that’s a term i picked up from lester ledesma, a great photojournalist i had the privilege to meet several times. he started these “oddcam” outings, where people with junky cameras (vintage ones, non-mainstream russian copies or even self-built ones) met and went shooting with them. despite the number of junk cameras i have (due to a history of compulsive ebay-ing), i never went with them because they always went on a sunday morning when i have church — and i’ve never really enjoyed shooting in a group, for that matter either.

today, a friend who was studying in the UK came to visit and gave me this camera he bought me from a flea market. and it totally rekindled my interest in these old cameras, because i’ve fallen off my film-only high horse recently, having almost completely embraced the digital lifestyle, so to speak.

this one, as pictured, is a GB Kershaw 110, circa 1950. it’s cool because it’s a folding bellows camera, which means that it’s the traditional type where there are bellows (the accordion-looking bit which projects the lens out) and folds nicely into a compact shape. it takes 120 film, which means medium format — something i’ve never made the move to try before. which also means that i might start developing film again at home, should i start shooting around with this.

it’s all very exciting, especially since it makes me feel a little nostalgic. no, not about the ’50s — about developing film, since i used to do it on a regular basis. it was pretty therapeutic, actually. now i just surf aimlessly in place of that, instead.

at a subconscious level, i’m also aware that my little hobbies and timewasting activities are just ways of my delaying having to write up a resume and actually start looking for a job.