Sojourning In San Diego

The Camera Store

Sometimes the most interesting sights on a trip are not the common and typical. Case in point: my nephew is a photographer, and while I was visiting him he had a wedding photo-shoot scheduled. Before the wedding he wanted to show me the camera that he was going to purchase with his "earnings." I'm up for the observation of almost anything, so my fancy was tickled when we walked into Camera Exposure.

The store itself was like a living museum of all things capable of capturing images. Every conceivable space was crammed with everything from old 35mm cameras to modern high end SLR digital beasts. There were old Leica workhorses and I got lost in all of the dark room supplies. As I batted away tripods like photog-mosquitoes bent on capturing my attention I spied the shelves full of developer and paper. When I was a kid I used to develop film and pictures. I loved creating black and white masterpieces. The logging money was so plentiful on our island that the powers that be built a four million dollar school for about twenty kids. The dark room was one of our favorite hangouts, and I was one of the only kids that actually used it for its intended purpose. I got some great shots of monochrome Copenhagen cans and wood-shop created bongs of gigantic size.

I also had a one-percenter cousin that had his own darkroom adjacent to his bedroom. That particular cousin is now a neuro-scientist of some repute. Perhaps inhaling all of the developer and fixer over the years gave him some insight. One never knows about such things.

Returning to the camera store. The older gentleman that owns the shop is beyond helpful, and he should be iconocized in the realm of photography for his knowledge on the subject. As my nephew examined the Canon brute that he was going to purchase that coming Sunday, the owner of Camera Exposure educated me on what the wealthy folk of the world were doing at parties. Apparently old school Polaroid cameras were all the rage with the wealthier set. The upper crust revelers would come in and purchase a stack of film for the old cameras at $35 a package and take pictures of themselves in celebratory mode. I had a good giggle as I filed that factoid in the memory bank.

Seriously though, if you are in the market for a used but in excellent shape camera of any variety, film or digital, or you need any manner of photography accessory, I totally recommend this store. Of course one needs to be in San Diego, as the store is located in the University Heights part of town, but I think that there is always a reason to be in San Diego. The camera store is just an extra little gem in that city's awesomeness crown.

I liked the place so much I even dragged home their business card!

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And as always, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's slightly photo-intimidated iPhone.

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