This past November, I had the opportunity to visit a close friend of mine in Los Angeles, California. Given the current situation with covid, I didn’t really know what to expect on my trip. I was worried that there may not be enough going on to enjoy or photograph. I am thankful that there ended up being much to do and see, and I was glad that I packed my camera for the trip. After running errands, helping gaff and grip with my buddy on a student film, and meeting new friends, I was glad to take a moment of relative peace to walk from the Santa Monica Pier to the Venice Skate Park and back.
I cracked open a new roll of Portra 400 and enjoyed some beautiful light from the quickly setting sun. I was glad to see that this stretch was full of life. People walking, riding, and running were a welcomed sight to see. And the skate park at the end of the walk was teeming with life. People skating, playing music, painting, and more made for fun and dynamic photos. This was the culture and California that I wanted to see and I was honored to be a part of it all for a moment. People enjoying and sharing their art for anyone around to see.
The Pacific sunset was a beautiful sight and the light that it was shining down seemed perfect. I was excited with every press of the shutter to see the results. I was able to experiment with a golden hour light all the way down to when the sun dipped below the ocean. I made sure to try some front-lit shots and some backlit (the backlit shots ended up being my favorite) of various scenes and subjects.
When I got the scans of this roll back, I could not have been happier. I am always nervous that I haven’t done the light justice or that I could be better, but I thought that I did a good job with this roll. Everything looked amazing to me and I hope that you find something good in them too!
~ Zak
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4 responses to “5 Frames… Ending in a Pacific sunset on Kodak Portra 400 (35mm Format / EI 400 / Canon A-1 + Canon 50mm 1.4) – by Zak DenHartigh”
Nice work Zak, thanks for sharing! I’m from Southern California and that late afternoon light at the coast is hard to beat. I’m glad you decided to bring your camera and enjoy a beautiful afternoon here. Cheers!
It was beautiful! Appreciate it!
Great shots! I’m always glad to see a fellow A-1 user.
Thanks man!