10/16/09 .....old crushes.....

As long as we're speaking of the cameras that kept us company "back then" I would like to present a photo that I took in Rock Island Illinois somewhere in the late 90's. It's a shot of The Nields, a band I have seen well over 100 times, and would without question back then - drive 5 hours each way to see on any given night. Although The Nields still play together as mostly a Sister folk act and not a 5 piece rock band.... those gigs remain fondly in my greying memories...... The camera I took this photo with - the Canonet QL17 - also remains in my heart. My Dad gave it to me when he moved on to more sophisticated machinery. The Canonet was a 35mm camera with an "instamatic" feel.....it came with a 40mm 1:1.7 lens that could not be replaced with other lenses - It featured fully shutter-priority automatic exposure and fully manual shooting modes. Just writing about it makes me want to buy a roll of film and start shooting! Fans of John Waters will recognize the Canonet as the Camera that Pecker uses in the film of the same name. I miss the Full Band Rock & Roll of The Nields just like I miss shooting around with my sleek, compact, Canonet.... but these days I'm rockin' in different ways.... and that's good, too!

copyright juneplastic/george green