Perpetual Motion Postcards | Baja Norte | Part One

An inflatable surf mat, swim fins and... a pair of Indian Motorcycles?

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and stay tuned for the first episode of Perpetual Motion!

Thirty Five Millimeter | Around Arizona

Sent three rolls up to Seattle to be processed and scanned at Panda Labs. The first roll was the last I shot with my long-loved Yashica T4, which was stolen, along with all of my other camera equipment, a few months back. Long, shitty story. The other two rolls were shot with an old Olympus Stylus point-and-shoot that I picked up on eBay; the same camera my father gave me for Christmas in 1998 (?). The collection of images is sort of an amalgamation of events and people and other strange shit that happened in Arizona this winter. Suppose I should let the photos speak for themselves.

Check out more of my 35mm musings here.

Faheem Rashad Najm

This guy. 12 million views, huh? So dank. So... Gospel?

Thirty Five Millimeter | Washington, D.C.

In the winter of '87, I traveled to our country's capital, Washington, D.C. I took photographs using one of those fancy new Yashica T4 cameras with the Carl Zeiss glass, and some of that Ilford HP5 (?) film. My father was with me. We saw where The Trump resides, drank rye whiskey and long neck Budweiser at the Round Robin, visited the theater where Lincoln lost his lid (too soon?), and saw kids do tricks on skateboards. It was eye opening. Our nation's capitol, amidst great change, with people of all the creeds and colors converging. And so I left wanting more. Good thing I've got thirty years.

Check out more of my 35mm musings here.

Mainly We Work, David...

"No, I don't do that... I'm a binge writer."

But this one is better, because, Conan.

Fujifilm XE-3 Mirrorless Camera

It's been a bit since I reviewed anything on here. But considering the circumstances, I thought it might be worth my while. You see, nearly all of my camera equipment was stolen out of a friend's car in Seattle a few months ago. Canon kit - a body and two lenses - as well as my beloved Yashica T4, my laptop, flask, some motorcycle gear, and about half of all the clothing I own. It sucked, most certainly. The kind of sting that comes only from knowing someone is out there drinking from your flask, shooting photos with your gear, and tippy typing on our computer. But that's not what this is about. This, my fearless readers, is about the little mirrorless camera I acquired as a stop-gap. Something to hold me over while Kyra and I film the first three episodes of our new travel show, Perpetual Motion.

Much research went into this acquisition. Much. Like maybe a solid 48 hours without sleep. My criteria was convoluted. Something small, easy to carry, not too expensive, but that could also shoot images fit to print. I initially looked at Leica. And nay - too expensive, too much commitment. Then at some Sony stuff. An older A7 (small-ish, full frame, etc), but it seemed soulless, no matter what Linhbergh says. If I was going to gamble, I wanted something that inspired me. Something which would allow me to create an image on the camera, not in post. Something that made me feel like I was shooting film, only not wasting a wad of coin every time I burned a frame. And so I started looking at Fujifilm - much to the delight of my friend Nimi from Big D Speedshop, an avid Fuji shooter, fellow surfer and generally dope dude.

Why Is It So Hard

If this makes you feel nothing, you're probably part robot...

Thirty Five Millimeter | Biltmore & Monticello

From the largest private residence in the United States to one of the most important ones. This roll was shot while traveling between Asheville, NC and Charlottesville, VA. We visited both the Biltmore Estate and Monticello, two homes, as mentioned, of tremendous significance. This was my father's first time on the East Coast, and as an avid student of both history and politics, he insisted we include the latter in our travels. Not much else to say about all this, other than that if you haven't visited, you should.

Check out more of my 35mm musings here.

drkrm

Note: I wrote this poem, probably intoxicated, in June of 2014.

This.
It occurs often.
Taking it’s time.
Your face, conflicted.
Mine, understood.
I see past the previous.
Forward.
I am eager.
You are optimistic.
The sun through the kitchen window.
Above the sink.
The sound.
Jazz.
I look at you through an open eye.
It’s enough.
My arm reaches out.
Reels you in.
The same thing.
Sunday.
She’s something else.
Incredible.
And there’s so much more.

Raz Simone

What I've been listening to lately...

You know, there was this time I thought I was ready to share some shit from Raz. A friend. Someone from where I'm from. Better friends with my God brother, but still. Then I didn't. I hesitated. I assumed. Now, though, I don't give quite as many fucks (see: this). So here's something substantial. Something he's done recently that I think leans hard on the what we need, and has a lot less of the what we wants.

BTS | Baja Norte

Three weeks beyond the border. Into Baja to film the first episode of our new series, Perpetual Motion. Before we crossed, I picked up a new camera (because all my shit was stolen in Seattle). Something small. Something that wouldn't distract. An XE-3, Fuji's latest prosumer class rangefinder with a 23mm f/2 lens. Kyra made me an adjustable paracord strap, and I hung the thing around my neck or over my shoulder the entire time - taking photos whenever and wherever we stopped. Unlike my Canon kit, the Fuji system was nearly unnoticeable. Found myself doing a double-take to make sure it hadn't slipped loose. And while the rangefinder setup was a new steez to me, I quickly learned that people, mostly, found it less obvious, less obtrusive. They smiled as I did behind the body, my face peering out from one side, an eye open, looking through the EVF. It was different. It was better. So, here's an assortment of photographs I took with that little Fuji, each of which came SOC, and remain unadulterated. Testament to it, I suppose. But also a good example of just how much better everything looks in Baja.

Thirty Five Millimeter | The Blue Ridge Parkway

This is the third (maybe fourth?) roll of film that was shot during our ride up the East Coast. After a few nights in Nashville, we headed east through Gatlinburg, TN - one of the weirdest places I've ever been and where I acquired a most dope wiener dog shirt - and into the Great Smoky Mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We eventually found our way to Asheville, NC, where we stayed the night and then spent the following day exploring the Biltmore Estate (next roll). This was my first foray into that big stretch of green running across four (maybe five?) states up the East Coast. And while the pace was just about geriatric and the tourist attractions a pungent mix of terrible and comical, it was a beautiful ride, and a great way to shake off the post off-motorcycle-incident that my father incurred. More to come.

Check out more of my 35mm musings here.