IN YOUR BAG 1775 – Nasos
It is nice to see so many returnee In Your Bag posters to the site, some of you have been coming back for years. We have another one for you today. Nasos was on JCH back in 2019 and now he is back, and he has a great book too…
In 2019, I had the privilege to be featured in JCH’s “In Your Bag” section. Shortly after that writing, there were changes in my photography journey.
Film Camera Zen
Film Photography Zen book adds quality to this “In your bag” photo. Us humans need to feel with our hands. A book gives us that. Internet information is bigger than the world but you can’t feel it. Bellamy put the effort and wrote a book about cameras he loves and considers classic and historically important. I have similar books and Film Photography Zen is a great addition to my library.
For 25+ years my photography interest is mostly explored with analog cameras. Being a ’75 model myself, film feels natural and more close to me despite digital’s effortless quality. I mostly work when most people don’t and have free time when others work. I have filled many of those free lonely hours fiddling with these beautiful oldies and made good friends who share the same admiration and respect for analog cameras and film photography.
I have dipped my toes in large format for a short period and also cine film and gear. Decided I only need to use 35mm and medium format. And if I was to choose over these 2, I would choose 35mm. I believe the vast majority of the most important moments in history was captured in 35mm. Quality wise, medium format is of course superior. But in 35mm film & cameras, there is enough quality and options to be as serious and as playful to satisfy all needs.
B&W
I mostly shoot b&w film and develop myself. No time and will to have a darkroom set up again, so I digitize the negatives. Used flatbed and a laptop for years switched to mirrorless and a tablet for some time now.
In conversations I was stating an M2 or an M4-2 would be my choice on the M path and when that user black Canadian surfaced in a local ad for sale 5 years ago in a price I haven’t seen since, it was time to see if it would be “my camera”. Yes. It gives me that feeling and has the quality to support that decision. It marked the start of further sizing down my small camera collection to a few that were given to me as gifts and a few I consider important, beautiful and classic. All not rare or exotic but full of soul and potential with a set of fresh eyes. My eyes are not fresh but I make and will continue to make my efforts.
Would like to just have that Leica M4-2 on the shoulder, but everyday life commands more items along so a bag becomes a necessity. The bag in the photo is a Tenba messenger DNA-8 in cobalt colour. The smallest bag I own, it’s fine for when I just want the Leica M4-2 with my 2 M lenses, the 50 Summicron V3 and the mighty 35/2.8 Summaron, film and a few everyday items.
In my hands the Leica M4-2 feels like no other camera from the ones I have owned -similar or not- and the ones still in my posession. It is the camera I always have with me even when I go out with medium format, even when I am at work. My Zen camera. Whether or not I make good photos with it is on me.
Thanks for sharing your bag with us again, Nasos. And thanks for buying my book, Film Camera Zen. I hope you like it.
Check out the links and please come and comment.
Keep them coming folks, we need more submissions, so get your bag on Japancamerahunter.com
Send me a high resolution image of the bag. Optimum size is 1500px across. Please ensure there is a bag in the shot, unless you don’t use one. The more you can write about yourself the better, make it appealing and tell us a story. Snapshots of your gear with a camera phone and no words will not be featured.
Oh and don’t forget your contact details (twitter, flickr, tumbler et al). Send the bag shots here. Please understand that there is a long wait now as there is a backlog of submissions. Not all make the cut, so make sure yours is funny/interesting/quirky. And please make sure the shot is of good quality, as the ones that are not do not go up.
Cheers
Japancamerahunter
