At first glance, it is only a regular camera bag. You can tell that, even though its owners have taken care of it, it has been through a lot: its unstitched straps or its stitches and stains are prominent. However, what stands out the most is its brand, Minolta, which stopped being in the market long ago. Photography enthusiasts might know about this fact, but they are a niche group. Regular people won’t even care.
However, what you may not know is that it was a gift from a fortune-teller. And, before him, who knows what kind of owner it had. Sometimes, when my mind goes blank, I suddenly start wondering about it.
It was an unusually cloudy Wednesday. The fortune-teller was wandering around the flea market. He wasn’t particularly interested in anything, but he knew that there was something in there waiting for him. Suddenly, he heard its calling. The street vendor said empty words, trying to get rid of it as soon as possible. It was just an old camera, right? The bag was even a gift! The street vendor was obviously not aware of the future value it would hold.
The fortune-teller didn’t know anything about photography. However, he took it home without doubting it. He got everything out of the bag: the camera, the lenses, the light meter. He studied it thoroughly. He read books, trying to understand the way it worked. It became his new hobby. Despite his poor abilities as a photographer, he developed the films, cropped the photos, made an album out of them.
The fortune-teller had a daughter who grew up looking at that camera bag, noticing its deterioration. What was that brand, I wondered: Minolta? It had become obsolete long ago.
One day, I finally dared to say: “Dad, could you teach me how to use it?” Now, I think of it as impressive. How did my dad know that I would be into photography twenty years before I was born!? He was a fortune-teller for sure.
Even though I managed to save enough money to buy a digital one, I still like to carry my camera in the Minolta bag. It makes me feel nostalgic for a time that I didn’t even live, but I feel like I have because of the vivid photos that he took. Furthermore, bringing it with me to every trip makes me really happy because I somehow feel closer to home. That is why I intend to keep it for as long as possible.
