Endless golden hour in California

Why does California light look like it's golden hour forever? Seven rolls of 35mm film exploring San Francisco. This is roll #1.

I shot 7 rolls of 35mm film across six days in San Francisco last week. Each roll tells its own story. This one begins the moment I landed.

Do you like that airport arrival vibe? Leave a comment!

There’s something about arrival that sharpens everything. You clear customs (which was not the case, but you know the vibes…), grab your bags, and step outside into a place that’s completely new just to breath fresh air. The light looks different. The air feels different. Your eyes want to eat everything.

I got an Uber at the airport and waited. Hungry. Already scanning my phone for somewhere good to eat. Already looking. Finally got in the car and saw a bunch of U-HAULs.

Taken from the car's window. Like it? Subscribe!

That’s when I noticed that the light in California doesn’t behave like light anywhere else. It’s golden at 10am. It’s golden at 4pm. It’s golden when you’re jetlagged and confused about what time it even is (which again, was not the case because I come from NY, but you got the vibes!)

I like that there's one bird who is highlighted from the others?

People say Hollywood chose California for this exact reason. The light just works. It wraps around buildings, softens shadows, and makes ordinary street corners look like film stills.

These shadows!!!

By the time I checked into the hotel, I was back outside with my camera. Walking. Shooting. Following that perpetual golden hour through the streets that seemed to last forever.

Seems like eternal golden hour! Even the film borders got affected by the magic.

The below photo caught two people crossing the street near a restaurant I’d marked on my phone. The light was doing that thing again. Casting long shadows. Making everything glow. That energy of exploration, the hunger to see and taste everything new, it’s all there.

I took the photo of these guys, and then the following one from the window outside, looking to the interior of the restaurant.

Long shadows casting.

I chose this photo to print, I really think it translates well the magic of California's golden colors. The diner, and the Patío sauce is the chef's kiss!

Later that day, I stopped by the Leica store in San Francisco. Bought more film. They had everything. The kind of place that reminds you why shooting analog still matters. They had expensive and fancy lenses and cameras, of course, but also film, bags, chemicals (!), and literally everything I would need to build a developing Lab in my hotel room if I was maniac enough.

Remarkably, the Leica San Francisco store has the same prices as eBay, and it has bags, cameras, lenses, film, and everything a photographer might need.

Then, finally, time to eat. Check out these colors and most importantly, the light!

This food was delicions, it was in a restaurant called Delfino, French (of course).

I enjoy when this type of information are actually painted on brick and mortar, rather than being one of these billboards (well, neons would be even better).

A little bit of classic street photography, when the light was already fading out.

This is just the first roll. Six more coming, full of California vibes, incredible lighting, and van life!

California Diner (Golden Hour Edition) • Fine Art print available now

3D rendered preview. I think it would look nice in a cozy place, or kitchen. The print comes unframed, as described in here.

Sizes

Prints will be available in two sizes, offered both unframed and framed by myself.

• Letter (8.5” × 11”) - slightly larger than an A4 paper

• A3+ (13” × 19”) - slightly larger than A3 (which is double the A4)

Quality

• Printed on museum-quality matte Japanese paper

• Archival pigment inks

• Color-calibrated workflow

• Ships worldwide with protective packaging

Would you like to get a print that is not the above? Let me know!