I’ve always been fascinated by machines. Specifically mechanical machines that are dedicated to doing one task perfectly. This fascination is part of the reason why I got into photography in the first place. I really like learning how to use the all mechanical tools associated with the craft and tying my best to get the maximum potential out of them. My favorite cameras including the Hasselblad 500c/m used in this image, my Minolta SRT-101, and my Mamiy C330 TLR are all purely mechanical devices designed around the purpose of just making still images.
I love typewriters for the same reasons. In fact I collect typewriters. A typewriter does one thing and one thing only. It prints letters on a page quickly and efficiently. That’s it. No electricity. No apps. No ability to save a file or correct my own mistakes. Just a direct linkage between my finger and the mechanics of the machine that will print letters on a piece of paper.
So given all of that it should be no surprise that every so often I’ll pull out one of my typewriters during a photo session. I’ve always found the Olympia SM3 to be a particularly beautiful machine with human like lines and curves and I feel like it made a nice addition to a rather abstract image of a human body.