The first camera I bought was a dusty 1970's Honeywell Pentax, with the classic black leather and silver top. I still remember the fear of dropping off my film rolls, waiting to see what came back. It was always a leap of faith to snap a photo, wind the film, and wait for its results. But with the uncertainty came delayed excitement, and even some beautiful anomalies.

Here are some of my favorite surprises from this summer, taken with my Minox.

× Camera: Minox
× Portland

A lone headlight dimly lit the narrow road as I drove back to Jano's garage, knowing for certain this motorcycle was built for me. I had first met Jano only 15 minutes prior - at his shop in Longmont ready to test drive his newly built bobber, an XS-650 Special. But from the moment he fired up the engine I knew I had found a kindred spirt. I'm not sure if there's a more pure sense of exploration than riding a motorcycle. Photos were taken on one of our trips on Coal Creek Canyon.

× Camera: Horizon Perfekt
× Denver

There are few places more fascinating to me than Japan. I'm always intrigued by the constant dichotomy between history and technology, space and population, culture and modernism.

I gravitate toward the beauty in these seemingly opposite forces. It parallels my own life as I struggle with balance in a life surrounded by ever-changing technology.

Here a few photos taken with my Yashica while visiting my father in 2008.

× Camera: Yashica 124G
× Japan

Grandmother's house. These are the only photos I've ever taken. It's the first place I lived that I still have distinct memories of.

My brother once jumped from the roof of the garage with a plastic grocery bag for a parachute.

We placed pennies on the railroad tracks and waited for trains to cross under the overpass.

And somewhere there is still a secret mason jar hidden within the rocks of a stream by the tall ferns.

× Camera: Holga
× Pennsylvania

I had one foot on the rickety wooden two-by-four and the other on the old iron track for the “Wild Chipmunk” ride as I balanced, trying not to fall while focusing the waist-level-finder.

There are some dear friends I miss back in Colorado and these photos always remind me of the last summer I spent in Denver.

× Camera: Hasselblad
× Denver

My father recently retired after 32 years in the Air Force. It's hard to imagine in our generation three decades of service to a single organization. I don't have distinct memories of my father at work - but his time in the service allowed us to live in Italy for almost a decade.

While I am still learning lessons now that my parents may have tried to teach me then, perhaps the most important is that their hard work allowed us to live an amazing life not to be taken for granted. That's something I respect them for more each day.

× Camera: Polaroid SX-70
× Atlanta

When people ask me where I'm from, I'm not usually sure how to answer. Growing up a military child, we moved often and lived all over the world.

About 6 years ago, I spent a quick weekend in Portland armed with only one roll of 120 film and my Diana+. I quickly fell in love with the city and now lovingly call it home.

Here are a few surviving photos from that first visit, taken with slide film and cross processed.

× Camera: Diana+
× Portland