Photography was introduced to me by my father and older brother in the 1980's. We would walk around the neighborhood golf course in Lawrence, Kansas, and have fun looking for interesting things to capture. Journeys in the winter snow, while carrying a Honeywell Pentax H1a and a Soligor hand held light meter, are my earliest memories of composing formal elements through a viewfinder. At the time we were shooting Kodak black and white slow speed film, bulk loading cartridges, then developing and printing our chosen images. Both of us were taking photography classes in school, and we were also utilizing our home basement darkroom that my brother and father designed and built.
I took my last photography class while attending the BFA program at CCAD, after my chosen area of study became painting. I continued to take photos of the environment, and also my artwork in "studio" settings with slide film, until post graduate life transitioned into the digital age.
In 2012 the High Park Fire destroyed our mountain home and most all of my artwork, supplies, belongings, and heirlooms. While I did save my Canon 20D, at the time I did not consider my collection of film cameras and accessories, due to "prioritizing" under stress. (A Pentax H1A, Canon FT QL, and an Epson Stylus Epic were the cameras that burned. The H1A is pictured above, the only one that remained as an artifact)
In 2018 the film bug started to bite, as I really missed the analog/mechanical experience. I set out to find a functional Canon FT QL to replace my father's copy that burned. The first one that I purchased did not have a functioning light meter, so I sent it back for a refund. I mentioned the experience to my brother and he reminded me of a full FT QL kit that he received from his father-in-law, and offered to give it to me. What an awesome gift it was, and with the inspiration I began a new exploration in film and select vintage cameras.
In the site menu my list of 35mm and 110mm cameras will each have a large picture, and description of my experience with them. Each corresponding gallery showcases a growing selection of images as they become available.
