When on track for a Mass Communications major at Cal State San Bernardino, one could wander slightly off track to Beginning Photography and get major credit for it. Makes sense, with photojournalism and all. I took the course and had so much fun, shooting black-and-white film, developing it myself and making my own prints. It's such an analogue process, it boggles the digital mind.

For our final, we were required to shoot three rolls of 36 exposures, come back to the lab and select five shots, print them and mount them on mat board. I went to Joshua Tree National Monument with a friend of mine and we spent the day shooting and enjoying the sunshine.

This is from a scenic vista, facing south toward Salton Sea, if I recall correctly. I like the layers of clouds and mountains out in the distance, with the diagonal landscape up close to give it depth. I also like how the far-away is washed out low-contrast while the close-up is dark.