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Such is the Nature of the Game: A San Diego Film Failure

A look back at my 2026 trip to San Diego—complete with a first MLB game experience at Petco Park, beautiful night walks through the Gaslamp Quarter, and a heartbreaking (but humbling) lesson in loading 35mm film.

Randy Hoover

13 Jul 2026 • 4 min read

The crowd after the Padres hit a home run

After the great success of my San Diego trip in 2025, I was hoping to level up in 2026. This year, I did bring the Sony A7iv again, but I really wanted to focus on film. So I packed up my Yashica FX-3 Super 200, the 50mm f/1.9 kit lens, and a roll each of Fuji Color 200, Portra 400, and Candido 800. I didn't expect to shoot all the film, but I wanted to be prepared.

I loaded up the Fuji Color 200 first, because like last year, I was on a similar flight schedule, and was able to arrive early and walk around the Gaslamp district in San Diego. I was able to snap a handful of pictures, but not enough to end up going through the roll of film.

The first evening though, we got invited to see a San Diego Padres game, and I figured the A7iv would be the better camera for the event. This was my first MLB game, so it was a cool thing to experience, especially for free and in a box. Thanks Finout for hosting.

Wide shot from the covered upper stands of a crowded baseball stadium during a daytime game. The baseball diamond, outfield grass, and various advertisements along the wall are visible in the background, while spectators in the foreground sit in tiered seating looking out toward the field. — View of the field from the box.

I was able to get some snaps throughout the game, the one below where the Padres had scored a home run and everyone was celebrating.

A perspective shot from underneath a stadium awning showing a massive, densely packed crowd of baseball fans filling the tiered stands. A fan in the foreground raises a fist in celebration, with a small portion of the bright green outfield visible on the right. — The crowd excited about the Padres home run

A high-angle, center-field view of a baseball game in progress during the day. A pitcher is mid-throw on the mound, a batter stands ready at home plate with a catcher and umpire behind them, and a full stadium of spectators and advertisements line the background. — Padres batter hitting the ball

On the way out we took a long walk around the whole stadium, opposite of the way we came in, just so we could take in everything. There were lots of food options, as well as merchandise shops, I thought about buying a Padres hat, but I'm not really into baseball so it would've just been spending money to spend money, so I decided against it. The scale of the stadium truly wasn't apparent in the box, but walking around it was wild to see exactly how big it was and how many people had showed up to the event.

An open-air, multi-tiered outdoor patio or deck area at a baseball stadium at night, featuring fans sitting at tables and standing while socializing. In the background, the brilliantly illuminated stadium stands are filled with people under the bright field lights. — View of the stadium from the back

On the 2nd night we did a food tour in the Gaslamp district which was fun, I saw the below sign and thought it looked cool and had to snap a shot. I didn't bring the film camera again as it was still loaded with the 200 ISO film and I did not bring a tripod.

A vertical neon sign attached to a brick building at dusk. The sign features the glowing blue words "COCKTAILS" at the top and "LOUNGE" at the bottom, with a vertically stacked, stylized font in the middle that reads "Diamond Room" lit in warm orange. — A sign I really liked the look of

On day 3, I had some spare time in the afternoon so my boss and I went for a walk around the Gaslamp, and the embarcadero where I ended up shooting the rest of the frames in my roll of film. Then when I went to rewind the film, that's when it happened, I could feel it immediately, there was no tension, at all, and that's when the sinking feeling of dread, knowing I possibly misloaded the film and didn't get any of the pictures from this trip.

So, on the way home I still ensured that I had TSA hand check the film, those scanners now-a-days will destroy the film, so no thank you. I was able to get the roll dropped off at Not Another Film lab, and I was hoping for the best. But, like my gut said, my fear was in fact true, the roll was blank, which confirms that none of my film pictures were actually taken. Thanks to Not Another Film Lab for not eating the scan credit I had paid for and offering to credit my next roll.

creenshot of an email notification in a dark mode interface. The email is from "Not Another Film Lab" to Randy Hoover, informing him that his rolls of film came back blank and that they will honor a credit for his next visit. — The email I was dreading

I was a bit distraught, but, this is the film life, and these things happen. I've now started ensuring my film is loaded better, and forwarding the initial loading frame or two with the back open to truly ensure the film is advancing, and hoping this prevents future mistakes.

I'll still have the memories of that trip, but I wish I also had those pictures as well, but such is the nature of the game.

-Randy

Full Gallery: https://gallery.mrthrax.co/gallery/6n8BjhYYIXeuejnXJxoZsxyl