FINAL Konica Big Mini Roll - Cabo Surf, Dinner, Buzzfest Halloween

 These are coming off the FINAL roll of film to have gone through my Konica Big Mini, may she RIP (Oct 2017 - Oct 2025). Here is a link to my first shooting experience with it: (https://wavebelly.blogspot.com/2017/10/massflow-sf-konica.html), which I'll never forget. One of those classic road trips up to the Bay. Freedom and friends and parties, thats what this camera was all about at that time. 

I liked this camera bc of its crisp close macro autofocus and flash. Well the flash stopped being reliable at some point.... it just wouldn't fire. I guess this is a known issue with these cameras. Electronic malfunction, short circuiting or something. The shutter finally just stopped firing all together and then the cam got all hot and exuded a chemical smell. I rewound that last roll and pulled out the battery. Its caput. 

I didn't take many pictures with this camera recently bc of the ongoing issues, it was too unreliable. So for that reason the roll spans a long period.... from Cabo Surf for my birthday April 2025, then a dinner in East LA with Pantea, then Buzzfest Halloween...

fin

wiDELux Fall/Winter(?) 2025

A roll of widelux from around the Buzz house...

Its fun to use this camera almost like a point and shoot...

Sunset Crew

DODGE on Sunset Blvd

Green Light

View from Buzz in December

Jewelry District

To Yala

From Yala

LA River

Pantea's work

Silly Goose

New Minolta XE7 (Summer '25)

My workhorse SLR was washed away by a rogue wave in Hawaii circa Spring 2023 - Minolta XE-7

I went without an SLR for the intervening years...with my fellowship upon me and other changes as well I put the film photography part of my life aside. I did some minor instax work and maybe a widelux at some point. Then when Pantea got a 35mm point and shoot camera as a white elephant gift over the 24-25 holiday season, my appetite for film photography was re-sparked. Back at Freestyle photo supply in East Hollywood I noticed a small display selling refurbished used cameras from a place called Canada Camera... way out east eat LA in Montebello.

Long story short, I paid a visit and simply replaced my old Minolta XE-7 with a nicely refurbished one. Same cam, new era. 

This is the first roll through that camera, Illford HP5 - 

Physicians entrance at Arcadia... summertime arriving here at 7AM, with the sun rising, the grass green, warm but crisp morning air, sometimes a little misty coming out of the mountains...this was always a nice start to the workday. Very calm and serene. 

"Baguette on Baguette" 

Soft opening day

Johnny's

Pantea behind the lens

Wind n' Sea

Cousins 

  

selfie w Observatory

<----Bedroom View---->

burst of creative energy this night - felt awesome 

East Side Billboards

little double exposure action at home

Pantea appreciating the little things changing on our rooftop...