Old Man River...

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The story goes something like this.  Cara and I and Zoe and Rocco all went to the river.  (That's a great start to any story to be sure...)  And while we were at the river, I found my old camera and lenses stored safely in a box under our bed.  It's an old Konica SLR that's probably about as old as I am, and over the years I've pulled many rolls of film through it.  However, in this digital age, our well worn Konica had become all but forgotten.  Until now.

Gloriously, when we resurrected this fine old manual camera, it had film in it.  According to the dial, there were about 20 shots left on the roll, and in the on-deck tube on the neckstrap, there was another new roll of B&W film.  Score.  So, on the porch, I fired it up as Cara eased the tension of the moment with an adult beverage and a relaxed Zoe in her arms.

And then we headed down to the dock, where the blazing sunlight and low water was a perfect recipe for a proper film camera, and Cara, of course, was a gorgeous subject for such photographic documentation.  She bravely lowered herself into the frigid depths of the mighty St. Lawrence, while Rocco was left to stare in amazement:  How did she just have a baby? Good question puppy, good question.  Cara, as always, looks like a million bucks.

Above is our favorite photo of the day: Cara and Zoe playing it cool on the rocks of Prospect Point.  You can click any photo for a larger view, and I really recommend it with this one...

Of course, we wasted no time introducing Zoe Mae to the river spirits, and our fine child acknowledged their power straightaway with a ruckus greeting-scream.  Nice to meet you too, Zoe.  One benefit to the unusually low water this May is that it's (relatively) warm for this time of year, so Cara's feet didn't even turn blue while braving the shallows for this shot.

After so much excitement, it was back to home base.  (That's the front porch to you foreigners.)  Cara and Zoe got a chance to relax and steal a nap under cover of film grain.  Sure, you can fake photos like this these days, but there's something appealing about an actual grainy b&w photograph.

Example B:  The evening bath, this time caught on film.  Again with the great grain.  The soft corners are from shooting at the wide end of a zoom lens with a UV filter and scope lenscap: the extra exposed barrel stack unintentionally rounds off the corners.  Again, it might look like a cheesy digital effect added in post, but it's actually a side effect of a chunky filter/lenscap combo. Film is great.  Plus, there is the undeniable thrill of the chase, knowing that you only have a few feet of film on which to capture the moment.  And then there's that feeling of proud satisfaction as you hear the shutter ka-chunk at the exact moment your 5-week old daughter cracks a smile.

 
Sometimes you just know when you've gotten a shot that you want, even without that little screen to confirm it right away.  G'night.

P.S. - If you're a particularly attentive reader, you might be wondering about that first, partially exposed role that was in the camera to begin with.  Well, dear friends, that role is another story altogether.  A hilarious story.  I'll need a few days to scan some of the photos, but suffice it to say, the photos will feature Cara and myself as you have never seen us before.  Seriously.