Emily’s Party

Week 9 of my ’52 Rolls’ project started with a trip to Newcastle and ended with Emily’s first birthday party, meaning 4 more films in one week.

All 4 films were shot using the Yashica that I bought at the start of last month. Since receiving it, I’ve used nothing else. It is a beautiful camera to handle; the view through the waist level finder makes everything look photogenic and it feels like I’m getting more used to the controls (I’m remembering to actually adjust them on a regular basis at least).

I’ve taken the lenses out and cleaned them up and they are now perfectly clear. I also removed the finder and ground glass to see if I could work out why the meter wasn’t working, despite fitting a new battery. The first thing I found was a broken solder joint on the back of the match-needle window and loose wire. That was enough to convince me that I could probably do without a meter, using instead either an iPhone app or my old Свердловск-4 meter. Results had been OK so far, apart from my over-zealous use of an orange filter on one roll.

Anyway, the plan for this film was to set the camera up on a tripod in our back garden, and then shoot quick snaps of the guests who came to Emily’s party as I thought it’d make a nice record of the day. Partyblog (1 of 1) When I (eventually) got the film back from the lab and scanned it, I was pretty horrified by the results. The focus was off on all but one of the pictures. The Yashica that I’d been so pleased with had let me down…

Or had it? I’ve shot another film through the camera since and the focus is perfect, making this roll even more of a disappointment. What could have gone wrong? I can only think that the pressure plate wasn’t in the correct position and so the film wasn’t either. That or it was user error (over 2 days).

I won’t subject you to any more of the pictures, apart from the one that was in focus. This was taken the day after the party and I guess that it might have been in focus, because I hadn’t focussed correctly in the first place, if you see what I mean. It’s a Gemr/Maier inspired shop window self-portrait… Party (10 of 12)