NYCOMG | Ariella
Penny wasn’t sure whether to drag me to the Manhattan Vintage show. “They might not allow photography.” But she bought me a ticket, and we caught a ride with Muhammad from Dubai, whose family originally came from Pakistan. Muhammad’s a real estate agent driving Uber on the side. He’s got extended family in various parts of New York, Connecticut, and Tennessee. His wife’s an elder care nurse, and his thirteen year old daughter is a pretty mean cook. Siblings and cousins own gas stations, and everyone feels God-blessed for their opportunities at the American Dream. Muhammad brings us to the door of Manhattan Vintage, where a line has formed for the opening in about five or ten minutes. We wave goodbye as we see his smile for the first time, after the mask drops.
I look for signs banning photography, but I don’t see them. I soon discover that most people love to play, and I’m making my way through the crowd, greeting new friends, asking if they’d like to do some photos. Almost everyone says yes, even one of the booth owners who first declined. I told her I’d been hoping I could get her to pose with her head popping through an opening between two dress displays. Off she went to oblige me with the pose.
Eventually, I discovered Ariella, who was toting a medium format behemoth. Not just film, big film. And a Super 8 movie camera. She’s official documentarian for the show. I ask her what film she’s shooting, and I quickly realize she might be doing something impossible. ASA 800, which is fast, but not that fast. I don’t usually wander too deep into the weeds, but then I asked her about her camera settings. Her lens opens up to f/3.8, which means there’s not a huge amount of light entering the camera to expose the film. Which leaves us with shutter speed. Not only is this a camera without the modern convenience of image stabilization, it’s a massive beast of a machine. Ariella says her lab pushes the film, which can compensate for underexposure, but then she drops the bombshell, which is that she shoots at 1/30 or 1/60 of a second, which is LOOOOOONG! She says she’s mastered the technique, and my mind boggles. She also does double exposures, composed through uncanny instinct. Her card says she’s the Lioness of God, and I don’t doubt it. My hat’s off to you, Ariella. Keep dancing the salsa of your analog world.
