Happy Halloween from Downtown Summerlin!

What better way to celebrate spooky season than with a giant skull and a slightly spooky camera?

I took this shot in Downtown Summerlin, Las Vegas, with a camera that's a bit of a curiosity in its own right: the Yashica Flash-O-Set, an odd little point-and-shoot from the early 1960s. It has a fixed-focus 40mm f/4 lens and a single 1/60 shutter speed. In its day, it had an auto mode with a connected selenium cell that set the aperture for you. My copy came from Goodwill, and the meter no longer works, but luckily it still has manual aperture control from f/4 to f/22, so I can shoot it the old-fashioned way.

First roll impressions

It's a strange camera to use, but it surprised me. There are no light leaks, and the lens seems to focus well, which isn't a given for a 60-year-old thrift store find.

My first roll came back with a strong blue cast. Next time I might try a UV filter, or just build a few presets in Luminar based on the edits I made to this frame. That warm, golden look you see here came out of that process.

The camera

The Flash-O-Set still lives in its original case, red velvet lining and all, which feels perfectly fitting for Halloween.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a happy (and spooky) Halloween.

Boo! 👻