Paul
On Oct 22, 2004, at 10:21 PM, Sid Barras wrote:
Hi Gang,
While going through some old boxes of stuff from my parent's attic that was recently discovered (they've both passed on for several years now) I came across something that slammed me harder than anything in recent memory.
I found my first camera.
It is an old Bolsey B22 "set-o-matic" rangefinder. Probably a mid-fifties vintage, it was an antique when my mom handed it to me for a 4H project way back in fourth or fifth grade, which would have been around 1966.
I had totally forgotten about this old thing. In recent years, I found all the negatives I took with that camera, but I couldn't quite remember which camera I had back then, and from time to time, I'd look at old cameras and try to see if it "rang" any memory bells. Nothing did.
But when I saw this camera, it was like a flood-gate opening-- the memories came back in a flash, and suddenly, I remembered everything. The months and months I spent with that camera-- the trips to the park, the airport, the wetlands; the teacher that let me accompany her to science fair for pictures for the school yearbook, Mom buying me a "Tower" darkroom kit to make prints in our bathroom... Taking home 2nd prize for photography exhibit at the 4H fair. It was quite an emotional time for me. Thank God I was alone when I found it.
I've been carrying it around lately, taking a few shots, but mostly, just holding it in my lap. Seems comforting there.
Sid B
