I'm well and truly obsessed with photography again. I picked up yet another camera last week and have been trying to learn how to use it. While I'm not new to 35mm cameras, I've never used a camera that only has manual focus. I didn't learn photography on one of the classic cameras like the Pentax K1000 or the Canon AE-1 etc. I learnt my photography mostly on a Minolta Dynax 500si. I'm not counting the cameras I used for snap shots before I started learning it in school. :)
I loved my Minolta and I shot hundreds of shots on it. If I remember correctly, you could turn off auto focus on it but I mostly relied on the autofocus. I did, however, shoot mostly on manual because that was encouraged in class and I was a serious student. :P
I was also introduced to the wonderful world of plastic and toy cameras in school and I still love them till today. I have quite a few plastic cameras and Holgas and I still have interest in buying more different kinds of Holgas. I was actually trying to buy one on a 2nd hand site this past week but the seller didn't reply when I asked if the camera was in working condition so I don't think I'll be buying that Holga in the end. :(
I got a little unlucky recently and one of the cameras I bought 2nd hand didn't work after a few snaps, so I was kinda bummed and wasn't in the mood to take a chance on that Holga. That and the fact that my Minolta Dynax 500si no longer worked made me start a hunt for a nice 35mm camera that was mostly, if not fully, mechanical. I didn't really wanna deal with too much electronic circuitry that might just die on you.
I was actually looking mostly for the Pentax MX or the Olympus OM-1 because I didn't want anything too heavy since I hoped to carry it around even on days I didn't intend to shoot. But the Pentax MX isn't very common in these parts and the one that I saw was sold just two days before I contacted the seller. I couldn't find the Olympus OM-1 then too but the seller had a gorgeous, like-new Olympus OM-2s Program and in the end I couldn't resist. It was above my budget but the seller did give me a good discount on it so I fell for it.
I've just shot a test roll of random stuff on it as I learn how to use the camera. I've switched to digital and mobile photography for a very long time and am no longer used to checking my metre and settings on full manual, so I keep making mistakes. *sweat I shot some of it on Program and Auto modes and some of it on Manual. I didn't keep notes. I'm terrible at that. I just want to shoot that's all. Haha! Also, learning how to focus took a little getting used to. I'm too used to autofocus and limited to no focus on my plastic cameras. Anyway, let's see how the test roll turns out. I can only bring the rolls of film to the lab tomorrow after work. I wanted to do it today but the lab isn't open on Sunday. :(
I also shot a test roll on the used Lomo LC-A I got off a 2nd hand site and shot a test roll on the Holga WPC Pinhole. I think I ruined a lot of shots on the pinhole. I'm not too good at keeping time just yet. Will be interesting to see if I get anything nice from the pinhole. Will definitely need to keep practicing. I also started using the new film that I got. I used a roll of Shanghai GP3 120 on the Holga 120s but after I opened the back to take out the film, it felt a little loose on the take-up roll, so I'm a bit worried about that now and hope that the shots are still good. I have a roll of Fomapan 100 in my 35mm plastic camera but I'm only halfway through it so I don't know if I will have it ready for processing tomorrow.
Am excited to see if I get anything good from the rolls I intend to send in for processing tomorrow. That's the fun part of film / analogue photography. It's not the no knowing; it's the anticipation and it's the unpredictability of it all. :)
Anyway, apparently this is Holga Week so I'm off to try and get a few Holga photos ready for submission. Sadly, I found out too late and I don't do my own film developing anymore so I don't think anything I shot on the Holga 120s or the Holga pinhole recently will be ready by the 7th Oct so I'll probably go through the test roll that I shot on the Holga 135bc and submit a few on Instagram just so that I can participate too. :)
This was shot on my Holga 120s with very expired film that I forgot I loaded and didn't shoot for years and years. I think it's a happy accident. Hahaha!! It's quite evocative to me. :P Alrighty, time to go. :)
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