camera containers

My ever-expanding collection of cameras has caused a slight problem that's finally come to a head. I need one bag to put as many of my Lomos, Polaroids, DSLRs and SLRs in so that I can sling it in the back of the car and have everything I need to take photographs, where-ever I go. I was thinking about using one of the old bags lying around the office, but half-remembered something I'd heard once - and one little tweet is all it took:

And I got flooded with creative and beautiful ideas for camera bags. Here's the front runners at the moment:

Lee's Luxury Bag from Artisan&Artist (via @PolaroidGirl)


Sprout Diaper Bag from Chickpea Baby also via @PolaroidGirl


And the Classic 550 Billingham... from the ever-lovely @Pebble8



I'll add more as more appear. Feel like I've opened Pandora's Box...

the problem with vintage cameras no.3476

is that sometimes the technology that they need to work has been outlawed - genuinely!

To power my exposure meter and give my photographs a hope in hell of working, my OM-1n needs a Mercury battery - unfortunately these batteries got banned for being, I don't know, a bit deadly - so now us old-school Oly shooters need a workaround. Step in the 675 Zinc-air hearing aid battery, which I'm told promises to be just as effective to within a bit of a stop.

More here at Silverbased.org

ouch

"Um... I know you said we should come to class without any film in our cameras, but I tried to rewind mine at home and the film tension's just disappeared - I was hoping you could help me.." and I held out my OM-1 with black and white film elusive but still interred safe within, containing shots from Italian villages, sunkissed portraits of my extended family, countless sleepy mornings back at the cottage, fiddling in the garden with lavender blowing in the breeze and earlier that day, experimenting with tones in the gritty lanes of Brighton's backstreets...

"Hmm," she said, turning it over in her hands, "did you try rewinding it already?"

"Yeah, I think so," I said, doubt creeping into my voice, "but there's just no tightness - the wheel just goes round, look," and I demonstrated.

"Ah," she said, and before I really knew what was happening, she popped the back on my camera and showed me the film inside. I looked up at her. 

"Holy... what the....?!" I thought. My eyes widened, hugely puzzled by this new 'technique' for safely removing film from cameras.

"Your film's snapped, see?" she said, and began pulling my film off the spool as I sat, mutely gaping at the reams of now-past-saving negatives wheeling out, piling up in her hands like some awful, grey celluloid intestines. I felt sick.

"Um... ok... er..." I said, not really sure what to do and groping for comedy to pull me through as the rest of the "photography for beginner's" class watched, obviously blind to the horrific disemboweling taking place in front of them.

"You ok? We can always use it for practise film!" she grinned, bouncing the grey strip into the bin and handing me my now-empty camera while the class laughed, cheerily. I struggled for a weak grin and blinked into space. All I could see were the shots that had just vaporised like slasher-movie vampires in the sunlight, 'poofing' into nothingness. Sure, I was just trying the camera out for the first time, and the lack of any proper exposure meter meant that all my shots were probably pointless, but... wow. What a way to go.

I think I'm still in shock. On the last film photography course I was on, my LC-A got stuck mid-shoot and it was rushed across Brighton to a friendly dark bag for the necessary surgery: the harsh realities of a "real" photography course seems to mean that there's no room for emotion on this particular learning curve.

wow

In the last ten days, so much has happened that I barely know where to start. Let's try this:

- started my darkroom course and learned how to load 35mm onto a developing wheel (don't even know the technical terms for this, that's how early on I am) - smelt the weird chemicals, grinned at the other people on the course and am hooked. That is all.

- adventures with film continue: bought an old SX-70 Polaroid from eBay on a real whim, shipped it over from America (enduring customs taxes on the way) and was hugely delighted to discover that it's a complete, working set including manuals, flash cubes, macro lens and gorgeous leather case. (photos of the beautiful beast to follow soon, genuinely think it's a stunning piece of design)

- ordered SX-70 film from The Impossible Project, plugged it in and took my first Polaroids.


Fell in love with this ridiculously expensive format. Something hugely magical about pressing a button, catching the print and seeing a photograph develop in front of your eyes - it's a really personal, intimate format that I think I'll save for just me. And him, of course :)

- On the same day I liberated my SX-70 from Parcel Force, I also shot my first wedding! Well, one third of the wedding, just the getting-ready shots before the pro took over, but found myself really enjoying photographing one of my best friends and making her look even more beautiful than she actually is (well, trying to, anyway)... now working on her album, uploading images in breaks from article writing/photographer wrangling.

- knee deep in work at work and so much going on back at the cottage it's unreal. Time off soon, hopefully...