Several weeks before Christmas I found an old Yashica TLR camera for sale on craigslist. I took the timing as a sign that I was supposed to buy myself a fabulous $100 Christmas present–so I did. :)
In every possible way this camera is manual, so creating a shot takes time. The camera’s meter isn’t what anyone would deem trustworthy, so I first take a reading with my handheld light meter. Then set the aperture and shutter speed. Advance the film. Compose the shot, manually focus, and finally, push the shutter release.
Colin seems to be the only one who has the patience to sit and wait while I take a light reading, turn the dials and crank the film, so this first roll was mostly him (with a few of a very grumpy-looking James).
I love that this camera shoots in square format, I love that I have to look down into the waist-level viewfinder, and even though it sometimes feels like a slow process (soooooo slow!), I do love that it makes me stop and really think about what I’m trying to get.
Here’s my favorite shot from the first roll–Colin in all his patient cute-ness:
