I was looking for an old published article in a box
saying “Academia” when, a folder labeled “Yashica 14 rejects” got my attention.
Among the many vintage rangefinder cameras I used in
the past decades, the 1960s Yashica 14e had the most imposing and fastest
(f1.4) 45mm fixed, leaf shutter lens. Since street photography is anathema to
flash use, the Yashica was among my favorites for low-light moments. In the 1990s I took the Yashica as a backup
camera on trips to Asia, Africa and India, even though I never knew when it was
going to jam or break.
It never did, and I ended up trading it for an
Olympus OM-1 that was smaller and more reliable.
I looked in the folder. There were a dozen of photos
I had printed that were either developed or printed improperly. But I kept
them, not sure why.
Well, now looking through them I realised that aside
the memories, there were a few that had made no impression to my memory – I just
could not recall where I took them! So, to reward the eccentricity of keeping “reject
photos” I decided to give them a new life by posting them.
Hyderabad
and Mumbai. The opening
photo is from Hyderabad. I do recall taking photos of cows, but not this one
where a young man posed along. It is a common scene in the city that once was
the nation’s capital.
The second one is from New Delhi,
again one capturing a familiar scene.
Now
for the unknown photos.
While the motorcycles in the above photo were (are?) stereotypical of the ones seen in India, the scooters in this one remind me the ones seen in Asia. However, I rarely have seen street dogs in Singapore, Japan, Malaysia or Taiwan. Maybe this one was not a street dog? Further, I do not recall security screens on windows in any of these countries. However, the blurred sign on the building may contain an Asian alphabet.
So, this one is a mystery.
Next, a couple of photos that almost seem from another photographer’s portfolio! Where did I take these photos? However, they do show the prowess of the Yashinon f1.4 lens especially the shutter speed.
The second photo is focused quite well for fast movement
(two acrobats jumping in concert) although it seems that I have tried to, in a
very maladroit manner, dodge the lower half of the frame under the enlarger.
Probably the acrobat was too dark given contre-jour lighting.
And finally, here is a photo I found in that folder, one that took me back at least four decades, to a time when beer cans had pull tabs. Indeed, it is a sign for Schlitz beer, somewhere on an old wall. Again, I have no recollection where and when I took this photo, but I am very glad I did. It is truly a testimony of bygone times. Schlitz beer, as it was once known as America's favorite working man's beer is gone. The sound pull tabs made when pulled off the can and then thrown on an ash tray, is gone.
But I now have this photo to remind me of all that.
October 28, 2023
© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2023
