It's really dark in the desert before dawn. The blackest black out the windshield, blacker still in the side view mirror.
The once familiar marina area of Salton Sea is foreign and uncharted on the quiet, sleepy streets; the trailer parks appear deserted, except they aren't.
The contrasts are sharp in the desert and 16 frames of film later, once again, I'm reminded to let go.
It had been far too long since I'd shot black and white film. The stark, bright light in the desert combined with the sensitivity of this older version of Impossible film proved challenging, even when I compensated for its quirks, (read: light the L/D wheel). Time and again, I didn't lighten enough, or I'd lighten too much.
I love these four shots and don't think about the other twelve images, (1 pack of film equals 8 frames). I leave behind the recriminations that lament the waste of film, the phantom images shot on the roll of film never loaded.
This road trip was very much about embracing the moment with ease. Taking advantage of a rare opportunity that aligns everything so escape is possible almost serendipitously, and if you believe in signs from the universe than maybe it's not such a coincidence after all.
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