This story begins on Eid, the final day of the holy month of Ramadan. Often, on Eid, you give money as presents. However as an alternative, a good friend gave me an expired roll of Fuji Superia 1600.
Context: Superia 1600 wasn’t essentially a tough movie to search out when it was nonetheless produced however as of late, it’s reached an unobtanium-level standing because of eBay hipsters and its “relationship” to Fuji’s Natura 1600 movie, which is unhealthily revered in some circles.
However I digress.
I used to be smitten. I’ve been capturing expired movie for years, however I’d by no means managed to get ahold of this one. And it wasn’t like something I’d shot earlier than both; often capturing expired low-speed Kodak movie, I needed to hunt for well-lit circumstances, then meter slower than field pace. However 1600-speed movie offers a lot flexibility even when expired; I needed to reap the benefits of it.
As I turned acutely conscious that this was seemingly going to be the one likelihood I needed to shoot this movie, I promptly tucked it away within the freezer to maintain it from degrading any additional. I wasn’t certain what I needed to shoot with it, but it surely needed to be one thing that I couldn’t use some other movie for. It needed to be one thing particular.
Months handed, and I forgot concerning the movie. I solely rediscovered it as I used to be cleansing out my fridge and freezer earlier than I left for winter break from college. I made a decision on a whim to deliver it house to Chicago and informed myself I’d shoot it earlier than beginning my subsequent semester. I didn’t know what I needed to shoot, however and not using a time restrict, I figured I’d by no means deliver myself to truly use it.
The next week a blizzard got here by Chicago and I occurred to be house the identical afternoon. I steeled up the nerve to place the roll into my Pentax ME and ventured out, not realizing what awaited me.
Blizzards are particularly magical as a result of they dampen nearly each sound, and the forest, in addition to being utterly empty, was utterly silent. All I may hear was my breath and the crisp ratcheting and set off of the shutter mechanism. On occasion once I shoot, I discover the digital camera to change into much less of an object and extra of an extension of my eye. This, protected to say, was a kind of instances.
You may’t see silence, clearly. However drink in these pictures, and the silence will cloak you, the best way it cloaked me.
~ Yusuf
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