A few months ago I dug out my old film camera. It was an act of desperation, really, because my digital camera causes me so much frustration. Coming back to this simple technology and its often stunning results was pretty satisfying. But the cost of developing the film (and putting the images on CD) soon dampened my enthusiasm for using it as a replacement for my digital. For some time now I’ve been enjoying what others are doing with film and have discovered some breathtaking photos.
While browsing Flickr the other day I searched for pools and sets of photos taken with my same camera: the Pentax K1000. What a surprise! I really wasn’t aware of how popular, or rather, really well-loved this camera is. I began to feel pretty lucky. My Dad sang the praises of his own K1000 for years and gave me mine while I was still in high school. I remember worrying about how much sand got in it after I spent six-weeks on the beach in Spain between my junior and senior years. After a thorough and gentle cleaning it was fine—and still is.
It turns out many of my Flickr favorites are results of the K1000. Molly—who’s blog I’ve long enjoyed for its excellent writing and beautiful shots—has a set of gorgeous photos taken with her K1000. I think I’ll have a small re-learning curve to really make the most of its capabilities but for now I plan to just enjoy our reunion. See my Flickr set here.
