Guanacaste Mornings, Sedgefield Shootouts, and the 6×6 Jungle
Posted by Pat Hathaway | August 9, 2026
The coffee this morning isn’t my usual dark roast. I’m currently sitting on a wooden deck in Nicoya, deep in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica, listening to howler monkeys rattle the canopy while nursing a mug of locally grown Tarrazú. Meanwhile, my phone is vibrating off the table because Big Boy Dan is having a transatlantic meltdown.
The Wyndham Shootout and Dan’s Geography Lesson
If you recall the massive rain delays at the Wyndham Championship from my last post, Dan was convinced the resulting soft greens at Sedgefield Country Club would reward the gritty, veteran ball-strikers. Instead, the course has turned into an absolute birdiefest.
Going into Sunday, Beau Hossler and Michael Brennan are sitting tied at 16-under par. Guys are shooting 61s and 63s, completely blowing up Dan’s carefully calculated legal-pad math. Dan was so panicked about his failing North Carolina tickets that he actually texted me asking if he should drive south across the border to find a physical sportsbook to hedge his bets. I had to send him a link explaining
South Carolina’s current betting status just to remind him that crossing state lines wouldn’t save him—the state hasn’t legalized sports wagering yet.
You can watch the Sunday shootout unfold on the
PGA Tour’s live leaderboard, but I am keeping my phone on “Do Not Disturb” for the rest of the afternoon. The FedExCup playoff bubble is way too stressful, and I have much better things to look at.
Taking the Rolleiflex into the Tropics
I didn’t lug my digital gear down to Central America. I brought the vintage Rolleiflex 2.8F Twin Lens Reflex camera that I was shooting the coastal fog with last week. Taking a 60-year-old mechanical camera into 90-degree heat and 90% tropical humidity is a calculated risk, but the Wetzlar engineering holds up just fine.
Shooting the dry tropical forests of the Nicoya Peninsula with a waist-level viewfinder forces you to embrace the environment. You have to wait for the macaws to sit still because there is no AI autofocus to save you. You can read an excellent deep dive on why the 6×6 medium format square completely alters your compositional approach over at
PetaPixel’s analog archives, but out here in the jungle, it just means you have to be patient and sweat it out.
Portra 400 and Sink Development
Since I traded the gray California fog for the vivid greens and blues of the Costa Rican coastline, I left the black-and-white film at home. I loaded the Rolleiflex with Kodak Portra 400. It is a legendary color negative film known for its massive exposure latitude, which is an absolute necessity when you are dealing with the harsh, dappled sunlight piercing through a jungle canopy. If you want to understand the exact science of this emulsion, the technical data sheets at
Kodak Alaris explain why it handles overexposure so beautifully.
I brought a portable C-41 color developing kit with me and processed the first few rolls right in the bathroom sink of my rental. Maintaining chemical temperatures in the tropics is surprisingly easy when the ambient air is already 85 degrees.
I scanned the 6×6 negatives with my portable rig this morning and pushed the high-resolution files straight to the
California Views Gallery Hub. The vibrant colors of the Pacific surf at Guiones hitting that organic film grain is pure magic. I sent the gallery link to Judge Roy Bacon, and he actually replied within the hour.
“Color film, Patrick? It is borderline commercial. But I will concede that the Rolleiflex renders the tropical light with a certain undeniable elegance. At least you aren’t using a digital toy.”
I’ll take the win, Roy. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the Pacific is calling, and I need to make sure Dan hasn’t driven to Georgia.
Comments
BigBoyDan: Sedgefield is a joke this year, Pat. It’s playing like a pitch-and-putt. I’m done with the regular season. Just wait for the playoffs next week.
JudgeRoy: A Twin Lens Reflex in the jungle requires discipline. The Portra 400 scans are acceptable, Patrick. Just don’t let the humidity ruin the leaf shutter.
Video Recommendation
If you want to see exactly what it takes to process color negative film (C-41) at home—or in a Costa Rican bathroom sink—check out this simple, foolproof breakdown of the process.
How to Develop C-41 Color Film at Home (YouTube)
