The Getty + Hollywood Sign

It is safe to say I am obsessed with my new Panoramic Holga. If you're into film and/or Holga cameras, you should definitely order one. They run about $100. The only down side is you go through film like crazy. Because each shot uses 2-3 frames of film, you can only get about 4-5 shots per roll. I find myself constantly loading and unloading film!

 All of the following images were shot on 120 film (Lomography ISO100). 

The J. Paul Getty Museum (a.k.a. my only happy place in LA)

The Hollywood Sign 

Holga Love --- Old School

If you knew me back in college (Brooks, holla), you have probably seen these images before. I was lucky enough to have a few end up in the permanent collection at Brooks' permanent collection-Gallery 22. However, shortly after I graduated, I took some really bad advice from some people in the industry and removed my fine art work from my professional website. "It doesn't flow", they said. "You have to show people you are really good at one or two commercial things, and that's it", others said. In hindsight I say that it was bad advice because I can't tell you how many art directors, editors, clients, and other photography enthusiasts have specifically asked if I do any fine art work and mentioned how much they value seeing a commercial photographer's creative side.

So, after hearing this request for the tenth time, I dug out all my old negatives, borrowed a flatbed scanner, and have been held up in my apartment re-scanning those images to go back up on my website and eventually to be sold as prints on Etsy and Alamy. Hopefully the undertaking is worth it. Hopefully you find your own truth and meaning in these images the way that I find my own in them.

They are perfectly imperfect to me. I spend so much time trying to make things perfect in the commercial world, and I love my Holga because it encourages happy accidents, mistakes, and sheer luck. Shooting film with this little plastic camera (that most people stop and ask me if it is a freaking Fisher Price toy) is the most freeing and rewarding thing I can do for my photography soul. It gives me so much joy to just let go and let things happen. To go back to the basics. To have extremely few controls over my camera, and just make the most of it. Because it's just a giant metaphor for life in my eyes. We have very little control over the cards we are dealt, but we can still use them to create something beautiful.

The Osthoff Lake Resort and Spa

The last leg of the trip was a scenic drive from central Wisconsin over to Elkhart Lake, a small resort town located toward the east side of the state. While my stay was short, this little town and the Osthoff Resort itself was nothing short of magical. The scenery, the colors, the charm. Everything was picture perfect, and I cannot wait to come back.

The Aspira Spa

This is the kind of spa you'd expect to find in big name resort towns like Palm Springs, Miami, and Sedona. But this hidden gem is tucked away unassumingly in Wisconsin. The facilities, range of treatments, and staff are all top notch. I was thoroughly impressed and lucky enough to enjoy a cranberry inspired pedicure and a divine back massage. You can find out more about this wonderful slice of Heaven here.

Osthoff Resort

Postcard, anyone? This resort has so much history behind it which only adds to its charm. Not to mention it is lake front and the perfect place to take a memorable nature walk. And although I don't have a picture of it, the beds in the room were how everyone hopes their vacation bed would feel.

Star trails at Elkhart Lake

This night was the ultimate set up for star trails: clear skies, no wind, barely any light pollution, and only a sliver of a moon in the night sky. These may not be my favorite star trail images I've ever created in a technical sense, but I definitely created my favorite memories of the trip while doing these star trails. Let's just say it involved a group of new friends, a golf course, and a really bad bottle of cranberry wine.

Thank you so very much to the generosity of the infamous and wonderful Lola of the Osthoff Resort, the Aspira Spa for letting me capture images of your wonderful services when it is normally not allowed, and Geiger PR for making it all happen in the first place!