I wanted to take photos from a young age. In the fifth grade, I signed up for a photo club. My childhood friend Antoshka Koshelev signed up there too. And Seryoga, my brother, who was in the third grade at the time. Maybe some other friends too... I don't remember exactly.
Before that, and a little after, I went to the "young carpenter" club... There was a good-natured grandfather as the leader. And because he was always kind to me, I later returned there again. But photography! The world of photos was in many ways mysterious. Back then, of course, not only had no one heard of digital cameras, they probably hadn't even been invented yet! Color cameras were a great rarity. It was considered very cool to have one. Or maybe only the film was color? And only it was a rarity? Anyway, we started going to this club. In my memory, a room with red lighting immediately appears! I liked being there! We felt like little wizards, preparing trays with solutions, moving photo paper from one liquid to another in the necessary sequence, gradually watching as the image, which was just on the film a moment ago, magically appeared in enlarged form on the sheet!!! It was magical!
My parents bought Seryoga and me the cheapest black-and-white (that's what we always called it) camera. We came to class with it. It was called "Smena"... Very Soviet. My parents didn't have much money, and they thought that photography might turn out to be just a short-term hobby for us. And therefore, they didn't see the point in spending a lot of money on it. But we only shot two rolls of film with that camera, no more. It was bad. Inconvenient to maintain (use). And to buy film, you had to look for it. And it was expensive, too. Anyway, our hobby faded. Then crowds of people started coming to the club, we didn't like that either. When we started, there were about six of us. And that suited us perfectly. A couple of shots that we took ourselves remained as a memory of the club. And that first camera still lies unused at my parents' house, somewhere in a closet.
However, I don't know about Seryoga, but personally, my interest in photography never faded. For the first time, I had a camera suitable for more or less normal photography, even if it was a point-and-shoot, but a decent one (with automatic frame advance and film rewind at the end) when I was seventeen. It was from a well-known company, imported. I liked it! And before that, for many years I only dreamed of having my own camera. Pavel and I, often fooling around and playing, imagined how great it would be to take a photo "right now". He lived and still lives in his house in Kopeysk. Near his house, there is a bathhouse. In the anteroom and in the house, there were mirrors hanging everywhere. We loved to pose in front of them for a long time, changing our "outfits" and accessories. Sometimes with tape recorders in our hands and on our shoulders. Sometimes with pistols. Or trying to look like famous or imaginary superheroes. Or lathering our beards with shampoo foam to see how we would look on "photos" with a beard? We did all sorts of things, imagining that "these are the kinds of" photos that would turn out. It was fun. Only a real camera was missing. Although, our imagination wouldn't have been satisfied by even a dozen thirty-six-frame films!
Well, we hadn't heard anything about digital ones, or even "Polaroid" back then. At seventeen, I got a new friend, Dimka Sogrin (it was with him that we vacationed together in Odessa in two thousand two, at my aunt's). Once, Dimka and I collected all our films and spent the whole evening until morning "stamping" the frames we wanted to print! The photos turned out exclusively black-and-white due to the lack of color photo paper. That was one of those days in my life that you remember for a lifetime.
Back then, I was already shooting only on color film. I don't share the love of many people I know for black-and-white shots. What do they find in them?! I only like color ones!
I lost that camera in Odessa. In the summer of 2002. My bag tore, and the camera silently slipped into the sand by the sea. Upon discovering the loss, Dima and I searched for it, but to no avail. I was upset. I felt more sorry for the twenty-eight cool shots I had taken than for the device itself.
About two years later, I bought my first digital one! I went with it to St. Petersburg in two thousand five, on a tour of Europe in two thousand six, a couple of times to Moscow and a couple to Nefteyugansk. I shot a few weddings with it. It served me well! Then I bought my current one, the breakdown of which I discovered three days ago. I think now I need to look for something even more interesting! There is no money for repairs anyway. My money was stolen today (or yesterday). Almost a thousand rand (if you convert it to rubles, it will be three thousand). Right at home! Apparently, when I was sleeping, or when I was in the shower. I don't know who did it. And Shane doesn't know either. I didn't like those crowds that are always hanging out at his place. I think it's one of them. I don't suspect Shane, he's not a bad guy. His father came, yelled at him, and said: "From now on, no more parties, only Simon and you live here." This is, of course, a positive point, but it won't return my money. That's how it is.
Now I will dream of a new, even cooler camera than before! I think I'll buy one when I return. Pavel promised to ask around. And here I'll have to figure something out.
In Chelyabinsk (I called home today, talked to my parents) it started snowing for the first time. Can you imagine?! It's sooooo beautiful there now! But here, too, it's not bad. Now it's very unusual: it's winter there, and summer here. I've never experienced anything like this. Kristina and I walked under the scorching sun today, walked along the shore of Mouille Point and reached the "two-story arcade of shops" at the Waterfront. We bought fruit there and went back. We had a great walk. December 01, 2008. Summer in CAPE TOWN!
