Ten minutes before they broke up.

Whether it’s experimental photography, or just plain old photography, the equipment you have in your hand can tell as much of a story as the picture itself.

Case in point.

On Wednesday, May 22, I was in New York City for the day.  While most of my efforts were focused on an ancillary goal – you know it as “The Chance” – I took my Kodak Vest Pocket Autographic camera, along with two rolls of R100 efke 127 black and white film, and walked toward Central Park.

I’ve taken pictures in Central Park before, both by myself and as part of a Christmastime vacation trip with a date.  For the longest time, I had a Facebook profile picture of myself at the John Lennon “Imagine” mosaic.  I really liked that picture.  I still do.

This time, however, I wanted to capture something with this restored Vest Pocket Autographic.  If I’m going to make this 100-year-old shooter be part of my photo arsenal, then it needs to earn its spot on this trip.

The camera was already giving me grief – two of the faceplate screws popped out, which limited my ability to extend the camera’s bellows prior to shooting.  After visiting three jewelers and a hardware store on 9th Avenue, I was able to MacGyver the face plate with some replacement screws from an eyeglass repair kit.  I could have gotten the proper screws from a jeweler on 57th Street, until he told me that it would cost me $25 for him to go in the back room and find the proper screw sizes.  Hmm… wonder who almost got screwed that time.

Be that as it may…

I started off by shooting pictures of the fountain in Columbus Circle.

Mental note.  This camera cannot handle motion.  If I want a good picture out of this 100-year-old shooter, I can’t be photographing water.  The images have to remain stationary, or else the resulting images come out softer than gauze.

A peaceful walk to Central Park.  And, of course, I snapped the IMAGINE mosaic in Strawberry Fields.

As I walked through Central Park, I discovered a young couple in the park.  They were sitting on a wooden park bench, watching the rowers and boaters that traveled on the Lake.

Now, if you’re going to enter any pictures into competition these days, and your picture contains a clear shot of a person’s face, you need to get a model release – that is, as long as you see their face.  Model releases are not necessary if you’re photographing backs of heads.

And after a few steps here… and a few steps there…

I got this picture, the best one of the roll.

After I finished my roll of film, I walked over to the couple and thanked them for allowing me to photograph them.  They were a little surprised that they had been photographed without their knowledge, but they were good sports and thanked me for letting them know.  I offered to send them a copy of the photo once it was developed, they said that wasn’t necessary.

The pictures from the old camera are kind of soft, and I’m still trying to battle that light leak in the loading door of the Vest Pocket Autographic… but sometimes the candid shots are indeed the best shots.  And I’m really liking the contrast in the final bench picture.

I’m thinking it has a chance if I ever decide to enter it in competition.  We shall see.