There’s been a resurgence in people shooting film, for a myriad of reasons, but I honestly have no particular interests in either the process or the aesthetic. After 30 years of using Photoshop, I can get any look or feel that I want. My interest isn’t in the medium of film, but in using the old cameras of my youth.
Somewhere around 1983 or ‘84, I bought an Olympus XA2 at K-Mart, the first camera I bought myself. I remember it took around two seasons of hay-hauling money. (5 cents a bale) I had no aspirations or inkling that I’d end up being a full-time photographer, so I’m not sure what my motivations were. Turns out these models became iconic, and are still widely coveted by a lot of film shooters. The camera was a revolutionary design by famed camera engineer/designer Yoshihisa Maitani, and became highly coveted by photojournalists and professionals as a backup or pocket camera. I’m enthralled with the feel of this camera. I’s tiny, about 2/3 the length of my regular iPhone, about twice as thick, and even a little lighter. Small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, and take along anywhere.
I’m not sure what happened to that camera. I remember still having it not that many years ago. It was either lost it in my house fire, or it’s buried in a box somewhere in my parents’ barn, probably never to be seen again. So I finally broke down about a year ago and found one in pretty good shape on eBay for around $140. I ran a roll of Fuji 100 Acros black and white film through it, and have a second one nearly finished. It’s one of those things I keep forgetting to pull out and use, but I’m going to try to do a little better. There’s another roll of Acros b/w film, and a couple of rolls of Velvia in the fridge waiting.
explore! experience! enjoy!
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