pocket camera

I was having not the greatest of days last week so the gentleman offered to take me out for poutine at the new place across the bridge. But I know that the gent has some sort of irrational dislike of cheese curds, gravy and fried potato, so instead we went for Thai food, something that we both enjoy.

I left the beast (5DMkII at home) and photographed our outing with just my iPhone. I've had a hankering to shoot with film recently, so I'm planning to pick up some medium format film to use with the two cameras I borrowed from my dad when I moved away.  I also want to try shooting with a rangefinder, which I don't currently own, but it's not like I really need any more photographic toys. Still... I want to experiment more with my photography. I've been inspired recently by some pretty excellent photo blogs and it's made me want to fill my life with more pictures. All different kinds of pictures. I found that every where I've been going lately I've been looking at things as if I were to framing them for a photograph. And I've been trying to take those photos with what equipment I've had with me. And as convenient and simple shooting with an iPhone is, the photos don't offer the same kind of depth that I long for. But we're comparing completely different animals here. The iPhone camera works in a pinch, and when it's all that is available to me I make do.

And I appreciate the convenience of the pocket camera. Last week I received a last-minute invite to the U2 Concert and I wasn't sure how tight security would be and if I would be allowed to bring it in with me. I didn't feel like risking it, so iPhone it was. Because I was planning to spend the evening in my pajamas and not at a massive rock concert, my battery died before the light show really got started. Not that the iPhone would have been able to capture what I wanted to anyhow.

So, with cameras on the brain today I brought out the Bronica and Yashica to make sure all the parts were still operable. I thought I might have an expired roll someplace, but after a couple moves I have no idea where I might have stored them. But, I set up the cameras as if I was going to shoot a photo and then just captured the image in the viewfinder with my SLR. It was as close as I was going to get today to actually taking them out for a shoot. I think I will like shooting with film again. I think I will appreciate slowing down to set up a portrait and carefully considering all of my settings. Not that I don't think about my exposure now, it's just so easy to adjust on the fly. I want to be a bit more deliberate. If only I can be patient enough to wait out the development process.