So, I work in the Union Station in Ogden, Utah (www.theunionstation.org) -- a city-owned railroad and history museum. Next Tuesday a Union Pacific steam engine -- the UP 844 -- is visiting us, so folks are very excited and much talk of photography is rampant.
I work in the history archive, and I was sitting there Friday morning when a man came in, admired all the train photos on the wall, and said he hopes to shoot the steam engine with this camera his father left him, and could I answer some questions?
He said he has a Mamiya RB67 Pro (might be an RZ -- I forget) and proceeds to tell me he thinks he has a lens -- an 80, or maybe it's a 150 -- and there are backs and this bellows thing, and he bought some film and he's read the manual twice, but when I show him the light meter app on my iPad he's asking me "so how do you know which lens opening to use? It's about more light and less, right?" and it quickly becomes apparent that he has no clue how to work this hunk of professional equipment his father left him.
So I tried -- put some film in it this weekend. Take some shots of your kid. Don't forget the dark slide (he looked puzzled at that) and so on and so forth -- I'm sitting there trying to give a 6-month lesson in professional photography to a guy who hopes to use this beast of a camera this coming Tuesday at some locations he's already scouted out.
And I hate to make it sound as if I am making fun -- the guy seemed genuinely interested and wants to learn. I told him to come in with his gear on a day I or a friend who used to own a camera store in LA are in and we'd be happy to go over it with him.
But it's not unusual these days to find people who have had no experience with film -- this guy, I guess, didn't pay attention to what his dad was doing, but he's hardly unique. A decade ago the newspaper I worked at here had a really brilliant photographer, wins awards, who had no clue how to work a Holga because she had never, ever, shot with film.
I gave the guy some recommended exposure settings for 400 film -- daylight and cloudy -- and urged him to practice over the weekend. I hope he makes out ok.
I work in the history archive, and I was sitting there Friday morning when a man came in, admired all the train photos on the wall, and said he hopes to shoot the steam engine with this camera his father left him, and could I answer some questions?
He said he has a Mamiya RB67 Pro (might be an RZ -- I forget) and proceeds to tell me he thinks he has a lens -- an 80, or maybe it's a 150 -- and there are backs and this bellows thing, and he bought some film and he's read the manual twice, but when I show him the light meter app on my iPad he's asking me "so how do you know which lens opening to use? It's about more light and less, right?" and it quickly becomes apparent that he has no clue how to work this hunk of professional equipment his father left him.
So I tried -- put some film in it this weekend. Take some shots of your kid. Don't forget the dark slide (he looked puzzled at that) and so on and so forth -- I'm sitting there trying to give a 6-month lesson in professional photography to a guy who hopes to use this beast of a camera this coming Tuesday at some locations he's already scouted out.
And I hate to make it sound as if I am making fun -- the guy seemed genuinely interested and wants to learn. I told him to come in with his gear on a day I or a friend who used to own a camera store in LA are in and we'd be happy to go over it with him.
But it's not unusual these days to find people who have had no experience with film -- this guy, I guess, didn't pay attention to what his dad was doing, but he's hardly unique. A decade ago the newspaper I worked at here had a really brilliant photographer, wins awards, who had no clue how to work a Holga because she had never, ever, shot with film.
I gave the guy some recommended exposure settings for 400 film -- daylight and cloudy -- and urged him to practice over the weekend. I hope he makes out ok.
)
