Wednesday, December 1, 2010

My first Camera


While loafing around the Internet, recently I came across a picture of an Agfa Box Camera, which used to be one of the prized possessions with me for quite some time, some 55 years ago. The picture seemed to be peeping into my eyes as if asking me if I recollect any thing associated with that box. I was then a boy of 13 years and after persistent requests my dad yielded and bought me one. He also reminded me not to ask for funding for the film rolls every now and then. The camera was a basic one with a lens, a filter, very few aperture settings and with the provision for a flash unit which could be mounted on the shoes provided on its body. There were other similar cameras without any lens and they were known as pin hole cameras.

Discovery of the picture prompted me to go through my old B/W  photo albums so as to enable me to refresh my memories associated with that Camera. Particularly I was interested to locate the photographs I had taken at the Air Strip when the Home Minister, Mr. Govind Vallabh Pant,  landed in my small town. Since I was the only one holding a camera, I could find my way to the IAF aircraft and very close to the minister. There were, however, limitations in taking snaps. The camera would permit only 8 snaps for a roll of film and therefore there was no freedom of taking any number of snaps as the modern day digital cameras could afford. I did take few photographs and exhausted the capacity. The town had a small photographic studio run by one K. Narsingh Rao. Necessarily we were required to go to him for processing. Incidentally I had caught on my film a wealthy businessman garlanding the minister. It seems that the studio owner  informed him about his photo showing him with the minister.  The businessman came to me personally and wanted me to part with the photograph as well as the negative. In return he offered me 10 rolls of the 120 film (Ilford) and thus I could replenish my stock of raw material. I very much needed. I was too happy as I was not required to beg my dad for funding for this purpose.

My searching the old albums though brought back many old memories, I could not find the photograph, I was looking for. However, there were many others and had different stories behind them. Incidentally I got this one below, a tribal fishing under the famous Chitrakot water falls and I could relate it to my own obsession these days, blogging and waiting for some one to come by and drop a comment.   

 The color effect credits to Picasa

28 comments:

  1. We too had one camera like that is in the picture. But we were not allowed to touch the same as we were young. But it is sad to know that you lost the valuable photos.

    Did you add colour to the pic? It appears like a painting.

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  2. @Chitra:
    Thanks Chitra. The color effects came from Picasa as the caption beneath the photograph states.

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  3. Lovely post. I wonder if we could still get a picture of a tribal fishing at Chitrakoot Falls now?

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  4. What a beautiful camera and the spectacular shot taken by you is amazing. I still remember the camera which my Dad was having almost like yours and now everybody is having the small digicam. Time is changing rapidly and there is invention of new technology.

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  5. Your classic camera also looks like an Adivasi :))

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  6. Fantastic camera! It's amazing how thins evolve.

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  7. That was an excellent photograph. Do publish more from the old days - and each photo will have a story behind it!

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  8. Its really nice to know about this Classic camera.... Beautiful pics... thanks

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  9. Amazing, the color effect really works.

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  10. My Papa had a beautiful Yashica and it was in perfect working condition till we unanimously declared it obsolete at home, in favor of the new fangled stuff available in those days. Oh good ole days and how I love that camera now..

    Subramanianji, I am back again with a new post at my blog.

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  11. Hi P.N.! Amazing how you found that old camera... Internet has everything!! ;)
    The old picture of the fisherman is excelelnt!! And your post deserves much more than an accidental comment!!

    Blogtrotter Two is in the Valley of Kings waiting for you!! No photos allowed inside the tombs, sorry… Enjoy and have a great week!

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  12. You are welcome at my new posts-
    http://urmi-z-unique.blogspot.com/
    http://amazing-shot.blogspot.com/

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  13. A beautiful picture and a fascinating tale. I, for one, miss the good ol days of the roll. Days spent carefully clicking snaps, when the roll was finally exhausted, we would give it for developing and wait with breathless anticipation to see how they have turned out.

    With so many hundreds of digital snaps, I have very few hard copies of the kids snaps.Yet when I sift through the old snaps, uska mazaa hi kuch aur hai!

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  14. Hello PNS,

    At first I thought this was a picture of a computer CPU. I could imagine how bulky the camera could have been.To carry it around would have been a tough task.How much the world has advanced since those day.These days one can get a very powerful digial camera which can be kept inside the shirt pocket.

    Surely, you must be one of those privileged persons to have a camera fifty five years back.It should have been a real luxury.

    The photos is amazing and really caught my fancy.The mighty waterfall and the man sitting patiently for the fish to bite the hook is a marvelous sight.The photo as such is a great treasure.

    Best wishes,
    Joseph

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  15. @Joseph:
    Thanks Joseph. The Camera is not bulky. Its hardly 4 inches tall.

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  16. I have seen and handeled one in my childhood. Its a treasure to own this now. The B&W photo is amazing, out of the world

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  17. ah! the agfa box. My mother used to have one and she always remembered it in conversations. the fisherman's picture is pretty good...

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  18. In this world of mobile phones, it is difficult to even explain that we used to use 12 negatives' b&w cameras.

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  19. You are welcome at my new post-
    http://urmi-z-unique.blogspot.com/

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  20. Nice reading. I have seen this camera. But I am astonished to visualise the courage the 13 year old boy posessed to photograph a VVIP during his official visit. Would also like to know more about the life 55 years ago in your small town.
    The photograph of the tribal fishing, with that mighty waterfall in the backdrop conveys a lot. Excellent post. Sampath

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  21. The camera is very cool, something I see only in pictures and have yet to see a real one.

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  22. This post made me smile, your childhood was certainly very eventful :) Would love to read many more such stories...

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  23. That camera is very cool and the picture taken is absolutely magnificent ...

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  24. I have a cammera like that.. if any of u are interested let me know..


    beto_dc @ ho t mail dot com

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  25. This a wow pic, would love to see others like this.

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  26. This is wow pic, of great historical importance, i would like to see more like this.

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