I.. Messed Up..
The first film camera I decided to try and use today and will be sticking to for the duration of this first role of film (obviously) is the the Nikon FG.
New batteries: Energizer 357/303
Film I am using: Fujifilm 400
Lens: Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
Side note - This is an expired film preset I am working on and I love it, also in this photo is the camera body and lens I am using for shooting this role of film.
I ALSO ordered an adapter for my Sony A7RIII so I can use the older Nikon Lenses on my e-mount body.
Anyways, on to the issue I had.. I did not at all watch a video on how to roll my film into the camera. I did it and it worked and was no issue, until I thought about the direction I turned the internal little wheel. I turned it the wrong way and shpuldn’t have even touched that part.
I went out walking and did about a mile just taking a photo here and there. I did however stumble onto this old Chevrolet 3100 (not sure the year). I was using my light meter on my phone and everything even though the FG has one built in just using my own as a backup to be safe. I want everything about this role to be the best its can be. A manual lens on a film camera and manual adjustments. I loved my Sony a5100 with my manual lens. Anyways I am getting side tracked.
I had the thought that I might have rolled my film into the camera wrong.
I came home, shut the blinds in my bedroom, turned every single thing off, turned my light red and as low as it could go, opened the body and nothing had chanced.. It wasn’t rolling right. I had done it wrong. Huge upset right at the start. Great learning point and a good time to learn it, but all the photos I had taken of my daughter and nephew, and that truck. Gone.
We ran back outside once it was rolled correctly and I snapped a couple of my daughter again, nephew said hell no to going back out, we walked down the street to the church where the truck was and they had just let out. Everyone was standing around it admiring it as they should. I just did not have the courage to ask if I could try and photo it really quick and just took it as a loss this time.
The sun was setting, I was making super slight flares into the lens for the photo, the manual lens adding more depth and bokeh, it will forever be a photo I can only explain and never show and it was so beautiful.
Holding a camera body from 1982, seeing through a lens from 1986 and seeing a truck from the 1950’s or a little later was so satisfying and really just something I can’t even fully express. I am beyond grateful to even have this opportunity and chance for something like this and I still can not believe it. Having the photo of the camera and the truck and me thinking I will be able to show the photo I took on the camera is hilarious. I am a little hurt, but it is all about learning. Sometimes it is about the moment, this time turned into that. Here is to being forever worried that I did not roll/rack mt film correctly.
Oh and I guess don’t subscribe for fucking newsletters because Squarespace costs for the domain, costs monthly for the features, costs for the features that you really want, pay for external plugins, pay for marketing newsletters and sending emails to people who want to enjoy my website. I wish I had known how much this shit was going to cost before hand because it is fucking insane.
