*Fujifilm X-T4 + XF8mm f/3.5 R WR: 1/125s, f/8, ISO800*

I was back in the Bay Area visiting Steven and Kay who graciously offered to host me. My first adventure was out to the Muir redwood forest, named after a writer who often wrote about the value and beauty of ancient forests.

*Fujifilm X-T4 + XF8mm f/3.5 R WR: 1/250s, f/4, ISO800*

I planned very little for this trip outside of choosing the date, and possibly seeing the Muir Woods. Kay was kind enough to reserve a parking spot and entry to the park ahead of time. We stopped at Sol Food Restaurant in Mill Valley on the way for an early lunch. I asked the staff for some recommendations as someone who doesn’t see a lot of Puerto Rican food on the regular. He suggested the Cubano and the Sándwich de Pollo substituting the normal bread for a wheat-free plantain option because he said it soaks in the juices from the sandwich better. This was a difficult decision for me, but I decided on the Cubano because it felt safer and I had a frame of reference from which to compare it. The Cubano was very good so if I go again, I’m definitely trying the Sándwich de Pollo with bread substitution next go-round. One downside about the Mill Valley location was there was no sitting (or standing for that matter) dine-in, so we drove to a nearby recreation center to enjoy our meal. Regretfully, I did not take a photo of the fresh food.

I brought a limited selection of lenses on this trip because much of my carry-on space was occupied by my full-sized tripod 🤪. I brought the XF 8mm f/3.5 R WR, the XF 16mm f/1.4 R WR, and the XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR. After consulting with Steven, who had been to the Woods at least 3 times before, I opted not to bring the tripod to the park. This proved to be a great decision because there were very few spaces where a long exposure would have enhanced a photo, and the 2-mile circle-trail would’ve made hand-carrying a cold tripod quite the chore.

Throughout our stroll through the Woods, I took some candids of my friends with the ultra-wide 8mm lens. It wasn’t until I saw those photos on the computer that I realized I missed a real opportunity to make a really cool third-person perspective series of photos at key areas of the trail instead of being so random about it! I love how this lens’s “distortion” really elongates their gate in a cartoonish way! Some day in the future I’d like to try using this as a technique to illustrate a whole story. Steven joked that if I ever return to instagram, my handle should be “YourFutureIGHusband” 🤣. He’s a funny guy.

*Fujifilm X-T4 + XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR: 1/60s, f/3.2, ISO800*

One of the many highlights along our walk was seeing steam rise from the trunks of several trees. The first few angles were visible to the eye, but the camera had a hard time recording it. Steven suggested this angle where the light came from the back of the steam, and he was right. Much of the Woods were heavily shaded, so pockets of sunlight poking through the canopy were eye-catching.

*Fujifilm X-T4 + XF8mm f/3.5 R WR: 1/125, f/8, ISO800*

This little spot of sunlight poking through the canopy is one such example. I had a difficult time choosing which angle would be best. I liked this one that diagonally divides the frame, and I also liked the one where the trail of light leads directly into the camera.

Despite having been in one of the naturest places in the world, I could not resist pointing my lens toward people. Also, am I becoming a bigger millennial in that I’m taking WAY more vertical orientation photos? Maybe it was just the influence of the tall trees.

*Fujifilm X-T4 + XF8mm f/3.5 R WR: 1/125s, f/3.5, ISO1600*

Something about the layered canopies reminds me of those walkthrough art installations designed for social media likes that show up in malls. The mall experience cannot replicate the crisp fresh air with a hint of that Christmasy pine smell though.

11.23.2023