Old timer at the camera swap showed me how to load a Hasselblad

I was at the Portland camera swap last spring and this guy in his 70s saw me struggling with a 500C I'd just bought. He walked over and showed me this trick where you hold the film back at a 45 degree angle while sliding the insert in so the paper doesn't snag. Totally saved me from wasting a roll of Portra 400. Has anyone else run into random mentors like that at these events?

2 comments

2 Comments

scott.mia17d ago

Maybe it's not that deep. Old dude showed you a trick with a film back. Cool. But acting like this is some profound human connection thing is a stretch. I've had old guys at swap meets give me bad advice too. Like the one who told me to clean my lenses with Windex. Ruined a perfectly good filter. Sometimes they're just bored and want someone to talk to.

mason28317d ago

And it's funny how that kind of thing happens way more than you'd expect, like people just showing up right when you need help with something specific. I've noticed at flea markets and old hardware stores too, the folks who've been doing something for decades are usually happy to pass along little tricks if you're not being pushy about it. Maybe it's just me but there's something cool about how random knowledge still gets shared face to face instead of through a YouTube tutorial.