Canon AE-1
I have had an on-again, off-again relationship with 35mm over the years. I started on a 35mm SLR and used one heavily for a long time, doing most of my work on that format. Then I got into medium format and fell in love with everything about it. My approach to photography adjusted. I learned to be more careful with my shots and to make 10 or 12 images really last. I also learned to appreciate the fine grain and sharp detail of medium format. This all worked to turn my interest away from 35mm. When I did load a roll into my 35mm SLR it could take me months to finish it and the results never quite amazed me as much as those from my medium format.
But I have found that relationship changing once again. More and more I am carrying my AE-1 around as a companion camera, or my quick-grab camera. It is my Plan B camera in some ways. And that isn't to diminish it, it is just where it has come to fit into my scheme. For example, on the day this portrait of it was made I had just gotten my Hasselblad back from the shop and was excited to shoot with it again. I promptly loaded it up with Lomochrome Turquoise thinking it could be a fun film with fall colors. But I did not want to dedicate all my autumnal photography of this day to the weird color shifts of Turquoise. So I took my AE-1 along as well as it was loaded with a more standard film type. It allowed me that easy flexibility, and let me be more creative and picky with my Hasselblad Turquoise images without feeling like I was passing by stuff I wanted to photograph, but with a different film/camera.
And that is where the 35mm SLR and I stand these days. My "main" camera is still going to be my Hasselblad or Pentax 67, but my Nikon FM2 and AE-1 are getting surprising amounts of attention these days albeit a secondary type of attention.
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