La Grulla
La Grulla is a quail-hunting lodge on the coast near Ensenada, Mexico. My best friend married the love of her life there, surrounded by everyone who matters to her. I brought a camera and mostly tried to stay out of the way.The place feels suspended in time... old-Hollywood charm with a few rough edges, sunlight bouncing off cactus and tile. You can still sense the people who came before, the stories layered into the wood and stone. The food is unbelievable, the air smells like salt and smoke, and the world gets quiet once the signal fades.I filmed what I could while watching people I love at their happiest. That combination of beauty, history, and joy is hard to describe, but easy to remember.
Amanda feels like family. We grew up together, shared a dorm, shared an apartment, and somehow still like each other after all that. When she told me she was marrying Tim — someone who’s been part of her story longer than I have… I packed my Braun Nizo Super 8mm Pro and headed to Mexico. The wedding was at La Grulla, a quail-hunting lodge tucked along the coast near Ensenada. It’s the kind of place that feels suspended between decades. Old tiles, warm light, cacti blooming against faded walls, the ocean close enough to hear. No cell service, which I consider a gift. It makes space for real conversation and better stories. It was a three-day blur of music, laughter, tequila, and the easy joy that happens when old friends find each other again. I shot on Ektachrome and color negative film… both forgiving in different ways… and tried to capture the weekend as it unfolded. Every cartridge of film lasts about three minutes, which forces focus. You only press the trigger when it feels right. The constraint makes every shot a small act of commitment. Filming Amanda and Tim that way felt personal. The footage isn’t perfect, but it’s alive. It carries the pulse of people I love and a place that seemed to hold its breath for them. I can still see the way the light hit the courtyard that afternoon, how everyone laughed like we were back in college, how Amanda looked calm and radiant in the middle of it all. That weekend reminded me why I film in the first place… to hold on to moments that already feel like memories while they’re still happening.
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