Rainbow Bones
Adoption Story
Posted by Paul Ricciardi (Rock Hill, United States) on 27 December 2007 in Plant & Nature.
Photo taken with Yashica D...this ties into the story below, please read it
I remember a year ago when I first came to Connecticut and the first time I went into the local camera store one of the first things I did was go over to their glass case of film cameras. They have a big glass case of the new, shiny digital cameras, but over in the corner is a somewhat dusty case that has relics from the film era. And in that case there was this one camera that immediately caught my eye.
It was a tiny little Yashica 44, a twin lens reflex like my Yashica D that I love. But it's smaller. I don't know how long the camera has been there sitting alone in that case. It's been since last December at the very least. Probably longer. I've always wanted it, every time I would go into the store I would go over and look at the camera in that case, dwarfed by the other larger cameras. I remember once when I was looking the owner of the store came and asked which camera I was looking at. I told him and he kind of laughed. But kind of scoffed. He said I was better off with my Yashica D. Bigger negative and all. That whole macho bit. You know the one.
But I couldn't help thinking about how it was just so cute. And a little bit sad. Because I doubt anyone will ever want it. I mean, the film for it isn't made anymore and you can't really respool 120 film onto the 127 spools. Plus on top of that nobody wants a film camera anymore, especially not one that you can't find film for. And most assuredly not one that is smaller than the rest and has a name like Yashica. Maybe if it said "Canon" or had a "12 Megapixel" sticker on it someone would want it. But nobody does.
A year ago the camera was towards the middle of the case. It sat next to an Olympus OM1 with 3 Zuiko lenses. Someone bought the OM. Or maybe it went to Ebay. I'll never know. But I do know that I went into the store yesterday and the little 44 was there. It had been moved. Instead of being in the front of the shelf in the middle it now sat all alone in the back corner behind another camera. I looked at it sitting there and I almost took it home with me. But I didn't have the 75 dollars they wanted for it. I wished I did though.
I ended up buying a few rolls of 120 film and, as I left the shop I took another look at the 44. I won't be back here to Connecticut until summer. Maybe I am crazy but I think that I will put some money under the mattress. Ya know, 5 or 10 dollars here or there. And then when I come back this summer and take my inevitable trip into the camera store I can adopt it.
Thats what I call it when I get film cameras: adopting them. I say that because a lot of them are forgotten, just like this little Yashica. People dont want them anymore because they are old. They are outdated. They aren't auto-everything megapixel machines. It makes me sad. The child within my heart cries a little when I see cameras like my Yashica neglected. Pushed to the back of the shelf so that the new can be sold. Because I like metal cameras. I like cameras with no batteries.
I like cameras that take that weird smelly stuff called film. I like film itself too.
But, more than anything, I like adopting old cameras that nobody else wants. There's something about taking a camera into my hands and making it mine. Reminding it that even if it hasn't seen a roll of film in years someone still loves it. There's something about cleaning them up and giving them a loving home where they are wanted and proudly displayed on the front shelf. And on top of that actually taking pictures with them. Call me crazy but I think of film cameras as orphans. They want homes, they want to be taken care of and loved. They're happiest when someone walks into a store and sees them on the back of the shelf, picks them up, takes them home, cleans them off, and makes them family. They're happiest with film in their bellies and a roof over their head.
Maybe I'm too sentimental. Maybe I'm too much of a child. Maybe I'm just insane. I do not know. But what I do know is that nothing feels like taking in an unwanted camera. Thus, I do wish I could give that Yashica a home. For now I can't, but, maybe one day.
