll holds such a random assortment of images. Check out my favorites below:

Driver's cabin in the old 107.5 The End (Salt Lake City FM radio station) bus. Date unknown, but between 2010-2011.

Cloud, sun, and sky at an unknown location. Taken app. 2010-2011.

My dog, Chloe - probably at a dog park or on a hiking trail somewhere in the Salt Lake valley. Date app. 2010-2011.

Long-exposure of a creek. Date app. 2010-2011.

Inside my fridge. Date app. late 2011. (Yah, notice the time difference between this and the last picture, haha).

Flock of birds in flight. Date app. October? 2011.

My dog, Baby - resting in the late fall/early winter sun. Date app. December 2011.

Top-view of Souk and Kyle as they prepare eggrolls for our New Year's Eve get-together. Taken December 31, 2011 (Ha! Finally know a date!)

Kyle about to shoot for WATER Pong. Haha. Taken December 31, 2011.

Eric and Kyle trying to distract the other Water Pong team. Taken December 31, 2011.

Lovely glass of bubbly to celebrate the new year. Taken December 31, 2011.

Chloe being oh-so bored. Taken January 2012.

Nice shallow depth-of-field shot of dried roses with bokeh of Christmas lights in the background. Taken January 2012.

I used Kodak T-Max 400 film in a Canon AE-1 and slightly post-processed these images in Photoshop (just levels and curves). I have some more rolls that I have yet to use but the one in my camera is already well over half done. I hope to go back to the lab this week to develop it! Stay tuned for more!

P.S. Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Remembering Capilano Suspension Bridge

Last May, Kyle and I traveled to the Pacific Northwest for a week of leisure and to attend our friend’s wedding. Since then, I have only posted one – yes, ONE – blog entry featuring my photos of public markets in Seattle and Vancouver. For whatever reason, posting anything more about the trip has been a challenge for me – until now; I’m determined to finally share my stories and showcase pictures from the vacation.

Having done research prior to the trip, I figured that the week would be more relaxing than anything, because unless you’re a complete outdoors-junkie (I’m only half of one), it seemed that there were not a whole lot of other things to do in this densely-forested area of North America. I was wrong. Even with its diversity in terrain (we’re talking the Rocky Mountain range within miles of the Pacific Ocean, here), Vancouver’s natural-turned-manmade attractions were, fortunately for me, catered to the average tourist (and no, we did not attempt the Grouse Grind).

One of the better experiences that I had (not that they weren’t all amazing), and the only activity that sticks out in my memory of Vancouver like a sore thumb, was when we went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Nestled shallow in the mountains of the Canadian Rockies hangs the free-swinging, 450-foot long bridge, which crosses 230 feet above the Capilano River.

Capilano Suspension Bridge from a distance. May 17, 2011.

I stood at the overlooking base and watched as others made their way onto and across the bridge. I was eager to go, so I made my way toward it. “Get ready to use your sea legs!” exclaimed a wife to her husband just steps behind me. Even though she wasn’t talking to me, I embraced her advice and curiously stepped forward with caution.

A man grasps both sides of the bridge's railings as he walks further onto the Cap Bridge. May 17, 2011.

Okay, so it wasn’t so bad that you had to use your “sea legs,” but the bridge did noticeably sway. Actually, “sway” might even be an exaggeration. It more like…”bounced” slightly. Remember those bridges that you used to jump up and down on at the playground when you were a kid (or even now)? Well that’s pretty much what it was – the only difference being that the Cap Bridge was like, a gazillion times longer.

Kyle and I took our time on the bridge, walking slowly to fully immerse ourselves in our surroundings. We stood near the middle and looked down at the river (well, at least I did). We took pictures. We listened to the sounds of the river and the surrounding rainforest. We even tried to taunt everyone on the bridge by jumping subtly, during which I was forced to block any “what if” thoughts from entering my busy mind. (I figured that if the wires DID snap, I would just grab and hold onto the railing for dear life).

There's my babe on the bridge! May 17, 2011.

Soon enough, we were at the other end of the bridge and walking right into dense forest. I looked up and saw people strolling across even more bridges that were perched up in the giant Douglas firs. This would be our next event: the Treetops Adventure. We easily ventured across each short bridge that connected one tree to another without any fear or hesitation. The ambiance was oh-so peaceful and the cold, moist air on my face was refreshing. And unlike the main suspension bridge, these smaller ones weren’t as crowded.

Just a couple of the very tall Douglas firs on the other side of the bridge. Depth is kind of hard to perceive in this photo.

One of the short suspended bridges that make up the Treetops Adventure at Capilano. May 17, 2011.

That's me being a tree-hugger. Although not nearly as wide as a redwood, Douglas firs are still pretty large. May 17, 2011.

Kyle as he takes a picture of the main bridge from the other side. May 17, 2011.

