Film, blue skies & the good life. :)

At the weekend when I had my completely crazy and utterly liberating experience with the kit lens I also decided to pick up my film camera. This camera is in all of my memories. I can see, if a little fuzzily, my father carrying the big camera round during every family holiday. I can remember begging him and pleading him to be able to hold it, if only for a second, and to be able to click the shutter. The camera was a fantasy to me - a big black giant of a thing that ate cylinder shaped colourful plastic rolls for food. It was noisy too, and whirred...I yearned to own such a machine. Finally my father relented. I remember, we were in France, I lifted it out of his hands, and placed it round my neck feeling quite the grown-up! I pointed it at the sea and clicked. The love for that feeling has never faded since. I still have that photograph, just as we still have the mighty beast...outmoded as he is now. So I picked up the camera, the one from all my childhood memories, and I loaded a roll of black and white film and I manually focused and I metered and I played. It was freedom all over again.

Hearing the gentle thud of the prints on the doormat is like Christmas. No way will I ever give up digital but I have a newfound love for film again. These were cropped a little but apart from that nothing. I love the raw real life feeling they represent for me.

Today was our first blue sky for a little while. Yesterday I read some words from a friend, about how blue skies are God's gift to us - to help us make it through the day. I never really thought about it that way. But I think this picture portrays that notion perfectly. Such silent soft scenes of nature are empowering in their own way, don't you think?

Today I also received a present in the post [lotsa post for me!] from a Canadian friend. The t-shirt came with this wonderful card - she said she knew I would love it, and boy she must know me well. Thanks K, for the great shirt! That phrase just sums life up...I mean, what's the point if you don't enjoy yourself? :) Have a great day and, remember, like what you do! ;) {Sincere apologies about the quality of the following image}.