Hannah Keene // Los Angeles, CA

JESUS SAVES. I had seen this sign in many photos before and knew that it could be a cool backdrop, but never knew where it was. Thankfully, on a prior trip to California, my good friend Sara took me to the spot without telling me where she was taking me, and I got so excited! She took me in December, and the sun was just at the right spot for pictures.

Unfortunately for me, mornings in October places the sun behind the sign, causing major flares. The coating on these older Hasselblad lenses don’t handle direct light very well.

Two minutes into the rooftop shoot, we were interrupted by a lady who steps through the door and yells at us to get off the roof nor, or she would call the police immediately. I ask if we can have just a few more minutes, to which she rolls her eyes and says OK.

Hannah and I ended up leaving 45 minutes later, and I knew two truths: an 80mm CF lens from Hasselblad can render a beautiful flare, and, also, JESUS SAVES.

October 15, 2018