The Portrait - a story

[CosteaM]

<p >You know sometimes when you go out shooting without a plan and you let your gut feeling tell you where to go; These can turn out to be more productive and interesting than most of the planned outages that I’ve done.</p>

<p >It happened to me quite few times and I learned to listen to the little voice in my head. Last Sun my wife went to the hair saloon so I knew I will have at least couple of hours for myself. As I said no plan what so ever, just driving towards downtown (in my little community that is the Main Street, perhaps 1 km long). On the side a big parking lot where they have a Farmers Market every week-end. As I walk towards the Market I notice this old man (I say in his late 70’s early 80’s) with an old RF hanging around his neck. Could not tell what camera it was from the distance so I walked in his path and complimented him with the usual “nice camera”. He smiles and replies something like “the best” so as I get closer I reckon a beautiful Leica M3. In a way it was funny that he used a metal chain as camera strap so I thought what a nice portrait this would make as he was standing there with his white hair glowing in the morning sun.</p>

<p >We start talking and I learn he lives close by in a retirement home; he keeps himself busy indexing thousands of photographs taken throughout many years of photography as a hobby. He invited me to see his pictures. I ask him to let me take his portrait which he accepted so I pull out my Nikon F3 and shoot one frame. I had a bad feeling about the picture but could not tell immediately what it was. We split, I get his address, give him my phone number and promise to visit next week-end to give him a print. I go home straight into my darkroom and load the changing tent with the camera, scissors and the developing tank. My intent was to open the back cut the film and develop the part with the old man portrait right away. What followed was a photographic disaster: as I opened the back I felt the leader of the film floating freely in other words I loaded the film cassette in the camera without testing as I usually do so I wasted about 20 opportunities including my portrait. </p>

<p >Sure it happens, no big deal I didn’t have anything special on that film aside from the portrait which I will re-do (in theory it should not be a problem) but I really felt like an idiot. I will leave you with this story that I had to take off my chest and promise to follow up soon with the portrait. One thing is sure, owning and trying to operate so many different cameras calls for trouble, the photographic sort of trouble. </p>

[charles_stobbs3]

I did this last with a half frame camera so I lost 48 pictures. On a vacation in England.

[richard_]

<p>Don't feel bad. One time recently i shot a Parade with my Retina 2a - and when i returned home discovered no film inside! With so many cameras around the house, i NOW place a paper label on them indicating if their empty or if loaded, what kind of film, etc...</p>

[User_502260]

<p>I have three Bronica SQ-As and a number of backs. Somehow I have the wrong darkslide in one of the backs and even when the slide is in, the shutter fires. This doesn't make for a good exposure (or any exposure). I never have this problem with my GS-1 or ETR cameras. For me, the fun of using the different cameras outweighs the occasional frustration.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>It's a good thing my favorite cameras have film load indicators, or I'd have made that mistake many times.</p>

[arlen_c._elkins]

<p>With most 35mm cameras the easiest way to check that the film is loaded and winding properly is to just look at the Rewind knob and make sure it is rotating when you wind the film. You can always give the rewind knob a CCW tug to see if there is pressure to check also. I would always be sure and check for rotation when I advanced the film the first few frames to assure all was working properly.</p>

<p> </p>

[john_liberty]

<p>You must feel awful. It's probably happened to all of us here. Buy yourself a MF folder. W/ the red window in the back you always know whether the film is advancing (or if it is even in the camera) and you should never have a repeat of this.</p>

[Rick_van_Nooij]

<p>That's too bad Mihai,<br>

I'd be lying if I said it hasn't happened to me a few times. I now watch the rewind knob religiously when winding those first frames on my Leicas.</p>

<p>Interesting how classic cameras bring people together. I'm sure your visit will yield some new opportunities as well as some interesting stories.</p>

<p>Kind regards,<br>

Rick</p>

 

[yefei_he1]

<p>Yep, that happens. I have too many cameras to operate as well. There's enough difference between them that technical errors are bound to happen sometime. Idiot proof mechanisms have their merits, and when I split my brain between 50 cameras, I sometimes become an idiot. For example, just recently I used a Mamiya Universal which doesn't have any interlocking mechanism at all, and I got half a roll of blanks. I either forgot to take out the dark slide or to cock the shutter, or didn't screw the shutter release cable tight enough to the lens. I don't believe I forgot to take off the lens cap:-) Also, the lens shutters weren't thoroughly tested at all speeds. I'd rather not believe the blank shots were due to faulty shutters!</p>

[steve m smith]

<p>My wife borrowed my Nikon F601 a few weeks ago. When she got home she told me that she thought there was something wrong with it as the counter had got up to 63.</p>

<p>The auto take up had not automatically taken up.</p>