Not 420 Portraits.

Firstly, let me apologise for the misleading title.  You’re not going to see Four hundred and Twenty portraits here.  420 is a reference to the date, or more specifically, the event.

I recently managed to pick up a camera that I’ve been after for a long time, but fate never quite lined up.  Either I’d have the money, but there’d be something else more sensible that it needed to be spent on.  Or I’d be skint and the shops would be full of cheap SWC’s. Anyhow, the stars aligned and I have one now.  If you’re not a camera geek, skip the next paragraph…

My SWC is the ‘C’ version.  It’s a bit older than I was wanting originally, but it was also in good condition and cheaper than I was expecting to pay.   I did have to do a bit of work replacing the light trap in the back of the camera though.  After my initial reservations about dismantling part of a camera that I had just bought, it  turned out to be a 15 minute job and if you don’t drop any of the tiny screws on the kitchen floor, it’s easy.

So that brings us to 20th April, or, 420.  I hadn’t realised the significance of the date.  Just that it was a glorious sunny day.   I had a bit of free time and a new camera, so off into Leeds I went.  I gave myself a goal – I had 12 frames, I wanted to get 12 portraits.

The eagle eyed among you may notice that there isn’t 12 portraits.  I shot some other stuff too.  Twice, I also fell foul of the SWC’s highly prominent release and fired the camera off as I put it back in my bag.  I’d share those images too, but camera bag interior shots are a bit of a niche interest group.

As I mentioned, I hadn’t actually realised that it was 420 day.  It was only when I went into West Yorkshire Cameras for a roll of film that Nick mentioned it. It seemed like a fair plan.

So, it’s 420 day.  The day that smokers put down their snacks and come out into the open and celebrate.  And what a celebration.  Hyde Park was full. There was not a cloud in the sky…well, not a cloud as such.  I figured I’d head for the skaters – here’s what I got.