’Til Tuesday: Where It Started

Before websites, memberships, or tiered content, it was just me, a roll of film, and the hope that something good would happen in front of the lens.

This was 1988. I was shooting with a Nikon F2, probably loaded with Tri-X 400 or maybe T-Max 400. I don’t remember the exact settings, but I remember the light. I remember the location — the top level of the Macy’s parking garage in downtown Sacramento, right off K Street. That stepped building in the background? I framed it on purpose. I liked the rhythm.

The model was Shawna. We didn’t overthink it — I gave her a general feel, and she moved. What struck me even then was her expression. A little defiant. A little poised. And very real.

Back then, I’d take my negatives to a place in Midtown called The Darkroom, where you could rent the space by the hour. I loved it there. No email. No presets. Just trays, enlargers, and the scent of fixer in the air. Even now, that smell brings it all back — the hours I’d spend waiting for an image to rise in the tray like magic.

I didn’t call myself a photographer then. I just had a camera, a hunger to catch something real, and the sense that if I kept at it, I’d figure it out.

That spirit — that mix of instinct and trust — is what I’m trying to return to now with this new rhythm:

‘Til Tuesday — a free post, every week, no paywall. Sometimes it’ll be an old photo like this. Sometimes a behind-the-scenes or a reflection. But always something that came from that same place: curiosity, connection, and the joy of making something that lasts.

⚙️ Tech Notes (Best Guess):

• Camera: Nikon F2
• Film: Kodak Tri-X 400 or T-Max 400
• Lens: Likely a Nikkor 85mm or 105mm
• Processed: In 1988 at The Darkroom in Midtown Sacramento — rented by the hour, old-school style
• Scan: High-res scan from the original neg, done years later