Let’s Play Cameras!

With Robert, shooting in the pasture behind the house tonight (Photo by Abby S. M. Barron)
With Robert, shooting in the pasture behind the house tonight (Photo by Abby S. M. Barron)

Today started out most extraordinarily, and got better as it went along.

The phone rang at 7:30 with my long-time photographer friend Robert Stinson telling me he was on his way down for the day. I hadn’t seen Robert since last year at Chele’s wedding. When he and I get together, creativity happens, usually at unexpected angles and in unexpected places, and I really look forward to seeing him.

Getting up and around, I discovered that Abby had left an old camera on my desk, apparently as a gift. Then I found another, then another, and so on. Rangerfinders, point-and-shoots, field cameras, Polaroids. Soon I found she had in fact left me nine antique cameras and an antique light meter.

Robert got a kick out of this when he arrived. His mother died recently, so we set upon to scan a number of images of her for a slide show. We also set upon to “play cameras,” which of course involves shooting with our modern cameras as well as playing with the old ones. Robert brought his new used Kodak DCS 760, with which he had yet to shoot a frame.

The old cameras Abby gave me; last week she gave me two others when she returned from her Baltimore trip
The old cameras Abby gave me; last week she gave me two others when she returned from her Baltimore trip

We shot and scanned and worked photos all day, breaking to eat and run a couple of errands. By evening, we were outside, shooting around the pasture and the pond. When we came in, we did a thorough tick check (Robert found one on himself), then finished scanning and editing. Then I sent Robert on his way. It was an extraordinary day.

Robert makes images with his Kodak 760 near my garden
Robert makes images with his Kodak 760 near my garden