Early in May I bought an SLR at a church garage sale. I was so excited to have a new toy to play with. Britney came over and taught me the basics of using the camera, I dug out the old TIME LIFE books I had about cameras, and I set to work figuring it out. I spent the weekend just practicing focusing and learning the different parts of the camera. I have always had point-n-shoot cameras and photography was not an option for me in high school. I have always been interested in learning about it, especially in my scrapbooking years, but with little kids and a million other things to do it never got squeezed in.
So here was this fun new toy. I loaded it with film, shot a roll, and the camera promptly broke after I rewound the film. Plus very few of the pictures even showed an image.
But I still wanted to play. There was a bag and directions for a CANON AE-1 at EP Goodwill, but the camera was missing. They said someone had probably stolen it. Goodwill.com looked promising. Several older cameras were listed at prices I could justify, but it is tough to bid on something you can't hold and check out first.
Then last week, C and I stopped at a yard sale in the afternoon. There was a camera that I carried around with me while we looked at the other stuff. C had to help me get the case off, but it advanced and the shutter clicked so I dug $5 out of my purse. I really had to dig because I had just given Matthew cash to go hang out with his friends. I made it, even though I had to use 10 pennies!
I again spent the weekend googling about the camera, reading the manual online, and learning about this Yashica Electro GSN. Bummer. The battery was no longer available. I was going to have to order an adapter to make a newer battery work. :( Until I found this link. Using the information provided in the article and in the comments I set out to make a battery on Memorial Day. I had a wild goose chase finding the tubing I needed, and I had to tear apart 2 different remote controls to rob the springs out of them, BUT...I made it! Using a PX28 with the tubing and the spring, my battery light lit up and my "revolutionary, solid-state Electronic Computer Brain, which measures the light with computer-like precision," was all set to go. I felt smart.
As is tradition with most of my new cameras, Matthew got the first exposure.
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| please excuse my scanning job |
I continued to shoot the roll over the next 3 days and then the moment of truth came...developing. I did ok. I have alot to learn. Stuff about the flash and lighting. Composition. Ok, I have everything to learn. But the best part is, I have the tool to be able to do it. It seems to be a solid little rangefinder camera, without the additional confusing settings of a full on SLR. So I am going to reload, take notes, and shoot another round. It is time to play!
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| Matthew on our walk |
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| C's picture of me at our picnic lunch. |
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| The deer that startled us when we startled them |
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| swinging makes me laugh from my belly |
