PorroFinder Repair

Normally I am not a fan of the Mamiya TLR porrorfinder. For two reasons: first the viewfinder image area, now not reversed, is smallish and secondly, the focusing knobs do not feel comfortable down by my chin. Focusing and releasing the shutter with the same hand is awkward. I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for a left-handed person.

The TLR is an ideal studio camera, best on a tripod, used at waist level, looking down. Getting use to the reversed image and making slight framing adjustments for parallax becomes second nature after a few rolls of film. Okay for static subjects but dizzying when tracking something on the move.  I sold the first one I owned because I never used it, preferring to shoot more fixed subjects.

A couple of years ago I bought a C220 system from  a photographer friend and dropped the included porrofinder while playing with the stuff at home. A piece of mirror had broken. It did not matter much because it was the meter type, with the battery cover missing. Something for the garbage can. I threw in in a box of camera junk because of an aversion to throwing away anything photographic.

In Halifax there is an outdoor speed skating oval which is open to the public a few hours every day. It can be quite crowded on a good weekend and makes an interesting picture. I wanted to take pictures on film with the TLR and thought the old broken porrofinder would be ideal for tracking skaters in motion, ... if it could be repaired.

The beauty of the Mamiya is it can easily  be taken apart and re-assembled by someone with minimum of mechanical skill and the porrofinder was no exception. Two screws, clean and re-glue the broken mirror and Bob's your uncle. Now to test it out.

The Oxford Companion to the Photograph

One of my goals for 2013 is to read the Oxford Companion to the Photograph. This heavy, encyclopedic history of photography was published in 2005.

According to the publicity department of the Oxford University Press in Toronto:  'The Oxford Companion to the Photograph marks a watershed in the medium as photographic practice and materials go digital. Arranged alphabetically with over 1,600 entries and an advisory board of 18, it is international in scope, providing extensive and in-depth coverage of photography from its beginnings in the early 19th century and into this century.'

The Companion is 446 pages with 49 colour plate, 239 black-and-white photographs and line drawings with subjects from abstract, documentary and landscape to photographers, sports war and wildlife.

At 8-9 pages a week I hope to absorb all the delicious facts, stories and events which up to now are little more than a thin Swiss cheese of facts picked up from scattered magazines or the occasional biography. Lets hope that changes and my interest in the black-and-white film medium will be re-invigorated.

After all, how can one really enjoy film craft without appreciating  the achievements both artistically and technically of those who have gone before.  - Peter

Sept 30, 2013: The Companion is too encylopedic
to read as a book. I kept going cross-eyed and
falling asleep. Never made it out of the 'A'
section. Although a great reference and occasional read.
- Peter

A Bad Thing

Several years ago I got it in my head that film photography was fast becoming obsolete. I had been shooting digital  since the Canon 1D came on the market and rarely ventured into my basement darkroom.

I began doing things which in hindsight were foolish. I started selling off film related paraphernalia. I listed my Leedal stainless steel sink on Kijiji for $100  and got a buyer the same day. Like a fool I threw in my print drying screens, 11x14 and 16x20 trays.

I sold my Bronica system to a camera store. On eBay I sold off film equipment including Mamiya Paramender, a Porrofinder, a Sekonic meter, all my Nikon stuff, timers, and a number of other film/darkroom things.

I kept my C220 for sentimental reasons. My Omega XL66 enlarger was an old friend, so that had to stay. Safelights are still in place as well as plumbing.

I will be retiring in a few month and when thinking back realize I probably spent more time in a black and white darkroom than anything else. Maybe that is where my heart lies.

Maybe I will make this darkroom sink  (http://rustee.hubpages.com/hub/Photography_DarkroomPrintingTipsTechniques) buy some trays, paper, chemistry and make several collections of my life's work. I still have the negatives. Or maybe I'll  shoot more mamas with my Mamiya.