12 Months on Film: August with the RETO Ultra Wide & Slim and Kodak Ultramax 400
Snow Lake, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington
Another month, another camera to explore. For the August 12 Months on Film challenge, I dove into the world of ultra-wide and ultra-simple film photography with the RETO Ultra Wide and Slim, loaded with Kodak Ultramax 400. This little point-and-shoot is a true lesson in embracing imperfection and leaning into the joy of the unexpected. With a fixed aperture and focus-free lens, it strips away all control, leaving me to simply point, shoot, and wait to see what magic develops.
The RETO’s 22mm lens pulls the world in close and wide, creating images that feel immersive. Its quirks—the light leaks, hazy flares, and soft vignetting—aren’t flaws, but part of its charm. I knew immediately that this first roll needed to live in places that could fill that kind of space, and August gave me the chance to carry it from the misty forests of home in the Pacific Northwest to the golden shores of a surf trip in Southern California.
Home in the Pacific Northwest
August began in the landscapes that always ground me: towering evergreens, alpine meadows, and lakes ringed by mountain peaks. The Pacific Northwest has a way of making you feel both small and deeply connected to the earth, and the RETO was the perfect companion for that kind of scale. The wide lens brought everything into the frame—wildflowers at my feet, peaks still holding snow, and skies shifting from mist to light in a matter of minutes.
One frame that stands out is of the sun breaking through a blanket of clouds, casting a soft glow across the ridgeline. Ultramax 400 rendered the light with warmth, balancing the cool greens of the forest below. Another favorite is of a glacial lake, its stillness reflecting the surrounding evergreens, the wide angle pulling the entire amphitheater of trees and water into a single image. These photographs feel like home to me: raw, untamed, and endlessly changing.
Wildflowers Along the Trail in the PNW
Mount Baker Wilderness, Washington
Summer wildflowers, Mount Baker Wilderness, WA
Snoqualmie Falls, Washington
Myrtle Falls, Mount Rainier National Park
Lake Ann, Mount Baker Wilderness, WA
Mount Shuksan, WA
Climbers on the way to Camp Muir, Mount Rainier National Park
A Surf Trip South
Mid-month, we traded mist for sun and made our way down the coast for a surf trip in Southern California. The contrast couldn’t have been sharper. Where the Pacific Northwest offered hushed mornings and shifting mist, Southern California greeted us with thick morning clouds that slowly gave way to bursts of sunshine, the light changing constantly as waves rolled to shore.
On the beach, the RETO leaned into its dreamy side. Ultramax rendered the afternoon light with vibrant warmth, from the glittering water to the glow on sun-soaked sand. Palms stretched tall across the horizon, surfers dotted the lineup, and the ultra-wide lens let me hold the full sweep of ocean and sky in a single frame. These images aren’t technically perfect, but that’s the beauty of this little camera—they’re reminders of the sound of waves, the salt on my skin, and the joy of simply being there.
Swamis Surf Break, Southern California
Grandview Beach, Southern California
Summer Day at Grandview Beach, Southern California
Sunset Surf Sessions at Grandview, SoCal
Reflections
This month’s roll is less about precision and more about presence. The RETO Ultra Wide and Slim is a camera that asks you to let go of control and embrace the unexpected, and paired with Kodak Ultramax 400, it delivers photographs that feel more like memories—light-filled, imperfect, and fleeting. Together, the Pacific Northwest and Southern California tell a story of contrast: mist and sun, solitude and energy, rootedness and adventure.
Next month, the journey continues on the opposite coast. September will be spent on Hatteras Island, where the wild Atlantic and ever-changing skies will no doubt offer their own lessons in light, movement, and memory.
