Liz

AE1

Photographic equivalent to the little black dress. A vintage one.

This is my canon AE-1. It's about 20 years old and I love it. I pull it out whenever I feel nostalgic for film, and I need to hear that perfunctory click when I squeeze the shutter, and the metallic wind of the film. I suppose it's like the car thing. We all love a new car, with all its conveniences and luxuries; but there's a reverence in our fondness for the old models. The lack of convenience and bells and whistles is exactly what makes them so appealing.

About seven years ago, the shutter broke on my AE-1 and I took it to a repair shop. A man in line next to me asked if it was worth repairing. The store owner pulled out a shadow box containing another AE-1, or rather the interior mechanisms of the AE-1. Hundreds of pieces. And all of them were metal. "They don't make them like this anymore," he said. So I guess that answered the question.

Hands up if you've ever kissed your camera. heh.

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