There are now officially only two things in this world that I love;

My Mamiya 645 1000s:


And my '88 Volvo 740 Turbo Estate:


Everything else is dead to me.

That is all.

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Not quite...

Things have been pretty slow over here on the western front. Been too busy sleeping and partying most weekends to actually go out and take pretty pictures. Most of my action banging on the shutter recently have been crap snapshots out drinking, or my somewhat pathetic, pretentious effort at documenting my own day to day life.

I'm sick of this house, it's too crowded, even if I wanted to setup my umbrellas and make a ghetto studio, I wouldn't be able to. I don't know enough other local photogs to get friendly with and get their friendly nudges (shoves) to leave the house and make awesome shit. Starting to meet more people and get my confidence in approaching people up, but somehow I still feel vulnerable as all hell when it comes to photography. Just seems like so many of the photographers I meet are just so full of their own egos. I mean, heck, I can tolerate an ego if you've got the skills to match it, but otherwise, fuck off and stop nitpicking my fucking drunken happy-snaps on facebook.

I've been dieing to shoot with my Mamiya 645 ever since I got it. It's the top-end model of the old back-less Mamiya 645's, back when it was all fake leather patterned heavy-duty plastic and chrome. Chrome bitch. Chrome. Back when men were men and cameras had fucking style, and heft. Problem is I never had a light meter for it, and I aint lugging a seperate incidence meter or spot meter when the camera itself is already breaking my arms. I mean if I bought an RB67, it'd be waist-level finder and seperate meter all the way, but I bought the 645 specifically for hand-held shooting, so goddamn do I want to use it.

So, went and put a PDs prism for the Mamiya on order today. Also got a new focusing screen because I ballsed the old one up trying to clean it. Lesson kiddies. Don't pull apart an old-style Mamiya 645 focusing screen thinking you can clean it. You can't. You can clean the ground glass plenty good, but that plastic film thing that gives the split focus? You'll get shit in there and never be able to get it out and re-assemble the whole thing unless you have chemicals, and a dust-free environment fit for semiconductor manufacture. Just don't do it, a new one in EX+ condition is USD$7 FFS.

Now I suppose it's time to either find a photo lab that'll do good scans allong with the development and give them to me on CD, or buy a good flatbed scanner.

Also, I've forgotten since the last half a dozen times I asked. Where do you bizzatches recommend for getting 120 film processed? Neg mostly not slide. Would love it if they do scanning as well. I've heard of Atkins from a few people, but I've also heard bad things about them from someone who I'm pretty much inclined to treat as the Ultimate Authoritative Source (You know who you are!). Optional requirement is that their staff are also prepared to answer my retarded questions. The sort that only someone who grew up on digital could ask about film and processing).

Anyways. I'm tired of typing and I really need to cue a new album in the mp3 player because I've listened to this one four times in a row. Dead serious, that's how much of a machine I am these days.

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, motherfuckers.