Film Log: Roll 002 | Yashica TL-Super Test Roll & Learning From My Mistakes

I was lucky to receive a gift from my mother-in-law: her old film photography bag. In it were three cameras: two Nikons and a Yashica TL-Super. After some test rolls, my partner and I learned that the Nikon F65 was still fully functional (with a roll from ten years ago still in there!), the Nikon FE had a broken shutter curtain, and the Yashica was still shooting. Two-out-of-three odds with cameras that haven't been used in over a decade!

I decided to start taking the Yashica around with me as a step-up from the FUJIFILM QuickSnap I used in April. I still had no idea what I was doing and was a little overwhelmed by all the settings. Truthfully, I didn't mess with them. I kept the aperture at 5.6 and shutter speed at 60 and just hoped for the best. There were a lot of light leaks and underexposed shots, some completely unusable. While this was disappointing, there were still shots that came out great, little glimmers of hope of what this camera is capable of.

Some of my favorites include 30th Street Station, Locust Walk, and my windswept mirror selfie in the FMC Tower building. Part of the beauty of film is the acceptance it requires. There will be photos that just don't turn out the way I want them to. There will always be moments I was just shy of capturing. But I'm not just going to sit here and be sad over what I missed. I'm going back out there.

After these scans, I loaded the camera with a fresh roll of film for a vacation in Shenandoah National Park, determined to try again. After four or five shots, the shutter jammed. Unusable.

Disheartened, I took it to a camera repair shop where they said it was too old and not worth repairing. Even though I didn't have much time with the Yashica, I was still pretty upset to lose it. But when one door closes, another opens.

Enter... the Nikon FG.

---

Special thanks to PhotoLounge for developing my film! <3