Ricoh-An Unlikely Love Affair

I was barely out of high school when I bought my Ricoh KR-5 Super II SLR.  It has a 50mm lens and 1.7 aperture. That lens kind of set the bar for my obsession with fixed focal ranges and my slight aversion to zooms.  Not because I do not see the necessity of zooms--I have two--but because taking photographs should never be done standing still; I need my body to move with the frames and not rely on the zoom to be my legs.

And I still love film. I can't let go of it. My prized project at the moment is setting up my basement darkroom. I have two Beseler enlargers, and enough trays, clips, and clothesline to host a "Dingy Darkroom Tutorial" hosted by Yours Truly.

But I digress.
My relationship with Ricoh wasn't always aligned. I wanted a Pentax. Badly. I thought I was settling with Ricoh. The day I bought the camera there were these tumultuous thunderstorms and for some reason I felt like it was Ricoh's way of saying, "Give me a chance; you could love me, I know it!"

And so I did. Madly.

This camera is possessed by the ghosts of all my best photographs.

My beautiful Ricoh,

You have been shaken in the dark by my unsteady breath

You have seen the world with more clarity than my eyes could absorb

You have captured moments that would have otherwise passed.

That brings me to the present day.