A few weeks ago I was hanging out with a friend I hadn't seen in what felt like ages. It was fun catching up, talking about life, relaxing with a nice beer, and just enjoying the spring air that is in full swing up here in the pacific northwest. A few hours into the afternoon she asked me, "are we going to take some pictures today?" In all honesty, I hadn't planned on it, but I wasn't going to say no either. This individual happened to be one of my favorite people to make photographs with after all.
The only camera I had with me was my trusty Pentax UC-1 which I normally keep in the glove box of my car loaded up with some Ilford HP5 film. It's a bit of a dinky looking camera, and certainly not what I would call "professional", but it is also surprisingly capable. I'm constantly amazed at how sharp the lens is on the Pentax pocket camera and having manual control over the tiny flash means I can utilize natural light to its fullest.
Pentax UC-1 loaded with Ilford HP5 film
It felt a little bit silly asking someone to adopt various poses while snapping away with such a tiny little camera. In fact, every single time I clicked the shutter and the camera advanced the film with a high pitched little whirl it prompted a giggle from the both of us. Still, I thought the results came out rather nicely all things considered. There is a wonderful rim of natural light going on here highlighting an interesting figure and yet the spontaneous nature of the shoot camera out as well. Not too forced, and yet, still incredibly pleasing to look at.