UPDATE Maintenance

Apparently white vinegar is the cure for everything... I just placed new batteries in the CanoSound and, after a couple of sad attempts, it has been reborn!

Now to find out where to purchase and process Super 8 film...

Maintenance

I knew I had more cameras...

After my recent barrage of camera related posts, I found where I had been "hiding" the old CanoSound super 8 film camera. I got a little giddy when I saw that there was still a film cartridge loaded inside. I figured, "What the heck..." and pulled the trigger. Of course nothing happened. So I opened the battery compartment.

I'd like to say I paused for a moment of silence when I saw the battery corrosion... but there was expletive. I was not happy with myself as this was my own fault for not removing the batteries before storing it. I probably thought "It won't be THAT long before I shoot with this again..."

Ah... best laid plans. They do tend to lie around and gather dust.

Since I didn't think I could do any more damage to it --- I mean really, at this point it's just a cool, retro paperweight --- I set about cleaning the battery compartment. I scraped the corrosion off and then cleaned it with white vinegar. I am currently waiting for everything to completely dry.

If it works cool! If not, I'll kick myself and go on. In any event, I think I'll go remove batteries from anything that is not being used.

Happy World Pinhole Day

Today is World Pinhole Day. You are supposed to take a picture with a pinhole camera today and post the image on the WPD website... www.pinholeday.org ...

I think I've got an old oatmeal box and some black spray paint but my photo chemistry is so old I don't know if it's still viable. I might have to just play with my Inkodyes...

Handmade

Getting back to my personal photo-a-day challenge...

My brother started something one year for Christmas... He made luxurious pen and pencil sets for quite a few people in the family. He turns the wood himself. He's actually quite the lathe enthusiast.

Notice that I said "quite a few" instead of "everyone"? We have a large family and cranking out that many small pieces of art is tough for one craftsman. So the rest of us had to wait until the next Christmas. He even came up with a really cool way of crafting the pen he made for our mother (he is, after all, a good and smart son).

The best thing about his project is the passion he has for woodworking. All you have to do is ask him what wood he used and his eyes light up and he will tell you the story of the wood... where he found it it, what it's commonly used for, any special handling he did to accomplish exposing the best grain.

That is the mark of a true craftsman --- the journey in creating something is just as important and the end result.

Saga 127

In my recent posts of my cameras, I discovered that I had 3 cameras that use 127 format film. I thought it might be cool to get ahold of some of that film and try those cameras out.

The film is apparently only made in Europe now... Croatia, according to the box. I had to but it online. Three rolls cost just under $10 each and I'll have to ship the film off for processing.

But that's okay by me... It's been a while since I've had a little photo adventure and I'm liking how this is shaking out...

Stay tuned...

History

Growing up, I was surrounded by family. Not just the cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents and even a great-grandmother... I was also surrounded by stories of great-great-grandparents and distant Scottish relatives.

My paternal grandmother had boxes and albums of old family photos. And by old, I mean ferrotype old. She also had odd keepsakes that had stories attached to them.

Such is the case with this horn. It was her grandfather's and he brought it with him when he left Kilmarnock, Scotland to come to the U.S.
There are initials scratched in it almost like ancient runes.
As kids, my cousins and I would always try to blow it like a trumpet. My cousin Beth was the most successful at that endeavor.

I know one should not become to attached to "things", but I love the fact that I have these little tactile connections to my family.

Now if I could only get my hands on some of the pirate booty that my maternal grandfather was sure existed...

The One That Started It All

Or should I say the "OM-1" that started it all?

When I was 15 I wanted a "real" camera. So I got a job at the Iredell-Statesville YMCA as a summer day camp counselor. I saved every paycheck and at the end of the summer my parents took me to Service Merchandise in Charlotte.

I can't really remember why it had to be an Olympus OM-1, but I do remember standing at the conveyor belt as my new camera slowly rolled my way. I didn't know much, but I knew I wanted to take pictures. Learning to load film was easy as was reading the internal light meter.

I think it was 2005 that I got to go to Paris to take a workshop on street photography. I loved the work of Robert Doisneau and that was where he worked. The course required either a digital camera or a film camera with a 28mm f/2.8 lens... which just happened to be the only lens I had for this camera. Twenty rolls of Ilford Delta 400 film, a plane ticket and a rented worldwide cell phone and I was off.

I love this camera. It makes me happy just to pick it up and look at the world through its viewfinder.