My Zen Place

At least weekly, sometime more often, I’ll pick up one of my film cameras sans film and cycle it through its shutter speeds. I used to tell myself that the reason I was doing this was to exercise the shutter and keep all of the moving mechanical parts operating in good order. And of course, it is important to use a machine regularly. Lubricants dry out. Mechanical cameras do not like to just sit on a shelf. But I have to be honest with myself and with you. There’s something cathartic, meditative and zen-like about cocking the shutter, focusing on the table lamp across the room and firing off a few shots at 1/30th, 1/60th, 1/125th of a second. At least for me.

Analog photography is full of delightful tactile experiences. Like loading a roll of 120 film into a Hasselblad film back…

Calculating exposure with an old Weston meter…

Winding film onto a stainless steel developing tank…

Feeding a new roll into a Leica…

I remember talking to a friend many years ago who enjoyed woodworking. He built very nice pieces of furniture however he told me that he enjoyed working on the piece more than the joy of having it completed. The tools, the process, the sounds, even the smell of wood was what he truly enjoyed…his zen place. I guess that is true for me as well. The tools and the process bring me joy, whether there’s film in the old Nikon or not.