Issue one of the new Survey format, my print-at-home mono printer version. This issue covers October 25th through November 1st, 2026.
I’m just going to briefly go over some of the photos.
This is obviously E.T. during the Halloween time frame. It’s actually the only Halloween photo I put in the magazine. Nice, striking image to start the issue.
This next one is probably my favorite image from the week. It reminds me a little of Lee Friedlander. I’m increasingly drawn to mundane moments and trying to make those moments interesting. There’s something about the trees, lines, and everything coming together that I really like.
I found this mermaid sitting by a dumpster. Kind of crazy that somebody was throwing it away, but it made a great photograph.
Around November, with the sun setting around five, the light gets lower and much better. I noticed my shadow appearing in quite a few of these photos. That’s something I’m learning to embrace. I actually like having a little fragment of myself in the frame.
I saw this lone cloud off in the distance and waited for a wave. Simple photo, but I really like it.
A few of these are from the Día de los Muertos festival on the Santa Monica Pier. There were some great characters and moments.
It was also incredibly windy. The wind was catching the water from the fountains and blowing it everywhere. I waited for a gust and caught this blur of water floating through the air.
I still photograph on the pier even though I don’t always love how photographs look there. That wooden deck is everywhere and isn’t nearly as visually interesting to me as the sidewalks and streets.
Then there’s this bird I found on the beach. It looked injured and couldn’t really move. Its eyes were bright red and looked crazy. I switched to the red filter on my camera, which really made the eye pop. I also tried to frame the shadow with it. I really like how that photograph turned out.
When I walked away, I looked back and the bird was surrounded by seagulls. Kind of sad to see. I don’t think it was going to last much longer.
There’s also this texture photograph. Honestly, I don’t even remember taking it. I saw it afterward and just thought it looked nice.
This is the 10 freeway during rush hour leaving Santa Monica. Almost everybody is heading out of the city. What makes the photograph for me is the church in the background.
Then this beat-up car took off and started pouring smoke from the exhaust. I like how the smoke creates this little trail through the photograph.
I also found this drawing of a cat with “I love this city” written underneath it. Most of the stuff I see scribbled around the city tends to be negative or political, so it was nice seeing something positive for once.
And I agree with the message. I love this city too.
A few of the next photographs are just quick snapshots. Someone inside a shop on Lincoln Boulevard with the light hitting just right. Another person sitting beneath a tree, where the light hair really pops against the darker background.
There’s another scene with motion blur from the cars and motorcycle. Nothing extraordinary happening, but there’s something about the combination of movement, signs, and shapes that I really like.
Another photograph came from an LED screen that was changing from one face to another while I was shooting it. The transition created this strange combination of faces. The ear and the eye really make the photograph for me.
Then there’s a Santa Monica regular I see all the time. It was their birthday, so I took a quick photograph. I especially like the small details, the teeth and the hearts on the slippers.
And finally, a syringe lying on black pavement next to a crack in the ground.
It felt like a good way to end the magazine.
Issue one. Survey. Let’s go.
