My Mother’s Vintage Camera.

Lifestyle
Written By alessa m. rodriguez

allow me to tell you a story…

In 1982, from what she lovingly told me, my mother acquired this beautiful Canon AE-1, and it forever changed the course of her life and mine in ways I can hardly articulate. So many of my cherished memories of her, our family, and our friends revolve around this incredible camera. She captured everything with it—every precious life moment of mine from when I was just a newborn right up until the early 2000s. Once cell phones became the norm and the convenience of digital photography took over, the camera was put away and got stored safely. It gradually became a forgotten relic in the back of a closet until the heartbreaking day she passed away…

When she died, I spent a significant portion of 2024 cleaning out her apartment, meticulously sorting through her belongings and untangling memories. When I stumbled upon this old camera, I immediately knew I wanted to keep it as a cherished reminder of her. I embarked on a bit of a journey to restore it, pouring my heart into bringing it back to life, and last week, I finally took it out for some much-anticipated test shots. The experience was cathartic and incredibly moving, and I found myself crying a lot as emotions surged within me. It felt so wonderful to be that close to her again, revisiting the passion for photography that she loved so dearly.

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alessa m. rodriguez http://www.maybeally.com
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