120 Film Respooled = 620 Film!

When I was visiting my hometown this past weekend, my mom and I were talking about old cameras-- I was explaining to her how I'm planning to do some TTL experiments with my digital SLR and and old TLR camera. And she mentioned how much she'd like to actually shoot with her TLR camera. It's been probably 5 years since she did, and the thing worked really well then, surprisingly! Her boyfriend had procured some faux-620 film on ebay for her. It cost at least $10 a roll, I believe. As much as she wanted to experiment with that camera again, she couldn't justify that cost.

I told her I would try to track down some for her. Maybe since I work at a camera store, I'd be able to find somewhere to get it cheaper. After a couple minutes of researching, I realized that almost everything out there is actually respooled 120 film. Well, I have a pack of Kodak color 120 at home. If I could get my hands on a 120 spool or two, I might be able to make it work!

I found a great tutorial online at:
http://www.brownie-camera.com/respool/respool.shtml

Yes, they misspelled Congratulations, at the end... ;) But the step-by-step instructions and clear pictures gave me all the information I needed. After 2 read-throughs and a quick skim, I was pretty sure I had it down. I searched through a few of my store's display and recycle-bin oldie cameras and was able to come up with a few spools! Grabbed our dark-box, which we use to take film out of stuck cameras.


I had the first roll almost done, when I realized I had done it backwards. Oops! Don't know if it would've made a difference, but I started over anyway. I suppose this way the numbers on the paper backing will be in order! Sent a quick text to my mom to see if she'd like to have a roll of black & white along with the color roll, which she was really excited about. Bought a roll of Ilford 120 400-speed B&W film which can be processed C-41. That will enable me to take it to our store's lab for processing, instead of sending it out, and then I can make sure that I hang on to these somewhat-rare spools!


This is my finished product. The first 2 of maybe many! I know the processing and printing will run us a bit, but at least this part was pretty cheap and painless. Now she won't have to worry about being stingy with the film.

I need to take my own advice and get my Holgas out again!!

Ode To My Mom

Who would've ever thought...
Certainly not me at age 15, just realizing I was at least half gay and being terrified that my mother would find out. Knowing full well her thoughts on the matter, her having been raised with the Catholic belief that being gay was a horrible sin and that it was so wrong that she didn't want her children to even watch a television show with gay characters. Her attitude shocked me and made me feel like she would reject my real self, and so I hid huge parts of my life from her for 12 years. She was who I was most afraid to come out to. I couldn't even do it in person I was so afraid.

Who would've ever thought that 15 years later, my mother would be posting one of those goofy pre-written Facebook statuses (kind of like the modern equivalent of a chain letter!), updating her status with the same message as so many of my friends are doing today. --A message that starts out "‎1 of every 10 people born is gay" and goes on to decry the attitude toward gay people in this country, how it's causing a rash of suicides among gay teenagers. A poorly written, badly punctuated little paragraph that aims to spread the message to teens and closeted gays everywhere that life "will get better."

My mom posted this as her Facebook status 4 minutes ago.

I can't explain what that means to me, or even why it does mean so much to me. It's Facebook. Really, it's just silly. My mom has been so supportive of me and my girlfriend in the past 3 years since I came out to her, it's just been incredible. I've been so lucky.

Maybe it's because it's so public that I'm so touched?? A lot of her extended family is connected to her on Facebook, old friends, co-workers. It's a public acknowledgment to anyone who may read it, that her feelings have completely changed. She loves her gay daughter and no longer sees this trait, this "lifestyle," as a terrible sin. She knows I'm living my true life and it's helped to change her attitude. We gays are just regular people now.

She had a period of adjustment, for sure, and of course that's to be expected-- it was a shock to her because I'd tried very hard all those years to keep the truth from her. But now, it's just no thing. My girl and I are as valid a couple and as accepted in her home and at family events as my sister and her fiance. Actually, gf and I have been together longer, even. Every phone-call with Mom ends with a "Say hi to Kristy for me" and an "I love you."

I love you, too, Mom!!