it's true: i love old things. pyrex mixing bowls, 1930s dresses, worn wooden spoons, handkerchiefs, manual typewriters, tattered polaroid shots, soft leather, woolen blankets, film cameras. i love writing letters by hand, cooking my own meals, gardening, canning, sewing (though i'm not great at finishing my projects), collecting old bits of random stuff that i find pretty.
currently i have a major crush on old cameras. here are two beauties that i'm aching to have in my hands:
this is a 100% manual, completely ancient soviet camera. it was designed to be cheap and durable. basically it is like a less-disposable disposable camera: you wind the film, focus the shot, click the shutter and wind it again. it doesn't do any of the work for you unlike modern cameras, which do everything except pick your nose. those cameras scare the heck out of my honestly... and i struggle to justify the expense, when i feel like it would take a lifetime for me to figure out how to really use the thing. you can do amazing things with them, yes. i just don't know if they're for me or not.
this sassy little lady is a 1970s polaroid one step land camera. look at that little rainbow down her front! they don't make them that cute these days. in fact, i find the new polaroid cameras pretty ugly, even though i think it's great that there is enough demand for them that they're back in production.
i've really been having fun taking pictures for my public art project, a million little pictures. i haven't used a disposable or film camera in ages, and there is something so satisfying and exciting about pushing the shutter and having no control over the image at all. it's out of my hands, and it captures a moment, even if it ends up being a crappy photo. the only thing better than that would be a real polaroid camera... click, whiz, shake, and your moment's right there! awesome.
so yes, i'm hopelessly nostalgic. i love the idea of having a little string hanging in my bedroom and clothes-pinning new polaroids to it. like a constantly remade collage of day to day pieces. i love that there will only ever be one of those pictures. i can't capture that precise image ever again. i can't print duplicate copies. if i give that picture away, i am giving the recipient a little piece of me and my experiences. hmmm.
one of these days i'm going to break down and ship one of these gems into my hands. then all i'll have to worry about it not going too crazy and spending all my money on film. in the meantime, i'll peruse the awesome polaroid movement website. it features polariods of all kinds from all over the world. happy looking!
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