matt's pictures

santa fe xmas 2023

These have been awaiting final edits and posting for (counts)… 16 months, more or less. Taken two calendar years ago, when we went to visit Sophie’s family in Santa Fe. Good trip. I remember running around the neighborhood to get the photos of the mountains at sunset two days in a row.

I’m working on getting prepared for the trip to Armenia. Made a gear list that I’ll probably cut down (one system? two? gear doubt is self-doubt projected on objects). Really I need two or three lenses; a wide, normal, and a short tele. On the moto trip I used mostly the 24-70. But since I’m doing portraits I really want the 105/1.4, and I don’t want to not bring the Leica. The 21 and the 35 for environmental portraits, and maybe the noctilux? I don’t know. I mean, I know what I use and I know what works well, I should just take that (meaning the summilux 50). The ‘what ifs?’ will drive me nuts otherwise. So probably the Summilux.

There’s a bunch of other stuff I don’t usually think about when packing that I probably also won’t worry too much about this time. I’ve written about this before. Anyway.

Posted on 2025-05-01T09:06:03Z GMT

wine and then cotatiage

This was January 2024. I went to the top of the backlog, the oldest pictures, got rid of a couple stragglers from 2023 (although there’s some stuff from our Christmas in Santa Fe I need to see if I ever posted and put those up if I haven’t) and anyway these were what was at the top. Met Cason, Ryan, Joseph (not pictured but I’m pretty sure he was there) and Nayara out at Pangloss in Sonoma, had wine and things, and then went back where C&R were staying in Cotati. They were renting a little cottage in a friend’s yard, and we sat by a fire and listened to music and watched the stars. Miss those guys.

Anyway. I kinda realized that if I want to get through the backlog of posts I need to be posting, and I don’t have to have a little essay with every post. Nobody reads them, I think?

Posted on 2025-04-28T08:30:39Z GMT

gumbyfest, sept 2024

The one annual party that celebrates the best dog. There was art, poetry, jewelery, rock bands, live coding, and one surprise serenade at the end. Good party.

Posted on 2025-04-25T07:35:13Z GMT

kawan and helen engangement surprise

This is just another quick one. The surprise was last September, so no danger in spoiling it for anyone that should know. I, on the other hand, should know better than to sit on photos for (checks notes) seven months.

I do love this like genuine surprise on both of their faces… I think Kawan was surprised he actually pulled off the surprise party. Helen, the one who was surprised, is just shocked to see all of us after the hike they’d been on. Just a moment of pure joy. Anyway.

Posted on 2025-04-25T07:30:50Z GMT

retreat 2025

This is probably the last Driftwood post for a while; I’m going to miss Drop Party this year, and by the time the drift itself happens, I might be in recovery for the kidney transplant surgery. So.