La Casa Romántica of San Clemente with my Kraken

 On Friday I had a chance to pick up some color film I had left at the lab in Irvine. I don't develop color, it requires careful monitoring of liquid temperatures and it requires an additional set of chemicals. I only do black and white, I do not do C-41 or E-6, so I drop off that film at the lab. Plus, the hassle of loading the rolls onto the 120 reels, I always sweat and get angry because I struggle. The roll never seems to want to load properly, it resists me.

So, I looked at it and, as I knew, the focus is off. I know this, it has happened over and over and over again, I saw that the focus is not adjusted properly. I tried to adjust infinity focus and it didn't happen. I think I need to get my lens in a little closer to the film plan in the back, but I can't. I suspect some configuration of the 135mm lens is preventing it, but I don't have the knowledge (nor experience) to do it, nor the patience, I have to confess. So I decided, since it does focus on what is closer, I will live with backgrounds that are out of focus. I will just adjust the focus knob to the closest setting. It doesn't really work except for what is immediately in front of me, that will be in focus.

The photos are from my trip several weeks ago to the Casa Romántica in San Clemente, CA. It is a beautiful location, but not somewhere I would like to visit when it is crowded. Also, there was haze in the air that day which didn't clear up until I was ready to leave. The best time to visit would be when the sun is already mostly in the west, it would light up this house beautifully, but when I was there, I left at about 1 p.m. If I wait until then, not only will hordes of visitors be trampling all around it (something I dearly want to avoid), but also, the traffic back home will be a nightmare. I have to get on the freeways by 1 p.m. because, if I leave after 2 p.m., traffic will be completely snarled and I don't need that type of aggravation.

A beautiful garden with a butterfly ornament. It is out of focus, of course. I had to wait some time to take it, there were people around the corner.

This is a beautiful location. I really can't see what the camera sees, so it is a little off. Focus in front is fine, the back is fuzzy.

A framed shot I thought I would try as I was getting ready to leave. The front plants are in focus, very sharp! The back, completely off. To tell the truth, it was never a good composition to begin with, I just wanted to take it to finish my roll. But with better lighting and a properly-set focus, it might have worked.