randomness and cameras
after many many many moons of dormancy, my Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic camera has not only been taken out of the camera carrier, but has been loaded with FILM. and actually used to take PHOTOGRAPHS.
unfortunately, it looks like unless someone else in the household can get the battery compartment open, i'll be taking the poor dear to a professional camera shop for a bit of work. i can't change the dead battery if i can't get the thing to open.
i'd forgotten how much i love that camera. it was my father's. it went to Italy with him when he was in the Army. it took pictures of Juliet's balcony, it took pictures of me being a goof, it came with me to Boston for a month while i took part in the summer program. it nearly got stolen by an over-enthusiastic photography professor. it has taken pictures of stairs in such a way as to make such simple things amazing and alien, captured my darling Tyler as her usual inquisitive self, taken shots that made my old Docs appear to walk away on their own. many a graveyard and burial ground has been visited by me and my Pentax, photos taken with as much care and attention to inscriptions and artwork as to entire scenes or vistas.
but of late, my poor camera has lain dormant in its case, doubly protected by travel-casing and carier case, accompanied by batteries and film and shutter-extensions and straps. lonely. forgotten.
i've been doing a lot of reading of photography lately, and suddenly, looking at the way the sunset glossed the hills with pink behind the house, i just HAD to take some pictures. and not with my camera phone. with a REAL camera.
so, hurriedly, i grabbed the case down from the upper shelf in my closet, opened it up, and got ready to shoot some photos.
that was when i discovered that the battery compartment won't open.
still, i loaded in some film (totally forgetting to set the speed and ASA and all) and took some photos out the window, and then a couple of QuanYin and Her lotus tealight holder, with a candle alight. and then i wanted to shoot this and this and that and this and...
but i didn't. my camera is sitting on the futon, lens cover back on, waiting for it to be day again, so i can take more pictures.
unfortunately, it looks like unless someone else in the household can get the battery compartment open, i'll be taking the poor dear to a professional camera shop for a bit of work. i can't change the dead battery if i can't get the thing to open.
i'd forgotten how much i love that camera. it was my father's. it went to Italy with him when he was in the Army. it took pictures of Juliet's balcony, it took pictures of me being a goof, it came with me to Boston for a month while i took part in the summer program. it nearly got stolen by an over-enthusiastic photography professor. it has taken pictures of stairs in such a way as to make such simple things amazing and alien, captured my darling Tyler as her usual inquisitive self, taken shots that made my old Docs appear to walk away on their own. many a graveyard and burial ground has been visited by me and my Pentax, photos taken with as much care and attention to inscriptions and artwork as to entire scenes or vistas.
but of late, my poor camera has lain dormant in its case, doubly protected by travel-casing and carier case, accompanied by batteries and film and shutter-extensions and straps. lonely. forgotten.
i've been doing a lot of reading of photography lately, and suddenly, looking at the way the sunset glossed the hills with pink behind the house, i just HAD to take some pictures. and not with my camera phone. with a REAL camera.
so, hurriedly, i grabbed the case down from the upper shelf in my closet, opened it up, and got ready to shoot some photos.
that was when i discovered that the battery compartment won't open.
still, i loaded in some film (totally forgetting to set the speed and ASA and all) and took some photos out the window, and then a couple of QuanYin and Her lotus tealight holder, with a candle alight. and then i wanted to shoot this and this and that and this and...
but i didn't. my camera is sitting on the futon, lens cover back on, waiting for it to be day again, so i can take more pictures.