Images

I have a very nice Canon digital SLR but I've wanted to get back to basics for a long time. I bought a Canon A-1 on EBay a year ago. It was the camera I lusted for when it came out but I never had the budget to afford it. Now, it's cheap as dirt because people can't instantly post the pictures on fakebook.

It's the slowness that attracts me now. I have to be a little more careful and a lot more thoughtful in my technique and composition. I can't just fire off a dozen shots and pick out one that looks best.

I let it sit while I did other things but finally bought film for it and took it with me on a hike. Everything seemed to be in working order for a 40 year old camera. The first roll of pictures were OK if uninspiring. So many things to set and check. I finally bumbled through it and was satisfied when the results came back.

I took it with me on the Death Valley trip last month. I had my trusty Olympus digital as a backup but I wanted to see if old school photography still held my interest. I chose Ilford black and white film to see what would happen.

As you can see the results are promising but I obviously have a long way to go.

I had fun developing the film last night. Filling the tank, first with developer and counting the minutes, then each of the other chemicals in their turn. Taking out the film and seeing tiny images on the strip of celluloid was gratifying. At least I hadn't totally bolloxed it up!

I just ordered more film so that I can continue this experiment. I'll post pictures from time to time to better illuminate my commentaries.

---

Make my day, tell a friend about this blog!