This week’s photo was taken from the South Street Bridge in
Philadelphia back in August on Kodak T-Max film using a Superheadz “Black Slim
Devil,” a Japanese toy 35mm camera that sells for $30 and has a very wide angle
of view. Be sure to grip it far back and from the ends, or your fingers will end
up in the frame! It’s a lot like the one-use Fuji Quicksnap, except it is
reusable and you can load it with any available film stock. I love using this
camera because it weighs close to nothing so it’s easy to carry around and it’s
always ready to shoot. There are no adjustments and I keep the camera in my bag
all the time with film advanced and the shutter set.
This instrument drives home the notion that it’s not so much
the camera as simply being there and ready when the moment strikes. Years ago
Popular Photography ran an article entitled “C.Y.C.W.Y.—Carry Your Camera With
You.” I couldn’t agree more, in fact, I feel like something’s missing if I
don’t have some kind of photographic device at hand. Assuredly, this capture is
not optically or technically perfect and I had to exercise a fair amount of
legerdemain in Photoshop to get a solid print and it will probably see a few more
iterations. I seem to always want more detail, depth and tonality, but in my
thinking until someone invents the perfect camera, it’s far better to forgo
some of that rather than missing nature’s ephemeral spectacle. I often carry
this camera and a more bulky medium format, shooting both if time permits.
