Summer vegetation
Ella
Mike
Hayden
Portrait of my maternal grandfather. 2008.
Aaron
Lisa
Trina
Natalie
The limbs of the fruit trees hang low
They weep at the weight of their inheritance
Minnehaha Falls on the day I saw Ramona Falls. June 5, 2012.
Thomsen.
Grandma brought me into the bedroom and asked what I thought. There was film remaining in the camera. After a trip to the lab I learned that the camera had sat unused for 23 years.
I tried out his camera. I suspected something might be wrong. Every time I dialed in the aperture and aimed it at my subject I would get an acceptable meter reading. The moment I pressed the shutter that red light to the left danced down the aisle declaring, “Hey hey hey! There isn’t enough light to make this exposure!” and left me holding my breath so as to not make the image blurry. When I got the film developed I decided that there is something wrong with the Olympus OM-10 I shot these with. These were the only images I liked. The rest were complete rubbish. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is?
Part of me wants to figure out how to remedy this. The camera is light, compact, and cute. I could easily see myself slinging it across my shoulders as I walk the streets. There’s the sentimental sap in me that likes the idea of shooting with a camera my grandpa used decades ago. Then there’s the voice of reason that asks, “Do you really need another camera in your arsenal?”
Images:
Sugar snap peas from the local weekly street market.
Bowls full of red raspberries from my dad’s garden.
Crepes crafted by the French student staying with my in-laws.
My husband learned how to put his hair in a bun.
Waiting for late-night pizza with friends.
