Broken cameras, melting sheet film, and Cape Cod
In remembrance of my beloved point-and-shoot.
In the last post I mentioned the point-and-shoot Yashica I was bringing to Cape Cod. The slick 35mm camera I purchased two years ago and have loved since.
Well, it met its demise… on day one of the trip.
Let’s just say certain little hands got a hold of it and dropped it onto concrete. Ha!
As of now, every other frame seems to be damaged. I have no idea what’s happening inside the camera, technically speaking. If you’ve had this issue before, let me know.
I ended up buying a few “waterproof” disposable cameras at CVS for the kids to use at the lake. You can’t beat the ease of disposables. Fingers crossed the kids catch the film bug.
I wasn’t planning on writing about broken cameras, but after this recent incident I found myself reflecting on the many film cameras I’ve owned and subsequently dropped, drowned, and dragged into disrepair. The photos from these cameras were plagued with quirks and imperfections from light leaks to malfunctioning electronics.
I don’t think photographs with technical imperfections is necessarily a bad thing — such is film. But it will occasionally break your heart when your expectations for a photograph are dashed.
What better time to show a few favorite images from my first 35mm camera, which was almost always flooded with light leaks.
I’m a bit nostalgic for the early days of my photo journey.
I’m also a bit nostalgic for 2017 film prices, but I digress.
Up at Cape Cod our days were spent swimming in the pond, eating clam chowder, and taking walks on the Rail Trail. All in all, it was a fantastic trip.
Damaged Yashica aside, I managed to take a few family portraits on the 4x5. One of my favorite in-laws to talk to, David, let me take his portrait out back just before the light went away.
I’ve noticed over the past few months that taking photos of family members is more nerve-racking than of strangers. All that unconditional love sets a much higher precedent, ironically.
In addition to swimming and eating, my in-laws and I spent one of our last days looking into various fine art and photography galleries in Wellfleet.
Some of our favorite work on display came from New England-based artist Jack Standish.
Standish works with watercolor and egg tempera (a mix of dry ground pigment, egg yolk, and water — how the old masters did it). His delicate, detailed images of interiors provided much-needed inspiration for an upcoming interior design shoot.
Walking through these exhibits had me appreciating the act of seeing photography and art exhibitions in person. While I regularly collect and look at photobooks, I rarely attend exhibits.
Add this to my “Do More Of” list.
To bring to this full circle, back in 2018 I used my busted Mamiya 645 to photograph one of my favorite exhibits “Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg” at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
My current lineup of cameras and lenses are “issue-free” (knock on wood) I recently ran into an entirely new problem…
A 4x5 sheet of HP5 melted inside the film holder! The negative was stuck inside, so I had to peel it off. Has anybody had this happen before? You can see where the chemicals have left a stain on the holder.
Hoping this doesn’t happen while I’m in Montana next week (forecasts in the 90s)…
Talk soon.
Logan
Let's melt some more 4x5 sheets baby!!