my kind of mid-century modern

Nearly a month ago, a friend asked if I might be interested in a vintage camera her father had. Why, yes! Absolutely! It’s no secret that my obsession with film cameras has exploded over the last six months, after making the plunge into medium format photography. After exchanging a few emails and speaking on the phone, I learned that the camera originally belonged to his father in the 1950’s, who had grown up in Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn Tech back when it was an all-boys engineering school. He said his father, an amateur but serious photographer, had taken beautiful care of the vintage specimen and was interested to know if I would realistically use it. Yes!

The camera would be coming home to Brooklyn!

Not long after ironing out the logistics, a heavy package arrived for me at work and I delicately unwrapped it, not knowing what to expect. Inside was a green military-style case with some of the most beautiful mid-century gear I’ve ever seen. His granddaughter helped me unpack the case, discovering old film boxes and her grandfather’s ephemera along the way. When we were done, a gorgeous Leica IIIf rangefinder, in its original leather case, alongside a full line-up of accessories, was looking back at me.

Now the fun starts. I’m taking the first roll to the developer tonight!