What better place to run into a fellow photographer than at Samy’s on Fairfax in Los Angeles? Such was the case yesterday when I ran into Julian Burgueno who was on the first floor picking up (and dropping off) rolls of film. Without having even de-boxed my 35mm f/1.8 Nikon lens, we drove to Larchmont Village for a quick burger and caught up. Afterwards, Julian showed me his camera kit consisting of a Yashica T4 point-and-shoot and two heavily vested Canon film cameras, probably from the ‘70s or ’80s he says.

Julian tells me about the time he fell backwards onto some rocks by the ocean resulting in a cracked LCD screen on his then new DSLR camera. Seeing as he could no longer view the frames on his digital camera, Julian said “it was like shooting with a film camera” – He would shoot and rush home to see what his photographs looked like once viewable from his MacBook. That experience forced him to learn the technical terrain of shooting in daylight, working with light and shadows (a frequent aesthetic I notice in the photographs he shows me).

Originally from Mexico, Julian grew up in Arizona and drove in his Mazda with his brother to New York. Afterwards, he relocated back to Arizona and then to Los Angeles at the beginning of this year, shooting with artists and noted Los Angeles regulars in the music and fashion industry.

Julian’s friendly demeanor and easygoing nature is evident in-person. He also refers to his go-to Canon camera as his “baby” as do I, which solidifies our friendship and affinity for capturing fleeting moments immediately. Now venturing into the world of medium format photography, stay tuned for more through Julian’s eyes.