Followers and friends will know that I collect vintage lenses.
On Friday I was in Nottingham. While walking down Hockley, I paid a visit to the Sue Ryder charity shop as it specialises in vintage and retro items, including a display cabinet of old cameras and lenses. I was attracted to a Nikkor (Nikon) lens as I know that the Nikkor range is Nikon’s flagship range.
I went into the shop and asked the shop assistant if I could take a look at some of the lenses on display. Jake led me to the cabinet and opened it for me to take a close look at the items on display.
I was still attracted to the Nikkor, closer inspection showed it was a Zoom 43-86mm 1:3.5 and priced at £12-00. It had no lens cap or thread cap but looked in good condition. I told Jake I would buy the lens.
All the time I was looking in the display cabinet and completing the sale, I was chatting to Jake and I decided he would make a good addition to my strangers project. I’d photographed one of his colleagues earlier this year (the very beautiful Lucy, stranger number 160, in March 2019). When I asked Jake to be one of my strangers, I told him I’d photographed one of his colleagues. Jake said he knew Lucy had been photographed.
Anyway, I asked Jake to stand outside the shop, as the shop always has a lovely piece of artwork on a blackboard and I thought if I photographed Jake against the blackboard art their would be a some cool juxtaposition between Jake and the art.
As you can see from the photo Jake is a Bowie fan and the composition of the photo has the added bonus of a frame within a frame, as I used the white brick wall to frame Jake and the Sue Ryder blackboard.
As for the Nikkor lens, I did a google search on the bus on the way home and some reviews say it is one of the worst Nikkor lenses ever ! Further reading stated that if the lens identification writing is outside the lens barrel, rather than inside the barrel (mine is outside), then it is the second release of the lens and performs quite well ! I tried the lens when I got home and the images were OK !
Anyway, I think I’ve waffled on for quite a bit. I hope you like Jake’s portrait.
Thank you for being stranger 174 Jake and thank you for your assistance in the said sale.
Shot on my Sony A6000 and 50mm f1.8 , edited in Rawtherapee / GIMP
The Sue Ryder Charity supports people through the most difficult times of their lives. Whether that’s a terminal illness, the loss of a loved one or a neurological condition – they are there when it matters. The doctors, nurses and carers give people the compassion and expert care they need to help them live the best life they possibly can.
https://www.sueryder.org
Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
https://www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers
My own strangers can be seen here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/57144254@N08/albums/72157657822400168
