Chris Pugh

Startled neutral face

“Face Time” (Chris Pugh Photo, 2020)

The Pentax 67 came back from repairs a few days ago. I sent it out at the start of June after the shutter locked up during a trip to Eureka. I had pulled over near Fields Landing to take a photo of a church, but the shutter froze. Nothing I did got it working again.

I packed it up a few days later, but left it on my shelf throughout the winter. After discussing it with some friends, I finally sent it out. The repairman mentioned it would take a couple of weeks to fix, but it took longer.

Now it’s back. It feels different. Not in a big way. Tighter. The shutter sounds better. The film advance feels solid.

I loaded a roll of Portra 400. Drove around the neighborhood and photographed what was there.

A vacant building I might rent. A pair of Power Wheels parked along a fence. An upside-down American flag hanging on a porch. Sign of the times, I guess. I wanted to make sure the shutter clicked and the film advanced. I sent the roll off this morning to get developed.

Fingers crossed.

I’m not expecting much. I just want to see something on the negatives. Something real. A working frame. A sign that everything still functions. Including me.

If the film comes back clean, I want to start something new. A portrait series. Quiet, close, unposed. The kind of pictures that make you pause, not smile. It’s been in the back of my head for years. I toyed with it during the pandemic, but it didn’t feel right.

It’s time to see if I can do it, but with everything else happening in my world right now, I’m not sure.

Still, I want to try. I’ll post the test shots when they come back.

  • [[12. Writing Into The Void]]
  • [[Right Where I Am]]
  • [[Logging the day]]