Today I wanted to get up early and go out and photograph, but as usual, that is easier said than done. At night, it seems feasible that I might be able to get up early and head on out by 7 a.m., but when the morning rolls around, there is no way I feel I can motivate myself to crawl out of bed. So that is what happened, I was still in bed by 8 a.m. and with no energy to undertake a trip anywhere. Instead, a modest breakfast of oatmeal and then, more time squandered on the web, and finally, I ventured out at 9:30 a.m. I wanted to go originally to the Arlington Garden in Pasadena, CA, but no, I had no desire to forge through highway traffic, not after the heavy traffic I experienced on Friday, so instead, I went back to the Hidden Valley. I figured, if I get there at 10 a.m., it is still early enough for me to get another angle with the sun hitting the Power House. So there I went, while listening once again to my Teaching Company CDs and the lecture about the triumphs and woes of ancient Athens.
I got there and there was a horde of bicycle riders, but they didn't seem to venture down into the interior parking lots. Maybe they might have just concluded their trip, and maybe, they had ridden on the outside street and were merely stopping at the Nature Center? I didn't ask, I parked and headed off west to the Power House.
There was a photographer photographing a model inside. I hope she felt comfortable, she was sitting at one point on a chair she must have brought (there are no chairs nor benches nor any furniture inside), and it is always filthy dirty in there, with horse droppings, smashed and broken bottles, wrappers and trash and sometimes soiled and abandoned clothing items. I didn't interrupt him nor venture inside, I just took a few shots of the outside of the building then wandered back. As I was leaving, another photographer with a bevy of models was arriving. It must be very popular, and I understand completely. It is startling to see this building in this nature reserve with charred trees and the San Gabriel mountains off in the far distance.
As I wandered back, I took more photos. I wanted to try to use my Foma 200 black and white film, with a red 25A filter. I wanted to see how well it captured the images, because the Foma film special concludes tomorrow night and maybe I might want to order more film. Well, I ordered more film about 30 minutes ago, so that tells you that I was pleased with how the film responded. Of course, I don't have to use film, I can get excellent black and white photos with my digital DSLR, but using a film camera just forces you to be so much more selective, and that is what will make me a better photographer, just stopping to really consider each shot. Film is expensive, so I don't snap away the way I do with a digital camera.
I ran into several equestrians and, this time, they were polite. They were Latino and those are always polite, but I even ran into Anglo equestrians, and I am glad to report, no ostensible Trump supporters among them. You can tell when they are MAGAs, they really seem to hate running into Latinos anywhere. Their body language reveals it.
I was there for two hours and got back at about 12:30 p.m. I then developed the two rolls and then, finished some work. I am actually very sleepy right now, and it is only 8:27 p.m. I am holding off, though, because I need to check my academic account at 9 p.m., as I promised my students who are taking tests this weekend.
Now, I'll upload the next batch of photos from the second roll in the next entry. How was it today? It was a mild day, and it seems as if we will not have any significant cold spells this winter. It has been unseasonably warm. And, as I was walking back to my car, I saw a coyote up ahead of me. It scrambled quickly into the bushes where I could hear it but not see it. It looked to me like a Chihuahua dog, but dark. This time I didn't flinch.
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