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While I was visiting family in Europe I raided my family’s old photo albums. There were lots of old b&w photos. I spent a good amount of time going over them and asking, ‘who’s this? and this guy?’ It’s amazing that most of us don’t know what our great grandfather looks like. I think things will change considering how nearly every one owns at least one camera these days.

I found a lot of them interesting and I thought I’d share two of them with you.

So I was about this young and my grandfather took me on my first fishing trip. He made a fishing pole out of a stick with some string on it and a metal hook at the end. You would never have guessed it but I caught a fish with it and I do clearly recall the memory of catching my first ever fish. It was a tiny fish, nearly as small as the hook actually but that didn’t matter. Of course the fish was placed there by my grandfather pictured next to me. I’ve no idea where he got the fish but he pulled it off and gave me a memory that stayed with me.

As I grew older I often recalled the memory and eventually came to the conclusion that I didn’t catch the fish. The hook was simply too big and there was no bait on it to begin with.

You can imagine my surprise when I came across this photo. It gave me a really warm loving feeling. They say that most people will run for their family photos first in the case of a house fire. I don’t blame them and in fact I will be doing the same.

The other photo is a really old family portrait. They are all from my grandfathers side in their village, Kumanovo in Northern Macedonia. I just love the composition, the way they are arranged in height order and the proud look of the man of the house on his tractor.

I finish work at 5pm. During Winter the sun sets at around 6pm and it’s very weak at sunset anyway. For this reason I hate Winter. The Golden Hour is not that golden and it’s always too brief. I never have enough time to get home and go out shooting so it has to be right after work, usually lugging around my bag which is nothing but dead weight and the camera bag if I want to be at all prepared. I long for Summer not only for the warm weather but for good shooting weather. Winter gives us other opportunities no doubt, but I do enjoy a nice afternoon walk in pleasant weather.

Today I went out shooting in the city right after work. The sun was really weak and all but gone by the time I was ready to leave work. I didn’t let it stop me and I wasn’t too fussed about what images I got. It was, let’s say, my re-initiation to street shooting after a long absence. I would have been happy just to wander about for an hour and get some exercise.

The light as I said was weak so I didn’t fuss about it. I was finding it difficult to see a good scene so I made my own. I started asking people if I could shoot them up close. Street portraits. Some staring at the camera, some trying to act natural and others I let do whatever they wanted. It was very fun approaching strangers and striking up a conversation with them.

There was the stereotypical labourer in glass reflection sunnies. An Asian photographer who asked me where I was from thinking I’m a tourist. The Indian in cool reading glasses seriously staring at my camera. The kebab shop owner who was rewarded with a purchase after I shot two frames. The two British old ladies who were polite as per reputation and laughed themselves silly as I thanked them and walked away. The Aborigine who asked me for change and was rewarded some gold with the conditional 2 frames. He also thought I was from Europe. The homeless massively white bearded man who laughed like a child when I told him the reason I wanted to take his photo was his handsome features. And without a doubt the most interesting guy of all. The old Asian guy who posed for me regally and then commenced to speak to me in Cantonese. As I’m lifting my shoulders in confusion he grabs a random girl waiting to cross the street and asks her to translate. He apparently wanted me to go back one day and give him copies. He says he will be at that same corner each day handing out fliers as he was today.

Apart from all the cool people I got to photograph I thought that the most interesting thing was that not a single soul said no and I asked around a dozen. I don’t care if all of the portraits turn out like crap, today was worth a lot more than a few frames. Not everyone shuns us photographers as we walk the streets looking for moments.

If you read my post from a few days ago you’ll note that I bought yet another camera. This one an old MF one, Yashica Mat 124G, in mint condition. It was so mint that I felt bad for using it. So, the only choice I was left with is to buy another one of the same model for general use. Naturally.

Back to eBay we went. Populated my list with potential candidates and this morning I bought another one… which also looks mint… which went for double my budget… help?

This one is a Yashica Mat 124, the model previous to the G. It has silver metal parts where on the G model they are blacked out. I personally think it looks better with the chrome which is a nice contrast to the black body. This one came with a tele and a wide lens. All look mint but let’s hope they aren’t so I can feel ok to use them and not buy another one.

Last night I bought a Sekonic L-308S light meter which is a nice compact unit. Not as cheap as I thought they would be but hey, that’s photography.

So in summary, I do admit I am addicted and am reminded of a friend who also buys more cameras than he cares to use. You know you’re worse than me Arran. Maybe we need to hold an intervention for each other?

Not long ago I began looking for a medium format camera. After using 35mm film for a while I can see the benifit in a larger size. Most of the entry level cameras with interchangable lenses are still fairly expensive and they tend to be bulky as well. That’s where a small box comes in handy. It’s a TLR to be exact. Compact, light and sexy if I say so.

The Yashica Mat 124G is a very common entry level camera to MF. It offers an 80/3.5 4 element lens with a B/1 to 1/500 Copal shutter and a short ASA range of 25 to 400. The camera takes both 120 and 220 film and has a meter which you use at your own risk. The best thing about these cameras is the massive ground glass focusing screen. It’s such a delight to use it.

I picked up a roll of Tri-X 400 and a Provia 100 today. I think I’ll try the 400 first because I can develop that at home. Stay tuned for the first set of pics. In the meantime, check out the mint condition. It’s almost a shame to use it and I’m seriously considering buying another to use so this one can be stored away.

Saw a cool video on how hang gliders are made. I never would have guessed that it involves 1050 parts! I’ll take two please…

Discovery Channel – Factory Made ep. 6 from Søren Ladegaard on Vimeo.