Another 365 Photos

posted Feb 26, 2026 by Tom Fasano

by

Last year I began taking photos every day and posting them to a gallery. I skipped a lot of days because I didn’t see anything interesting to take a snapshot of. You can find the 2025 gallery here. I have a new another gallery for 2026 going. And now that we’re two months into the new year, it looks like I’m going to keep with it.

I began taking photographs in earnest about thirty years ago. For most of that time I kept to Flickr and was content there. In recent years I’ve found myself leaving the fancy cameras at home and simply taking pictures of whatever turns up along my walks. Most days I use my iPhone. Sometimes I bring along a little toy Kodak camera. Nothing special.

I’ll be turning seventy this year, and I’ve come to see that it isn’t about the equipment. I don’t much care about the gear anymore. What matters now is the walk itself.

3:30pm Noir

posted Feb 4, 2026 by Tom Fasano

by


I document my walk in pictures, not chasing art, but here’s the thing about SoCal light: it’s an auteur. Does its own directing. You just point and click. California sun at this angle is binary, yes/no, on/off. Concrete steps are just cracked and forgettable — until the late afternoon light hits at 30 degrees and suddenly it’s geometry class.

This is the golden hour’s evil twin — that hour or two before sunset when the light gets lower and meaner, raking across surfaces at an angle that creates the kind of shadows noir cinematographers dreamed about. Wilder and Polanski shot their noir films here — this particular angle of California sunlight doesn’t give you options or subtlety. It’s all or nothing, pure whites and absolute blacks, like a graphic novel panel come to life.

Recent Postcards via Postcrossing & a Jimmy Breslin Comic

posted Feb 2, 2026 by Tom Fasano

by

Saturday brought a great haul of postcards from Europe. Joining Postcrossing has been such a joy. I’ve tried other pen pal groups before, but this one is really active. It’s simple: you send a card, and you get a card back. The whole process is random, which makes it fun.


And the stamps! I love seeing all the different international stamps. They definitely put my plain American ones to shame.

Jimmy Breslin

Years ago, I started a comic strip called “Crazy Mad Poet.” The original idea was to feature famous writers, poets, and philosophers. It never really gained much traction back then, but I’ve been working on a revival lately—this time with a heavy emphasis on typewriters.

In case you were wondering what the famous journalist Jimmy Breslin looked like.

KODAK Charmera Camera – a Few Pics and a Video

posted Jan 6, 2026 by Tom Fasano

by

Yesterday I went for a walk for the first time with my new toy camera and discovered that the Charmera takes somewhat decent video in the sense that it achieves a low-res aesthetic.

The pictures are okay if you frame it right with decent light. I snapped this at Starbucks while waiting for a cup of coffee.

I thought these signs looked interesting. I like where the camera placed the date stamp.

Retro Vibes in My Palm: Playing with the KODAK Charmera Camera

posted Jan 3, 2026 by Tom Fasano

by

I recently got my hands on the KODAK Charmera, and honestly, it’s the most “fun” I’ve had with a camera in a long time. It’s a tiny digital keychain camera inspired by the 1987 Kodak Fling (the world’s first single-use camera), and it really leans into that “point-and-shoot” simplicity.

Part of the charm is the mystery—the Charmera comes in a blind box. There are six retro designs, plus a “Secret Edition” with a transparent shell. I was hoping for the classic 1987 yellow-and-rainbow look, but honestly, every version nails that 80s/90s aesthetic. I ended up with the blue one, and I’m happy with it.

Despite being about the size of a matchbox, it’s a fully functional digital camera. It shoots 1.6MP photos and 1440×1080 video. Now, don’t expect 4K clarity here—the whole point is the “imperfect” look. It has a fixed lens and a tiny LCD screen on the back that reminds me of the early digital era.

I took it for a spin around the house, and of course, I had to test it on the Christmas tree. I captured a short clip of the tree lights. Because the camera has that distinct 30fps “jerkiness” and a 4:3 ratio, the footage looks like an old home movie from thirty years ago. The way the lights bloom on the lens gives it a warm, fuzzy glow that my iPhone just can’t replicate.

The Charmera isn’t about professional specs; it’s about the feeling of a “captured moment.” It’s grainy, it’s a bit blurry, and it has that classic orange date stamp (optional) in the corner—and that’s exactly why I love it. It turns a snapshot of my Olympia SM3 into a piece of digital nostalgia.

A Phomemo thermal print

Front side of the enclosed brochure

Back side of the brochure