Blind Shot

We were heading north, on West Street, between the World Trade Center and the Holland Tunnel. We were in my 1985 Pontiac Sunbird, making our way home after a long weekend in New York City. It was a beautiful, sunny spring day, with not a cloud in the sky: perfect for a last look at the city that never sleeps.

Through the sunroof, the twin towers loomed large. I looked up and wanted to capture an image with my camera, but I was behind the wheel.

I was also a young and whimsical 24 year old.

DW—before she and I were married—was sitting in the seat next to me. In the back seat was my best friend, Stuart, and his girlfriend at the time. Stu was meeting DW for the first time, as she and I had only been dating for about a month. I knew Stu's girlfriend, though she made it clear that she wished she didn't know me (that's another story, which I don't care to share).

My camera was in the trunk area of the car but because it was a hatchback, it was easy for Stu to reach. And when I asked him to hand it to me, he was only too obliging (much to his girlfriend's chagrin).

My camera, a Minolta X-700, did not have auto-focusing capabilities, so I handed the camera to DW and told her to do two things: make sure that the focus ring was set to infinity and set the aperture to f/16. I always kept my camera in aperture-priority mode, so I knew that on this bright day, the shutter speed would be able to handle this setting.

While DW checked the camera, I rolled down my window (it was a crank). With everything ready, she passed me the camera, I stuck it out the window, pointed skyward, and pressed the shutter release. The whole time, I had one hand on the wheel and my eyes firmly locked on the traffic ahead.

A couple of minutes later, before we turned off West Street toward the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, I stuck my camera out the window one last time, pointing the camera behind me.

With the shots taken, I gave the camera back to Stu, who returned it to its case in the trunk. I wouldn't see the photos until I returned home and sent the 35mm film to the lab for processing.

I avoid using my camera while I drive. I'm no longer old nor quite as whimsical as I used to be. It's still distracted driving.

Be safe out there, folks. Happy Thursday!