I’ve never really known Los Angeles. At least not firsthand. For me, LA was more of a daydream or a place I drew up through Joan Didion’s books or Eve Babitz’s stories. It was ever-present in the movies I watched growing up, with the sunlight shining a little too perfectly across the Hollywood Hills in the background. When I finally got there, it felt like stepping into a scene I’d somehow already lived, even though I hadn’t. This was likely influenced by the too-many-to-count rewatches of Singin' in the Rain.

Everything had this strange sense of familiarity. The palm trees swaying above cracked sidewalks, the low hum of traffic in the background, and that soft, diffused light LA seems to have invented. I spent most of my time on the west side, wandering around (as all locals do, I’m told…) with my camera. I was chasing moments I had previously dreamed up. The results were never quite as perfect as I’d pictured, but still cinematic in their own regard.

This time, I brought a roll of Harman Phoenix Color 200, curious to see how it would handle LA’s shifting light. The colors came out soft, a little washed out. Just like the city itself - sun-bleached and laid-back.