Neanderpundit

It just occurred to me. Last sunday, I met Tamara K for the first time.

There’s been something stuck in my head since then. Not a surface thought sort of a thing, just a little rippling undercurrent, letting me know there’s something very familiar there. What was it? the height? the hair? the hands? the hips? The walk? something about the body languaghe was familiar but very elusive. Then I figured it out.

She’s the Stig.

A couple years back I bought an old Minox on ebay, in perfect operating condition.

last week, I bought a tank for it. For those not familiar with the process, developing Minox film requires a special tank that unreels the film, and uses a couple tablespoons of chemicals.

So today, for the first time in twenty eight years, I wander off to find some D-76, the universal developer of black and white fine grain films.

Little did I know…

Used to be able to buy developing chemicals at the drugstore, there were so many hobbyists. Now, it’s all about speed and digital.

The guy at Gary Camera, which has been in business for some ages, hooked me up. And we spent an hour and change yapping about cameras, and the changing face of photography. The store is full- has hundreds, if not thousands- of film cameras. All worse than worthless, except to old school geeks.

I’ll never be inarested in doing the film the way I used to, but I will be using and printing my own Minox. And I’ll give the guy my business, exclusively, because that’s how people like him stay in business. He has an Ebay store, where they sell odds and ends, but man, what a beautiful bunch of old glass and chrome. There used to be a camera store that sold almost everything, around every corner. Now, you’re lucky to find one. If you have one, support it.