Earlier this year, I met my favorite camera I've ever owned. I scored a Rolleicord VA from my friends at Pro Camera in Charlottesville, VA. I had been wanting to invest in a new medium format film camera and after playing with some at the lab, I realized how incredibly fun shooting with a twin lens reflex could be. I won't go into technical details because what I really love about this camera is not only the feeling I get from shooting with it, but also when I look at the photos it produces.
It's all about the vibes, amirite?
Composing photos within a square just feels right. Maybe you can chalk it up to the fact that I was raised on photography instagram in the days when everything was posted as a square. Or maybe it's because squares feel so balanced and more natural for photographing subjects within a scene... not sure, all I know is it looks cool and beautiful hahahaha. We love square format over here!!!!
Probably my favorite thing about the photos I've taken with the rolleicord is how soft everything feels. I think it's a combination of the physical size of 120 film compared to 35mm film (larger negative therefore more information in the scans) along with the dreamlike quality of the camera itself. Looking down through the bright screen is truly like peeking through the looking glass and into a dream. When you move right, the image through the viewfinder moves left. When you move up, it moves down. It's really confusing at first but once you get the hang of it, it feels like a fun challenge in composing as if you're looking at life through a different perspective.
Something really special about the rolleicord is the way people are able to see your face while you're shooting. When I'm taking your photo with it, there isn't a camera pressed up in front of my face. You can see me smiling and holding a really cool old film camera which allows you to open up a bit more naturally to having your photo taken. In my experience, people light up when they see the rollei in action and aimed at them. It basically ensures the photo is going to come out cool and not cheesy hahaha.
On a roll of 120 film shot through the rollei, there is room for 12 photos. Having the limitation of only 12 photos per roll forces me to slow down and really earn a shot. The second I trigger the shutter I either nailed it or fumbled the moment hahaha. It's actually been a learning curve for me, because with my digital cameras, I'm kind of an in the moment shooter. I love to sneak a shot and capture movement
with multiple photos taken in a sequence. With the rollei, not only do I have to wind the roll in
between each frame, but I also only get 12 moments to carefully choose.
But really, the only wasted film is film that never gets shot. :)
About the photographer: Jesslyn McCartney is a hybrid digital and film photographer based in Richmond, Virginia. She takes a natural approach to documentation, capturing the beauty in little moments. With a focus on weddings, couples, and family photography, Jesslyn's photographs are nostalgic, timeless, and emotion-centered.
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