There’s a temple on Carp Mountain on the hike behind my apartment. At a small resting place just before you arrive, a staircase leads up to the entrance; at the top of the stairs there is a cast statue of a bull that families will often stop at and pose with or let the children clamber over. I sat there on Saturday, with the dogs and the camera I was testing.
I also had the Leica with me, to confirm the exposure and distance to the top of the stairs; I needed to know the new camera was functioning properly. Suddenly a middle-aged woman hiker stopped at the top and began stretching. There was something about her outfit and the postures she made that made for a slightly odd image. I shot off a few photos with the Leica. The above photo was the best. It’s a strange image, because it’s not immediately obvious what is happening.
It’s been a long time since I took photos with the Leica. I have to get back into this.
I now have the camera that I’ve always wanted. A 6×6 TLR with a lens that draws beautifully, and which is in an excellent state of repair (it’s 50 years old), so that the exposure, frame spacing and focusing are all accurate. It is a true example of the jewel-like mechanical perfection of cameras of the mid-20th century. The above simple test shot happens to be one of the nicest photos of the dogs that I have taken for some time. A Minolta Autocord III, 75mm rokkor lens.
The weather is now too hot for The Lady Blunt, with her thick coat, advancing years and dodgy ticker, to climb to the ridge, but I feel bad leaving her at home when I go hiking with Custer. I bought a dog carry backpack to take her with us; she’s 14kg, but I can manage to get her to the top, and she’s beginning to enjoy it.
This was the second time I carried her up. The day after I took her up the first time, my boss told me that her colleague had been walking in those hills the same day, and had snapped my going up with Lady on my back. I guess he knew me from sight, walking around the floor our offices are on.
Kudos to the guy for the photo above (taken on his phone, I presume) with Custer in the foreground. Perfect composition. Tells the whole story.
Anonymous says
With the heat and humidity we’ve been experiencing here in Taipei, I am surprised by the layers that stretchy-lady is wearing, while climbing. A local gypsy in knickerbockers? Interesting, indeed.
As for Lady and Custer, your pic tells the story, too. Custer is dog-tired from the climb. Lady is looking quite refreshed, like the ride on your back was but a walk in the park:>)
Looking forward to more content with your new favourite setup!
carylon says
Ha! You’re right about the dogs. Custer was flopped on the ground; Lady was newly showered and ready for the press conference. I was glad to be physically tired instead of mentally bushed for once.
Ingrid says
I’m always delighted with your photography Paul, and it’s nice to have you included in the scene with your “kids“. It’s great to find a Camera that functions just the way you want and it’s a 50 year old relic in its prime!
I too was befuddled to discover a person attached to the draping fabric at the top of the stairs! That was an intriguing amount of layering, especially after reading about the heat and humidity! I was drawn to the wide expanse of polka dots at the top then I noticed the feet…There’s a person in there! You’ve probably captured a once-in-a-lifetime moment 😊 As I looked at the legs, and the ties around the knees, it parallelled the bamboo rail up the stairs… Very interesting.
carylon says
Again, thank you for your kind words and your comments