Old School Shutter Shots: Nikon Nikkormat FT2
blast from the past: the nikon nikkormat ft2
so in an attempt to resurrect my photographic ambitions that were aroused during an introductory 9th grade photography class years ago, i retrieved our family’s nikkormat ft2 from home this summer and brought the lithe mechanized time cleaver to LA. recalling how to shoot film has been a ‘relearning-how-to-ride-a-bicycle’ experience. it has taken a bend of muscle memory recollection and manual book skimming to recall a blurry understanding of the non-digital.
the results, however, have been enjoyable. the straight forward, physicality of the nikkormat’s mechanics have facilitated a direct and strengthened connection with my shot subjects. the logical correlations that tie aperture and shutter speed with the captured image allow for an aggressive approach to photography: with greater understanding comes greater control.
with the space limitations of my apartment making the possibility of a darkroom a sobering (yet simultaneously convenient) impossibility, i’ve turned to the phenomenon of digital scanning to flip my negatives into the realm of positive imagery. upon departing to japan earlier this summer, an exchange student in our undergrad arch program bestowed me with his canon mp970 scanner-printer. unfortunately for me the machine was built and bought in japan, and so after much trial and error i have been able to interpret its hiragana/katakana/kanji directions enough to formulate a very narrowly prescribed method for scanning negatives.
whether this approach to blending the mechanical with digital proves synthetic or hypocritical to the spirit of the photos remains to been seen.
photos to come.
topside
front…
back…
side…
to side.
