Argosy III - Mike Zeis
Stop No. 48Location: Uxbride, MassachusettsPhotographer: Mike ZeisDate: December 2010
Argosy Journal:I
have been taking pictures since I was in my late teens, but it was only
a few years ago that I started to learn how to do it. A nearby
photographer whose shots I saw on PBase and liked suggested that
we meet for the first time at a camera club meeting. Since I was using
a P & S digital and expected to get a DSLR, I wanted to learn what
to look for in a more advanced digital, so I was all for investigating
a camera club. That photographer was James Surprenant. For some
reason, I connected with the idea of vintage camera photography right
off, put aside any thoughts of digital, began lurking around flea
markets and thrift stores, and learned to re-spool 120. I enjoy old
cameras because they are mechanical marvels, because of their "retro"
look and feel, and because of the unpredictability of results. I get a
special thrill out of getting good pictures from primitive cameras. And
when I pick up a non-primitive old camera, I can draw on the things I
learned from James, the camera club, and the junky old cameras. (The
self-portrait was taken in downtown Providence RI.)
The Photographs:
Twin DonutsWhen
the Argus C4 arrived, I loaded it with expired 200-speed Kodak Gold and
added it to the camera bag. I arranged for a trip through Boston at
daybreak so I could catch the Twin Donuts neon sign lit up. The place
was open, but the light was not illuminated. I went inside and asked,
and they were nice enough to turn it on just for me. Most Twin Donuts
shots look like mine, which was taken from the very edge of the
sidewalk on a real busy street. If you step forward, you don't
get the whole sign. Step back, and smush!
Cheapo RecordsIn
the winter, some of our color goes away, which is why I sought out
lit-up signs at night. I photographed the Cheapo Records
storefront from across the street. Like Twin Donuts, it's safer
to be on the sidewalk, especially with a tripod. I waited for a break
in traffic, and pushed the shutter down for a second or two with the
dial set on "B". This shot has been cropped a bit, and is a
light-scan/dark-scan Photoshop sandwich.
The Argus C4For
about five years, I have carried a C3 brick with me just about every
day. So I appreciate the comforts the C4 offers: rangefinder in
viewfinder, double-exposure protection, self-cocking shutter,
center-of-the camera tripod mount, having "B" on the
shutter-speed dial instead of the shutter release. (With
the C3, I have forgotten to set it back, and have taken hand-held shots
on B. I guess I could pass those off as pinhole shots!) The film
counter seemed a little wacky to me: as a C3 guy, I set it to zero, and
it wasn't 'till I heard the sprockets tearing film at around 10 on the
dial that I realized that something wasn't right. I didn't know 'till a
moment ago that the C4 counts down. Here's another strange thing. A
couple of times when I was holding the camera in portrait orientation
to frame and focus, my grip put a finger on the shutter speed dial, and
while I was focusing I cranked the shutter speed all the way over to
"B". Despite such waste, I had two additional acceptable shots on the
roll: click on over to Flickr and search for "dancing lights" and
"aspen auto sales."
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_z/All photographs this page © 2010 Mike Zeis
