Jul 02, 2020
the world of 6×6
by matt
Number eight in the film camera collection arrived last week. The Yashica Mat 124G – a 6×6 square, medium format film, TLR (Twin Lens Reflex) camera. Composing while looking down at the reverse image in some beautiful clear ground glass is a totally unique experience for me, as everything is backwards. I’ve never used one of these before. I was lucky enough to get a genuine mint condition one on eBay from someone who’s late Grandad treated it with the respect and care it deserves. What an absolute joy to shoot. Camera arrived last week. I shot a roll of HP5 in it last Friday lunchtime, not far from where I live. Developed it on Saturday. Scanned on Sunday. So far, I’ve found composing in square is really different. I think I prefer it, but maybe that’s just down to novelty factor. Obviously you can crop any picture to any aspect ratio, but there’s something incredibly enjoyable about looking down into the glass at the reverse of what your eyes see, framing it up, and shooting. And of course taking it slow.