Button out, Cable in

March 2022: Camera Maintenance san Zen, Toronto CA

After several thwarted attempts to ignore the talking head on TV, I figured if I’m forced to listen to the news (I mute or change the channel then it's unmuted or switched back to a specific news station with no one in the room watching/listening to the TV - aka undue influence), I’ll use it as an instrument to learn about propaganda techniques. I learnt of loaded language, appeal to authority, ad hominem and many more, but then got so disappointed that all I wanted to do was tuck myself in a corner. As a result, I took the Spotmatic out of hibernation for general maintenance mainly as a comforting reminder of the one thing I can depend on for impartiality.

You know I love the sound of my camera, so maintaining it is almost as enjoyable as shooting with it. While preparing for the maintenance procedure, I remembered I wanted to start using a slower speed film and that I bought a roll of lomography film to test out. Using a slower film means I have to use a tripod and a cable release to keep the camera steady during potentially longer exposures; my arms are not strong enough to keep the camera from shaking, no matter how many bicep curls I do. This is where the pliers come in.

Previously, I had inserted a shutter button on top of the camera shutter release and did such a good job of it - used threadlocker and all - now I can't get the button out. My fingers are not able to provide enough torque and I don’t want to be too aggressive in the removal process since that may damage the camera. So I reached for the needle nose pliers with the hope it will do the job without much harm. Well not exactly reach, I had to spend some time ransacking every storage place; I thought I had the pliers with the installation tools or developing equipment but ended up finding them with the sewing stuff.

With my nails filed down and hair pulled back, I begin. It turned out I needed the pliers for only a couple rotations to loosen the grip and was able to remove the button with my fingers. The camera emerged with no damages, which was a relief, I was nervous at the thought of another broken camera - albeit, the first time was not at my hands.

The cable release was successfully screwed in and functioned as it should. Although before the cable install, I had the extra task of mysterious fuzzies removal from the outside and inside the camera. How does fluff build up on a camera that is inside a casing which is inside a zippered bag that's housed in a storage compartment?

Seems I've been shoved into a dystopian world of duress, one-sided narratives, and unwanted fuzz. Perhaps I should change my name to an identifier, like in sci-fi novels, to make it official.

slowly releasing it all,
Christina/CS:128 (a combination of my initials and birth date)