Within two hours, we had experienced all the features that Capilano had to offer. It was a relatively expensive two hours ($30 per person), but I think that it was worth experiencing, especially because there are neither rainforests nor cool bridges where I’m from. If you’re afraid of heights, this might not exactly be the perfect activity for you, and even though I’m not, I must admit the first steps onto the bridge were somewhat agonizing. But in the end, it wasn’t at all bad. So if you like nature, architecture, and/or “cliche” tourist attractions, then I would highly recommend visiting the Capilano Suspension Bridge if you’re ever in Vancouver. Your memory of it, amongst everything else, will stick out like a sore thumb

Mile-High City

I find it funny that I had never set foot in Colorado until I was 22 years old – it being a neighboring state of Utah and all. Well, last week I finally had the opportunity to do so! The point of the trip was mainly to visit Kyle’s cousin who is about to be deployed to Afghanistan (stay safe, buddy!), but it was also nice just to “get away” (again). Luckily, I didn’t have to spend a dime as we got to stay with Kyle’s family at their home in Thornton, just north of Denver, and our transportation to and fro was courtesy of Kyle’s mom and her spacious SUV.

The 8-turned-6-hour drive (late night = no traffic…and speeding) started on Friday night at about 7:30. Yet, the drive didn’t seem that long even through the most boring state of Wyoming. With the company of the entire backseat, my cuddly dog, entertaining conversation, and Journey’s greatest hits, 2:30 a.m. and our destination came sooner than later. And despite the time, everyone was still up to “welcome” us, which also made it seem earlier than it really was.

The trip was more relaxing than not, and we didn’t do too much other than sleep in, go out to eat, play family games, and do a bit of sight-seeing. The first thing we did on Saturday was go to the Flat Iron Mall, for whatever reason…(I mean, it’s not like I’ve never been to a mall before). After a few hours there, we headed to a Moroccan restaurant called Mataam Fez for dinner. The food, even though delicious, wasn’t as gratifying as the overall experience itself – we ate with our right hands without utensils, grabbed food off community food platters, sat on pillows on the floor, and watched a belly dancer perform. The atmosphere was also appealingly different than any restaurant I’d been to before; all the customers seemed to be having a good time, the music was joyful, the hospitality was amazing, and the walls were covered in bright and beautifully-woven tapestries. I would highly recommend going there if you’re ever in the area.

On Sunday, we drove past Denver toward Lakewood to eat lunch at the world-famous Casa Bonita. (On the way, we saw a lot full of tailgaters and the Sports Authority Field stadium filling up with blue and orange-colored Broncos fans. This was my first NFL sighting!)

Taken while driving past Sports Authority Stadium in Denver, January 8, 2012.

In case you aren’t a frequent watcher of the Travel Channel or haven’t actually been to Denver, Casa Bonita is a historic-Hispanic-themed restaurant that features a huge dining area, arcades, “hidden” areas to explore, and live mini-shows and performances which include cliff divers. (If you’re from Salt Lake, this may sound an awful lot like The Mayan – this is because Larry H. Miller ripped off the idea of the 40-year-established Denver attraction and thought he could make it better). The restaurant is very family-oriented, but is mainly geared toward younger children, which was very noticeable in the quality of food served. Speaking of the food, I may as well just come out honestly and say that it was pretty much horrible, and each nacho cheese-y, watery bean-y, and tasteless rice-y bite I took were exponentially-challenging efforts to not vomit. Alas, I couldn’t help but stop trying with almost 75% of the food still on my plate. The complimentary honey-filled sopaipillas at the end were alright, though (probably because I was starving so anything at that point would taste good, LOL).

Entrance to the world-famous Casa Bonita "Mexican" restaurant. January 8, 2012.

An employee at Casa Bonita shoves our food down from out of the kitchen. January 8, 2012.

A cliff diver at the Casa Bonita takes his final plunge of the 5-minute performance. Januray 8, 2012.

After we were all finished with our lunch, we spent about another hour inside the place “exploring” and watching shows. Toward the end of our visit, we even decided to get our pictures taken as a group of old Western outlaws:

I think I look pretty badass with a rifle. Just saying. January 8, 2012.

We then headed downtown so I could get a quick looksie of the mile-high city. My main request was to visit the State Capitol Building so I could get some pictures of the stair-step that serves as the infamous mile-marker:

There I stood at the mile-high marker, at the Denver State Capitol Building on January 8, 2012.

Statue of establishment with the Denver State Capitol in the background. January 8, 2012.

Can anyone tell me what bulding is in the distance? Is it the courthouse? Located west of the State Capitol. Taken January 8, 2012.

The rest of the night was filled with more (real and tasty!) food, meeting more of Kyle’s relatives, and some more fun and games to round it all out. The next morning, everyone sadly bid adieu to their brave Marine, and soon enough, it was time for us to make our way back home as well. To start our trip, we stopped at an Einstein Bagels in downtown Denver for a to-go breakfast. While we waited for our food, I took the pleasure of going outside to take some pictures:

Highrises in downtown Denver, January 9, 2012.

16th Avenue in downtown Denver on a Monday morning. January 9, 2012.

People of downtown Denver. Taken near lunch time on January 9, 2012.

Just a photojournalistic capture of a patron at a bus stop on 16th Avenue in downtown Denver. January 9, 2012.

We then hopped back on the road and took the beautiful scenic i-70 route through the Rockies and up through Grand Junction, Colorado and Green River, Utah. We passed famous Coloradan ski towns during the 11,000-foot altitude drive, all of which looked exactly like Utah’s own Park City – nothing special. In fact, the overall trip was just that: nothing special – besides the mere fact that I’d never been to Colorado before. Denver is depressingly similar to Salt Lake City, so even though we were 500 miles away from home, I still felt, well, at home.