The first impressions of photography for me, like for most of us, were by way of film cameras. My father had a manual SLR, a USSR made Zenit camera, which as we gradually moved to automatic and then digital cameras, lost out on its ease of use. However, film photography and film development always held a certain mystique for me.
Fortunately, some 4 months back, a friend gave me a lead of a friend of his who was looking to sell his Nikon F3. After doing some research (youtube and online reviews), I discovered that F3 is a fantastic manual camera, and was one of the longest production cameras by Nikon. It remained in production for over two decades (1980 - 2001). Think about how often camera models get outdated today.
So with Nikon F3 and some cheap, old and expired NOVA GOLD B&W rolls in my arsenal, I bravely ventured into the realm of film photography.
Over the intervening months as I shot film, I was overwhelmed by the mechanical precision and simplicity of this camera. The beautiful sound made by the film winder can lead almost anyone into a transcendental state.
And recently, when I finally received the digital scans of the developed rolls, the results were beyond my imagination. It is said that film has a certain way of capturing the soul of the moment. I could not agree more.
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| Portrait of a beautiful young lady, Delhi, 2013 |
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| National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi, 2013 |
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| Indian Ocean performing at NH7 Weekender in Pune, 2013 |
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| Camel trading, Pushkar, 2013 |
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| Man and his camel, Pushkar, 2013 |
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| Local entertainer, Pushkar, 2013 |
Special thanks to Yashwant Mahajan for letting me borrow his Nikon 135mm f/2.8 lens, and to Pat.
"The beautiful sound made by the film winder can lead almost anyone into a transcendental state."
ReplyDeleteLoved the naivetés of your statement :)