Sunday, July 28, 2019

National Cowboy Day in Prescott, AZ








It seems like almost every day is a cowboy day in this town. So I do not walk around with my camera as much as I used to do when living in cosmopolitan cities in the US or overseas.

But a month ago I saw a 1969 Miranda Sensorex camera in an antique store and decided to add it to my collection since I had never found one that worked reliably in the past and stayed away from collecting cameras that do not work.



This time I could not resist since the store owner said that it was broken and was selling it as a display piece for very little money. I looked inside the camera and it was pristine, so decided that maybe I can find the problem as it was not used much.

While the rainy season was raging outside with heavy downpours, winds and thunder, I spent a couple of weeks looking at the Miranda repair diagrams online. Since I have repaired mechanical cameras for the past 35 years, I was able to trip the stuck shutter and lubricate the lens blades. After some scraping and acetone rubbing, the terminals of the light meter came back to life, and I was eager to try the massive f1.4 lens.

The photo above is a typical example of street photography. This couple walked toward me but taking a photo of them face-on is intrusive. So I waited till they passed, then turned and as I was depressing the shutter, he put his hand on her shoulder. Just for a second and off again.

I was able to capture that tender moment, and was please with the performance of the lens.

July 28, 2019
© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2019

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