Mid-Summer Milford Memories

Every year without fail I make the decision to go and wander the Milford Memories street fair. I almost never end up buying anything, preferring walking and watching all the people that come for the same reason, and admiring art people far more talented than me have brought to display. This year also happened to coincide with finding a lens I have wanted to try for quite a while, a Nikon 50mm f1.2. I own several similar lenses with a smaller aperture. Aperture is basically how large a lens can open to allow light in for a photo and the smaller the number is, the larger the opening will be. Allowing more light in also enables you to use a faster shutter speed which is very useful in low light situations. For this lens I could very easily pick one up at any number of camera shops or eBay, but I wanted this specific version. It is a 55mm not a 50mm, but it’s close enough. It was built around 1972-1974 and was designed to be used with the original Nikon SLR bodies, but in most cases cannot be used with newer cameras. Nikon had realized this and made a factory kit for easy modification to the lens to be used with all ensuing cameras, but these kits have become very rare. This kit on this lens were exactly what I have been looking to pick up for at least the past year. It’s a big slab of glass and metal that looks right at home on any of my favorite cameras.

Milford Memories is a great art fair because it’s not only massive, but also very easy to navigate and has shade over about half of it. The people watching is good and even on a busy day it’s not super crowded. There is music, food, beer and most importantly for the day I went, plenty of photo opportunity. On this day, I had chosen to bring my new lens and decided I would try to shoot some expired Fujicolor Superia 400. It’s typically a film I avoid because of the way it makes colors lean more toward green, but if ever there was a time for experimenting today was the day. I shot it at 200 iso, which would allow more light to be exposed to the chemicals and if done properly can give a nice vintage look even in harsh daylight. I have been working on getting more comfortable shooting photos of people, which is much easier in large crowds. One thing I’ve noticed about taking street photos more and more is nobody really cares. It takes a little time to get over being overly self-conscious of it, but I think I’m finally getting to a point I can confidently go out and photograph even individuals without feeling weird about it.

The main draw of this trip was the art fair, but I had forgotten about my favorite business in the city. Right at the end of the downtown strip is an auto dealer specializing in classic cars and trucks. I’ve been meaning to go shoot here for several years once the outdoor selection was something I was interested in. They’ve had lots of intriguing vehicles on the lot, usually one or two I would be able to make something with. This day they had so many square body trucks and SUV’s out, I had to get all the standard shots of them. It doesn’t take much creativity to get a fender, or a side shot of a classic car, and many people would say it’s overdone. I am not that kind of person, and when is the next time I will have access to a bright red 1975 Ford Bronco?

Overall, it really was an excellent day. Spending time with my wife on a beautiful sunny day in a fun small downtown with new gear was a great way to start the slow summer wind down. These various festivals are so much fun regardless of the topic they’re celebrating. I’ve been to art fairs, carnivals, music, and beer fests. I have yet to leave any of them feeling disappointed when I set aside a few hours to wander amongst the people.

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