My Yashica-Mat shutter jammed mid-roll at a wedding last Saturday

I was shooting my friend's backyard wedding in Tucson and the shutter curtain just locked up after frame 8 on a fresh roll of Portra 400. Has anyone else had a vintage TLR decide to quit on them at the worst possible moment?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_grace19d ago

Oh man, that's the absolute worst! Did it happen right at the ceremony or during the reception? My Rolleicord died on me at a friend's engagement party in the middle of golden hour shots, right as everyone was doing that big group smile. I had to pull out my phone and look like a total amateur while waiting for the repair guy to get back to me. It's like these old cameras know exactly when to throw a tantrum. Hope you didn't miss too many key moments.

wells.olivia18d ago

You know, I used to be one of those people who thought film was just nostalgia bait. I'd roll my eyes at the folks fussing over their vintage gear. Then my Minolta X-700 jammed up right at a cousin's wedding, just as they were cutting the cake. The shutter got stuck halfway open and I could hear the spring inside just... giving up. I had to finish with my phone too and the photos came out looking like trash, all flat and no soul. That moment taught me these cameras really do have personalities, and yeah, they throw tantrums at the worst possible times.