Period piece...

Our home was built in the early 1950s. The architect paid a great deal of attention to how the structure was placed on the land as well as within the landscape. As a result, we are rewarded with lovely views in all directions. The Foca L'Universel is a French rangefinder camera from the same era as our home. It is also well thought out and meticulously crafted. Mine sports a 35mm f/3.5 Oplex lens. It is a camera similar to one the original owner of our home might have used. I hear he was a world traveller, so owning a French rangefinder is not outside the realm of possibility. This Foca still works wonderfully well even at the ripe old age of 70. I hope to be in such good repair at that age!

The photograph shows the view from our bedroom looking north. Our dog is buried near a persimmon tree not too far from here. We have to look past the holly to see her resting place. 

This image was captured on Kodak Pro-Image 100. I'm pleased with the result, and I think it was rendered in a unique way by virtue of the old optics. That is one reason to shoot with these vintage cameras. In fact, there is only one thing I don't like about the Foca: the persistent smell of cigarettes permanently embedded in the leather. Merde.

Behind the blue door...

I've only had one old film camera actually turn into a brick while I was shooting it, and that was a Rolleiflex SL2000f. That little misadventure is perhaps a story for another day. Suffice it to say that the experience put me off purchasing any fully electronic cameras for quite some time. However, the pull of being able to shoot with the most advanced Leica reflex camera ever made (for pennies on the dollar) was too enticing to resist. So, after a multi-year search, I finally found a well sorted R9 for a reasonable price, and here we are. So far, the camera has served me very well indeed. If for any reason my R9 spontaneously expires, it will make a very nice doorstop or conversation piece. In the meantime, for this outing, I decided to use it in tandem with the 50mm Summilux lens, and paired this combo with a roll of Kodak Pro-Image 100. I was hoping that the lo-fi look of this film would suit the urban-ish landscapes I was hoping to capture. 

I was pretty pleased with the results I achieved. I have no idea what is behind the blue door, by the way, but I will tell you that the door is locked. And then there is the propane tank in the shadows on the right hand side. Draw your own conclusions.