When I think of the beach, I don’t think of Orange County (god forbid), San Diego (too far), or Mexico, or Jamaica, or Costa Rica (never been).

No, when I think about that big blue thing, I’m thinking about LA County beaches: the good, the bad, and the gross.

I didn’t learn how to swim properly until college - sure, there were the occasional swim lessons before then; I knew enough to not drown and have fun- but it wasn’t exactly…quite right.

This never stopped me from running into the ocean whenever there was an ocean near me. It could have been sunset on a winter day. I could have been wearing jeans. I could have just got my hair done. It didn’t matter. The ocean was calling and I always answered.

Then I learned how to swim. And last year, I finally did what I said I’d do for ten years: I learned how to surf. Since then I’ve become acutely familiar with Will Rogers State Beach, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica Beach, Venice, and San O. I’ve been stung by a sting ray. I’ve stubbed my toe so hard that I thought I fractured it. I bought a cheap board that was too small and saw me struggle, then bought a more expensive board that is less of a struggle but still requires more time before I get good.

I’ve started wearing sunscreen. I style my hair for the water. I wear water shoes. I wake up at 4:30 am to be at the beach at sunrise.

I loved the ocean already and I love it more now.

Okay but about the bonfires

If I remember correctly, I’ve only ever been to maybe three beach bonfires and two of them were mine. The first was fun but chaotic; I’m not good at planning parties. The second, on June 9th of this year, was perfect. I gathered some friends together to join me at Dockweiler Beach, have fun, and take pictures on a 35mm Ilford point-and-shoot to cobble together into a video, not unlike the one for Coffin Shop. This one was a lot more special though, because everyone had a hand in the final images. Everyone documented those little moments that they found interesting, it wasn’t just me.

Before it all began, I had decided that whatever came out of the camera was going in the video. It didn’t matter if it was underexposed or over. I would create a memory from the photos, even if it was all a blur. Luckily most of the photos came out beautifully, with a few light leaks in the mix to keep it interesting.

Ultimately, film photography is kinda like surfing. With surfing, you go in with something resembling a plan, with the main goal being to have fun. You try, maybe you fail, maybe you don’t. Maybe you stand up, maybe you spend the day wiping out. Maybe you get stung by a sting ray. You get the drift.

It’s the same for film photography. Sometimes, you can plan for a specific shot and get something entirely different. Since you can’t preview settings with a screen, everything you do is chance, even educated adjustments. All you can do is have fun and cross your fingers.

What’s important is loving the moments, all the moments, for what they are. Enjoying your friends, or simply the water and the sky. Playing. Taking it all in as it happens, whatever is happening. Wooooooo to love, woo love indeed.

Woo Love is now available on all platforms!

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