Garage Door On 77th Street

Don't sizzle fat go to Ghana.
Brooklyn, New York - March 2007

For years, since I started to really get into photography, I've always wanted to shoot a classic Nikon SLR. Any would do, but I wanted to be an old, manual everything one, no tricks, just me, the camera, and a little Sunny 16. Just once, just one roll.

Last fall, a while before I quit my job I tried to buy a bunch of photo and darkroom gear from a woman I came across on Craig's List. It never worked out, and I forgot about her and the stuff. Then, last month, she emailed me out of the blue and told me I could have the stuff free if I came to her place and got it.

So, here we are. Not only did get to shoot a Nikon, but I now own a Nikkormat EL from the early '70s, and the camera this photo came from, the classic Nikon of classic Nikons, a Nikon F, probably from 1960-something. It's weighs about 40 pounds, looks like it went head-on with a train, the lenses are a bit iffy, and it has no light meter. I love the way the earth moves when you push that cold metal button.

Labels: bay ridge, brooklyn, garage, nikon, nikon f, nyc, paint