David Lai

Whoever decided to do this... Pretty genius to get away with setting up a tent here. (at Sutro Baths)

When you go for your first round of SF sights and @chrisjsotelo & @marahsotelo take you around 🙏 (at Sutro Baths)

People watching 😌 (at Sutro Baths)

Vibes of a beautiful place stir the soul in unexplainable ways. (at Lands End)

Getting to spend some time around town with the summer light in downtown Oakland. (at Downtown Oakland, Oakland, California)

14/32 - Morning stretches along the way. With ankle injuries the past couple years and a sedentary editing life, she incorporated yoga into my life to help strengthen my ankles, and it's been helping quite a bit. never thought i'd care for it, but i do now. doesn't hurt to try something new. shooting backlit was also something i didn't like for a while, but that was because i didn't understand what it did to my images. it flattens it out and can sometimes flare. you lose a lot of contrast, and when you miss your exposure, it's a hot mess... i've found when shooting backlit, i prefer exposing half a stop down from the shadows. pretty good medium an captures the scene closer to as-is to my eyes. (at Palo Duro Canyon)

10/32 - The second day of driving brought us to the Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas. The park entrance starts at the top and the camp sites require you do drive to the bottom of the canyons. Since we got in right around sunset, we made it a goal to wake up early and catch the sunrise from the top on our way out. (at Palo Duro Canyon)

7/32 - Since we had gotten up a bit earlier than planned, we figured to play tourist and check out the Ed Galloway's World's Largest Concrete Totem Pole. It's a couple miles off our travel route, but we figured, why not? A little sightseeing never hurts when you're up for an adventure if you've got the time cutout for it. Quite the contrast to Chicago's 'once' tallest structure. A lot more colorful too 😬 (at Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park)

6/32 - After a night in OK we were back on the road early morning. The hasselblad isn't ideal for making these sort of 'in the moment' shots being it's fairly large and awkward to shoot at this distance. Again, it's more so about being 'romantic' and experimenting. Back in 2012 I decided to shoot my personal work on film because I needed a separate process from my wedding work (mainly digital) to keep pushing myself to stay creative and aware of the nuances in the images I make. I continue to photograph weddings because of the people I meet. Some of the friends I've made, I've met having the blessing of documenting that intimate sliver of their lives. My professional/personal boundaries are fairly translucent, and I love it. Because of that, I've found a need to care for my well being as an artist to keep a holistic perspective in my collaborations. This is my sabbath. Working on 'my' art so I can make 'our' art.

5/32 - All setup for the evening after a quick meal, talked story, and edited photos outside into the night before the mosquitos came out to play... Being outdoors outside of the urban jungle of Chicago was something i never really cared for... till i met a lady from an island. From our activities and adventures together in the outdoors, I've come to appreciate mama nature for the beauty that she really is, and the intricacies we don't witness much of in our digital age. (at Twin Bridges State Park)

4/32 - When we pulled into our first campsite at Twin Bridge's State Park in Fairland, OK. It’s a little surreal for me soaking in that we’re actually doing this. Community has been the blessing we couldn't have asked for. They've shared their wisdom, experiences, and even pains, with us so we could learn with them. When our lives weigh heavy on experiences, this transition is something that will challenge us outside of our comfort zone and allow us to learn more about who we are. I've mentioned @brenebrown before, so I'll mention her again. When faced with a situation I now ask "did I choose courage or comfort?" I don't know about you, comfort is enticing... but courage is more so. (at Twin Bridges State Park)

alrighty, as some of you know, @dadadesiree and i moved out west from chicago at the end of 2015. we road tripped our way cross country with our car packed to the brim and camping gear at the helm. we camped 3 nights with a 4th at a crashing at a friend’s in LA before arriving in the bay. over the next month I’ll be curating a series of 32 images made on our hasselblad with some 6 yr old fujifilm 400H that was buried at the bottom of our film stockpile. as i share the images made during our journey, i’ll share some reflections of mine from analog photography, camping, road tripping, mama nature, and anything else that comes to mind. hope you enjoy!

I always love seeing how the first frame turns out whenever I get my film back. Always a surprise when you're shooting before the 0 mark 😂. leica m6 / portra 160

Tribute to grandpa Stan. Rest in Paradise. #love #aloha #grandpa

splash of colors all over the place. It’s light on the eyes and warming to the soul.

details around their house... (3/3) leica m6 / fujifilm superia 400

details around their house... (1/3) leica m6 / fujifilm superia 400