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| A parting image shot with the Nikon F80 while the RB67 sat in the bag |
Should fate ever see me trying to submit an insanity plea in court I can at least submit as evidence in my favour the sheer mass of kit I routinely slog across difficult terrain as a means of passing time. When the Mamiya that is my go-to camera was made it was considered studio equipment because few would be fool enough to carry it for any distance outdoors. Given the commitment involved just heading out the door with it and a few of its similarly massive lenses there never seemed much value in tucking something smaller and lighter weight into the pack. Why would I need something else if I had my favourite camera with me?
As it turns out there are a few good answers to that question after all. I discovered them almost by accident. It started last fall when I started taking my recently acquired Minolta Hi-Matic 9 along when I was out with the big camera. The idea was simply to get a test roll through the new camera that wasn't another 36 frames of the dog looking at me awkwardly. My first outing with it was an off-season visit to a public beach that after decades of decline as a recreational attraction is now being eyed by condo developers. I'd been there before but on this visit I was drawn to the graffiti marked foundation walls of a long-ago demolished building that I previously hadn't taken much notice of.
Whether or not the fact it piqued my interest this time had anything to do with the presence of a more maneuverable, hand holdable camera with which to explore it this time I can't say. What I can say is that I immediately put the heavy pack down and just went with the Minolta. There was no rush, the walls would wait for me had I chosen to set up the tripod and fiddle with the big camera, but there seemed no question that the Hi-Matic was the right tool here. That might strike the majority of you as obvious but my methodical self usually doesn't work that way. I'm used to spending some time with a composition, considering my approach, noticing all the details. The difference here I think is that my subject called for more exploration than analysis.
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| A shot taken while exploring with the Minolta Hi-Matic 9, again while the Mamiya kit I had with me stayed in the pack. |
Since that time whenever I'm out with the Mamiya kit there has always been a 35mm camera along for the ride, though more recently it's been a Nikon rather than the Hi-Matic. It's my side arm, the camera to use for all those situations not suited for pulling out the big gun. Those fleeting opportunities that won't wait for you to set up are the first thing that comes to mind. Even when it seems like there's plenty of time, grabbing a quick shot with the small camera can serve as quick insurance against the unexpected such as an unfavourable change in the light or a Volkswagon camper van parking in the middle of your previously pristine scene while you're setting up.
That's not the only advantage I've found in to carrying a side-arm camera. It's not even the main advantage. The fact is that even though I may gear up in anticipation of shooting with a slower paced, more considered approach doesn't mean this is the way I'll be inspired to work once I'm out there. When you're using a heavy tripod mounted camera deciding to stop and get a photograph is a little bit like pitching camp and doing this too many times can get a bit overwhelming.
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| My new side arm - the conveniently non-automated Nikon FM |
In one form or another I've been carrying a side arm camera with me when I'm out with the big Mamiya kit for months now and I'm still shooting far more 120 film than 35mm. I may even try bringing the Iskra along to see if it works in this role - medium format is still the sweet spot for me. More than likely it will be the Nikon FM I recently acquired. The F80 served well enough I suppose but it won't meter with all my lenses and the way nearly every function possible has been automated doesn't appeal to my sensibilities like it once did. When I think about it it takes far more work to earn the money to buy the batteries that power the auto winder than it does to just use the winding leaver.
Interesting. Equipment issues aside, I'm interested in how you made the photos. Did you use a filter, and are these prints or scanned & edited negatives? Interesting photos.
ReplyDeleteI suppose the images are always what it's about in the end, so thanks for your interest Bill. To answer you questions both images are scans from negatives. Though it's workable I'm still not quite up to speed making prints regularly in the semi-makeshift darkroom I have put together so far. Both were edited with contrast adjustment, dodging and burning type operations akin to the kind of treatment I would want to give them in the wet darkroom. To be honest I think I went a bit far with the sky in the lower image.
DeleteIn the taking the upper image was taken with a yellow contrast filter on the lens. Actually I probably would have gone to the trouble of dragging out the RB67 for this one if not for the fact that I don't think I could have gotten myself high enough to compose the shot with its waist level finder. The lower image was shot unfiltered with the Hi-Matic.