Mr. Pat Hathaway, Photo Archivist
Historic Monterey, California • (831) 373-3811
Medinah Miracles, Bixby Bridge Fog, and the 6×7 Payoff
Posted by Pat Hathaway | September 30, 2026
The coffee is a heavy French roast this Wednesday morning, the Highway 1 road trip is officially in the books, and Big Boy Dan is currently sitting on my porch staring blankly at the Pacific Ocean. The man’s betting bankroll has completely flatlined.
The Presidents Cup Collapse and Rio Ruins
Last weekend was an absolute double-header of financial ruin for Dan. First, he was completely convinced the International team was finally going to snap their legendary losing streak at the Presidents Cup. They went into Sunday at Medinah Country Club with a massive three-point lead, and Dan was already mentally spending his winnings. Then the Americans flipped the script, dominating the Sunday singles matches to win 17-13. If you want the actual stroke-by-stroke breakdown of the American rally rather than Dan’s tearful excuses, you can read the recap over at ESPN’s golf hub.
As if the Medinah collapse wasn’t enough, Dan also put heavy money on the Dallas Cowboys to win their international Week 3 matchup down in Rio de Janeiro. The Baltimore Ravens edged them out 34-31, and Dan is officially broke until October. I told him my wallet is permanently closed.
Locking Down the RB67 in Big Sur
While Dan was agonizing over Sunday tee times and football spreads, I was parked on the cliffs overlooking Bixby Creek Bridge in Big Sur. Taking the Mamiya RB67 out of the Pelican case and locking it onto a heavy tripod in the morning marine layer is a spiritual experience. The coastal fog was rolling in thick, rendering the jagged coastline in perfectly flat, moody light.
When you are shooting 6×7 medium format film in the fog, you have to trust your external spot meter and your understanding of the Zone System. You can read up on the science of manual metering over at PetaPixel’s analog archives, but the short version is that this six-pound camera won’t do the thinking for you. There is no autofocus and no auto-exposure. I loaded a few rolls of Ilford HP5 Plus, slowed my breathing, and waited for the light to hit the cypress trees just right before triggering the mechanical shutter.
The Darkroom Payoff and The Hub
I got back to the Central Coast yesterday and immediately went to work in the darkroom. Developing 120 film requires patience, but when you pull those massive 6×7 negatives off the steel reels, it validates carrying all that heavy Japanese iron up a dirt trail. The tonality of the Big Sur cliffs fading into the mist is staggering. Modern digital sensors try to replicate this kind of organic shadow fall-off, but they always end up looking a little too clinical. For those looking to build their own medium format landscape kit, the used gear vaults at B&H Photo Video are still the best place to source reliable light meters and cable releases.
I scanned the best frames this morning. I’ve uploaded the final high-resolution, black-and-white images straight to the California Views Gallery Hub. Take a look at the sheer amount of detail a purely mechanical camera can capture when you actually take the time to set up the shot.
California Views
Preserving California history through photography and archival research.
