Since the beginning of my voyage into photography, I have been enamoured of waist-level reflex cameras—the large yet discrete viewfinder accessible from the top and the focus on often square format composition piqued my imagination and creativity. Specifically, studying the works of the Hong Kong based photographer Ho Fan, Swiss photographer Werner Bischof, and New York based photographer Vivian Maier introduced me to beauty of the twin-lens reflex (TLR) cameras.
Though, it was my love for Japanese watches and cameras that led me to the Yashicaflex; a TLR designed and manufactured by the Japanese company Yashica as their response to other TLRs like the popular German Rolleiflex. Japanese mechanics tends to be somewhat influenced by German craftsmanship, though being that Japan is closer to my end of the world and tends to sell products at a more suitable price point, I tend to prefer them to the European products.
Today, my 1956 Yashicaflex A2 arrived in almost mint condition. It has a few scuffs suggesting good previous use, but I’m unsure what sort of application it had been used for prior to being stored in a warehouse. It has clearly been well preserved, and it’s time I gave it a second life.
Loading the film for the first time in a new camera is exciting!—and a little nerve-racking. This is my first time loading medium format film, and loading a Yashicaflex is quite a bit different from loading my Hi-Matic. But it’s loaded now.
This is the most exciting part: the first shot with a new camera—does it function? Am I using it correctly? Will the photos come out as expected? I suppose I won’t know until I finish the roll. There are 12 exposures with a 6×6 resolution, so I will try to use them mindfully. I might be more excited to develop my film than to take the actual photos, but that’s okay. I think I need to tone down my excitement and be present so that I connect with this camera first.
