Recently, I lost my camera.
A photographer and somebody else’s Nikon.
Fortunately, I got it back, but not after the young photographer pictured above was done with it. It’s not the first time this has happened. On our recent jaunt to the UK, and following an enjoyable, if jet-lagged, lunchtime meet-up with Richard, Jenny, their not-quite-born-yet child, and Richard’s two daughters, she absconded with the Nikon rig on a few occasions: the South Bank of the Thames, the British Museum, Stonehenge, the Tower of London… more than just a few, now that I stop to count. And well and truly kicked my photographic butt with a few of her pictures. That might be another blog post, if I can let paternal pride over-ride the embarrassment and niggling jealousy.
While she was artistically shooting dappled light and foliage at the cottage a couple of weeks later, I snatched the photo above using good old analogue film. The camera I used was the circa 1970 Minolta Hi-Matic 11 pictured below. The film was Arista Premium 400, widely believed to be re-branded Kodak Tri-X. Fortunately, there are still photo labs nearby that develop black and white film, saving me from having to dig into that silver chemistry by embarking on home developing.
What a beauty. Features a Rokkor-PF 45mm f/1.7 lens, in case anyone’s interested.
The photo at the top, posted to Flickr two days ago, has rapidly become one of my most-viewed, and gathered up far more “favourites” than any other in my photostream. Most of this is due to it appearing in Flickr’s Explore, a daily greatest-hits chosen in a somewhat mysterious way that I’ve mentioned before. Whatever the reason, people seem to like it. And so do I.
Now it’s Thursday, the Third Day of School, and the pictured photographer’s eleventh birthday. Happy Birthday, you Nikon-snatching hoodlum.
Chip off the Old Block?