I had a teacher in high school who’s biggest pet peeve was the phrase ‘first annual’, because, she said, if it was the first, then there was no way for it to be annual. An annual event, in her mind, was something that happened over and over again, every year. So first annual was something of an oxymoron.
That said, I’m not sure she was right. It’s not wrong to say first of an annual series, if you intend to make it happen again. At worst, it’s a little aspirational. I don’t think that’s that much of a crime? Anyway, this was the first annual Driftwood Retreat I alluded to in the last post.
It was at a house somewhere in the Sierra Foothills, south of Tahoe. Not actually super far from here for a drive; I think we got out there in about three hours? but also we avoided traffic by leaving at 10am. I took my then-new Noctilux with me, and shot with it a bunch all weekend. Protip: if you are shooting and your main light comes from a digital projector, make sure your shutter speed is slower than the refresh rate. I shot some of these under a projected light at 1/200th of a second, and it caused all sorts of issues.
Some of the other photos I made black and white just because I feel like it. Either it was very dark or the light was monochromatic or blown out in one channel (which also happens when there’s only one color of light) and I don’t feel like taming the weirdness. The ones that can be color are.
Anyway, the retreat: a bunch of people came together to make music and art and meals together, away from all our normal worries and cares. Very chill vibes, good company, good times. There was a table big enough to lay out all the San Pablo work prints on, the first time I got to see the whole thing at once. Still working on the order for that, but I should be moving into book design soon.
Gonna push publish and go to bed.
