I awoke last night after a very restful nights sleep with a vision. A Diana TLR!
I had a dream! (Granted it possibly won’t help as many people as Martin Luther Kings dream, but I do think it is possibly just as epic :P)
Imagine darkness. Somewhere in the distance you here the opening beats of “Also Sprach Zarathusa.” A bright light cracks through the darkness in the distance. Slowly the light seeps into the dark, your gaze in drawn to an obelisk type silhouette. As the light moves over the top it brings into sight a wonder. The light bounces of the light blue plastic top, it shivers down the bumpy black plastic body. A name whispers out from the dark. A name you know. A name you love. Diana.
Like a child frozen with a mix of fear and delight you watch the light as it continues to move round the obelisk, then you see the glory, not one but two plastic lenses, glinting in the light. You reach out and feel the majesty of the camera, its light plastic body with that classic Diana delicate nature, so fragile that you feel if you look at it in the wrong way it will break.
You peer through the waist view finder and see the world – not how it is – but how it should be: deeply vignetted, gloriously nostalgic and subtly out of focus. Your hands prime the shutter, you try to remember all the times I have explained the sunny 16 rule, but it is buried, hiding, just out of reach, too deep in your subconscious. Your thumb gently caresses the trigger release and your ears are greeted with the underwhelming sound of a knife cutting through toast, and you are reassured – that is the sound of a Diana.
You wind the film, the sudden feeling that your fingers are strong enough envelopes you as you struggle to make the camera make the clieckety click noise. Eventually through the little plastic red circle you see the number 2 – and you know you are ready – ready for this brave new world of the Diana TLR. The music reaches full crescendo and then you feel something tickling your toes – my son, having woken up early because he feels poorly and the camera disappears. I go downstairs and watch a film with my son. He goes to sleep. I go to my camera cabinet and look at my Diana.
35 comments
dirklancer
I thought I heard the sound of Diana calling to me in a hushed tone. I calmed myself to hear her faint whispers. I began to breathe from a lower and more patient place deep within, I felt my heart slow, and I knew I was becoming one with the Diana TLR...when the sound of a knife cutting through toast jolted me back to reality!
Great dream, great image. :)
mephisto19
what the...?!?!
larslau
This is great!!
dogma
Woow :D wow :) wow :D
champi
Ha ha ha awesome!! Diana addicted!!
vicuna
GOSH!!!! What an amazing fantastic dream! Tha nks Matt for sharing it with us in this great style of yours! And how the hell did you get this TLR Diana picture!! I want this cam, it never will go out of my dreams now! :)))
dogma
Is it real? or i'm just dreaming?
stouf
A real beauty... A real dream...
azurblue
What a fantastic dream mattcharnock ! and what a pity it is only a dream, not a vision, not an annoncement !
Damnned, She looks very pretty, she is very lomographic, sigh !!!
vicuna
But I just found a link explaining that this camera is a kind of Diana clone TLR.... the Joyaflex!! Have a look at this link http://www.collectio(…)ml/Joja.php (and for the "normal" diana clone called "Jojaflex" from Macao, like the TLR...same logo on both...this link: http://www.allandetr(…)joyflex.htm)...
The dream can become true, no.....? please LSI....!! :)))))
vicuna
And this one looks not bad too... as a cheap plastic TLR : http://www.collectio(…)aveller.php
but her name isn't Diana.... :((((
lomosexual_manboy
Wow what a wild camera in a wild dream. Talk about a dissapointment upon waking up. Just leave it to Matt to make the obscure sound eloquent.
lomosexual_manboy
P.S. I can't stop staring at that picture trying to figure out how I can make one.
graefin
A Diana beast !
We're all so crazy in love with our cameras :D!
monoflow
i wish i had that dream!
iamwen
in fact i think it is a mamiya TLR camera
it is mamiya C330
it has a interchangable lens
therefore you can buy 2 diana+
take out the lens
and put it on the mamiya C330
breakphreak
ahahah :) hopefully it's an analogue collage :)))
mattcharnock
ha ha - i am glad you guys like my dream! I wole up happy and sad!
007-0815-styler
dream a little dream
mandashitley
Eeeeeee!
mephisto19
i DO like your dream!!!!
maddyoulook
whoaaa
oldskool_rider
matt what do you do for a living, cos you really should be a writer!!
it's always a pleasure to read your reviews and blogs, they're very entertaining yet remain factual. this one made me smile in particular, cos i was sure it had been written by you just from the title. I also had this dream, but in my case it was a holga.
anarchy
http://www.youtube.c(…)hpJ6anurfuw
superlighter
dream baby dream
ndroo
OMG! You are a genuis! LOL! THis is super duper cool!
quaisoir
interesting dream matt....ermmm...gosh...could it really exist?
eyecon
Nice entertainment!
hanspan
this is what happens when Johanne goes away and leaves you on your own!!
mattcharnock
I am hoping to dream about a medium format lca!
cinzinc
thats one beautiful diana tlr
babo
Well... when you told me (about a month ago) that a new review was coming, but that it would be different, I wasn`t expecting THIS! As usual your writting is superb and your humour is just priceless! Loved the Diana TLR dream/review! Just hope you get some well-deserved piggies for this one! Thx for sharing this dream with all of us
7samurai
sterio diana!!!
violet_rayy
Maybe you're predicting the future???
I got so excited as I saw the pic first. You great big tease!
fivedayforecast
You my friend are an absolute genius!