Chickens

Yesterday marked my first attempt in a while to use the Hasselblad, and I botched it pretty badly. I drove down to Torrance with Chick-Fil-A on my mind, and two bags full of camera equipment in the trunk (I'd also brought the Nikkormat with assorted lenses). The big cow came out, and I got a stuffed miniature version. The twenty nuggets were delicious, and I'd happily repeat it today, but they're closed on Sundays. Plus, I have an AutoCAD tutorial later this afternoon.

I set up below a large array of power lines. I first took a quick digital snapshot, framing the images I wanted, then busted out the Nikkormat for a few wide angle shots. Next, I used the telephoto lens, which put grooves onto the cables, and bolts onto the stanchions. I tried a few shots with the macro lens, as well, before getting the Hasselblad out of its bag.

Here's the thing. I've shot with it before. A few times. And I felt pretty comfortable with it. But for some reason I wound the film magazine, not the camera body, which pretty much rolled up all the film without any more exposures. I thought my spare magazine was loaded, but it wasn't. So I dropped off the maybe one exposure roll at Samy's, and bought three more. I spent a good hour reading the Hasselblad Manual, and learned that I hadn't been loading the film magazines properly anyway, so I guess the experience was useful. And I got plenty of good shots with the Nikkormat, both in Torrance, and later at the oil field on La Cienega, where I stopped in an emergency parking turnoff to get the best views of the pumps. Seeing the drills in motion reminded me of There Will Be Blood, and I was glad once again that Daniel Day-Lewis had won his Academy Award. Well, now I have two full magazines ready to go, and I'll probably shoot some more next weekend.