So yesterday I'm sitting under an umbrella at an outdoor café, waiting out a passing rain shower. Not an unusual way to pass the time in Washington state. Even on a July 5th.
My camera bag sits on the table under the umbrella with my GF670 folder resting on top. Once opened and locked, the camera usually stays that way. The UV filter and metal shade preclude easily reclosing it as both must be removed to do so, and I also use a separate right-hand bracket with cable release for better handling. So I wait.
While I'm waiting up walks a nice elderly lady who notices and asks about the camera. After I explain, she tells me that she just bought a wonderful vintage Zeiss Ikon 6x9 folder for use as her "new" regular working camera. She uses Ilford film (atta' girl!) and does her own developing and printing.
She recently learned these things by taking a series of classes at a community college in Portland, Oregon. They let her continue to use their darkroom facilities, as she currently has none of her own. But she wants to start looking into what it would take to set up a simple one at her place.
She looked to me to be in her early 70s, and said that this is her first go around with photography of any type. After she walked away I was just grinning from ear to ear...
Ken