Last week I wrote about Jo and my adventure wandering with our cameras along the ever so photogenic waterfront boardwalk beside our hotel in New Westminster.
Jo and I like to call any excursion that has anything to do with photography “adventures.” I think it’s best to say anytime I go anywhere I include photography, so anytime Jo joins me it’s an adventure…a photography adventure.
That stroll along the boardwalk was the day before Vancouver’s first used camera sale of the year. (There will be another I also plan on attending in May.)
On the morning of the 7th, I made coffee in my room and ate some yogurt and a pastry I bought the day before because we had to be at the camera show to set up between 7:30 and 8 a.m. The location was new this year and even though Google Maps showed we had a short 15-minute drive I was worried we would get stuck in all the construction that was going on between our hotel and the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre.
I had reserved two tables for all the photo equipment we packed in Jo’s big SUV and wanted plenty of time to get everything ready and say quick hellos to friends that I only know from the years of attending that event before excited people started coming in.
Usually there is a slow start with early birds that paid a few dollars more to come early, but this year the organizers cancelled that and the place was filled with people in no time. Wow what a rush and we were talking to people and showing our photo equipment nonstop for the rest of the day. I didn’t get a chance to sit down once. Gosh, its no wonder I woke up in the middle of that night with a painful cramp in my leg.
I think the crowd was mostly “20-somethings” and as last year most were looking for film camera equipment. We had a “free bin” and a “five dollar lens bin” as well as the main tables. The free bin had all sorts of bits and pieces that are hard to sell and even several malfunctioning cameras. The five-dollar bin was filled with those old non-brand name zoom lenses from the early 1970s and 1980s.
As always, the many tables at the sale had lots of camera gear for sale and there were some great deals to be found. But not for me. I was too busy and only got to take a short walk.
In February I wrote about a 4x5 film camera that I got into my shop. Well, I think that camera is now in China. When the guy that purchased it wanted to pay with U.S. dollars I said sure, but why do you have American money? He said he had just come up from Seattle’s camera gear swap meet. While there he was told about the Vancouver event and here he was spending the last of his money at my table in Canada. He said he would be going back to his home soon and was excited to be able to use the Linhof. Well, that was neat. I am glad a photographer that’ll be making pictures in a totally new place now owns it. That camera will have some stories to tell.
That was a busy, fun and interesting day (as always). We got back to our room, ordered food to be sent from a local Greek restaurant, and relaxed for a while before doing some night photography of the distant lights along the river that passed our hotel and I prepared to do some shooting in the rain that was predicted for the next morning.
Stay safe and be creative. These are my thoughts for this week. Contact me at www.enmanscamera.com or emcam@telus.net.