MORE TECHNO WEENIE SHITE exercises in misreading myself –2

As soon as I left the house with the 35mm’s, I knew that they were a mistake. Developing the negs proved it – too many and too small – but in a moment of fantasy the deal was cinched.

Awaiting something to download I did a search of Niterói – it could be the World Cup - and found that not far from where I lived in São Domingos,
down the street in Ingá there is a small hotel. Feeling like waxing nostalgic and adding to things that I would like to do I went to make a postcard from the snaps that I made when I was there in 2001. Ah the detail of what Ubaldo can do. Made three snaps – wasting precious time – and remembered why I use cameras marginally larger than 35mm.

Wandering the Niterói site, thought about heading back – my visa expires this year – and becoming Fluminense once again, staying in the city revisiting the places that I used to hang out in, São Francisco, Charitas, Jurujuba, where we drank until dawn, and out to Itacoatiara at the time my favourite beach (nearly always empty)
– which being too North American and thus believing the negative press, I was too frightened to explore.

Wanted to make one last book about the change from inhabitant to tourist again thinking note taking – the role of the Dianas in a past life and the last time I was there – thought 35mm small, lots of film… well you know. In truth when I first thought of this – due to an image I had taken on the ferry – I thought digital point and shoot. This is before Gros Morne. I liked the habit of wandering during the day and heading to the internet café in Visconde de Pirajá near Jangadeiros that evening to write individually each person – did blogs exist? It would solve the hassle of film passing through x-rays four times and the fear of running out and the Diana got me out of the idea of images that could be made large. Seeing, however, what I did with Ubaldo in 2001 and where I went, prefer the 21st Atget look of the 6x6.

Also found that in my marlings about South Baltimore – where just after saying that there were no police cameras in Federal Hill (C)harm City’s finest put one up – Ubaldo was great, it was no more awkward than the Nikons in the bag, the number of images on the roll was manageable and even though I did run out of film – my fault it was to be a short outing but I should know by now – carrying more wouldn’t be a problem.

Intellectually 35mm is out – but feel that to be a real photographer – I have to use one.