A bit of History

AA Batteries are not known for lasting very long

and these didn't last either

BUT

They look pretty good for being in a camera for over 50 years.

 Some of my favorite marbles in a
Sucrets box from the 1960's

One of my cameras from my youth, 1960's

Another camera from my youth

My first Camera, made in 1960 for only 3 years.

Complete with a good flash bulb.

and instruction booklet

Brownie Starmite

My First Camera, Brownie Starmite

One of my earliest memories was of being in the kitchen after dark with dad as he developed pictures in the kitchen sink. I loved to watch the miracle of an image coming out of the white onto the page as he moved the paper slowly back and forth in the developer solution. It always amazed me and I think it really still does to this day even though I understand the mechanics behind it. It was of those moments and watching dad take pictures that made me want to be able to do the same. I don’t know why mom and dad gave me a camera when I was only around 7 years old but it was probably because of my curiosity in the kitchen or even just the fact that they wanted someone else in the family to like taking pictures too. Well whatever the reason it worked. I think I received the Brownie Starmite Outfit Camera on Christmas but I really don’t remember. It had to have been that since birthdays were reserved it seems for clothes and we didn’t receive gifts at any other time of the year including Easter. So the big purchases had to have been given for Christmas. I loved it though and started taking picture as soon as I could. I don’t remember how I bought film or even got it developed but I did have it most likely through the good graces of my parents. I remember taking pictures of the cats and dogs and things around the farm. I also took it on scout camps each summer when I got older. I still had the box for it years later and may even have it to this day somewhere stored with other trinkets of my youth. It was that camera that got me started into a lifelong love of photography coupled with an awe of amazement at the creations of Heavenly Father and Jesus and whom ever else (Michael for one) made all of these things for us to enjoy. I am sure mom had something to do with my being asked to be the yearbook photographer when I went into 9^th grade. I also think she knew that working with the schools SLR camera would probably spell danger for her years later in that I would most likely not be satisfied with the Brownie Starmite and another box camera that I was also using by then at home. I loved doing the yearbook pictures and developing them in the high school wherever we did them. I really can’t remember where we did them since I don’t recall a specific dark room in our high school. Most of them were probably sent off to a professional developing company. Anyway my love for photography only increased through the next 4 years as I continued to do most of the yearbooks photography even when I became the editor for my Junior and Senior years. It was most likely no surprise to mom when I asked for an SLR camera instead of a Senior Trip when I graduated from high school. That was when I got my Konica full/half frame camera.  I used it for several years and finally after pretty much wearing it out purchased my first Canon A-1 camera. I had found a 200 mm lens for a Canon at a garage sale for only $75.00 so it came first and finally the camera a few months later. I have probably taken now in my lifetime over 500,000 images and will just keep on doing it as long as I can.

Canon 10D

My Second Digital Camera - Canon 10 D-

  I am currently using a Canon EOS 7D Digital camera which a few years ago was not going to happen to me. I had purchased a small digital camera to help make taking pictures for Loren’s eagle project a little less costly and a lot faster. He was going to make a ward directory for our ward, the Mapleton 1^st Ward at that time and we needed to take pictures of every family in the ward. That would have used up a lot of film as we would have to either complete a roll with families all at one time or use film in the camera and that would use even more film. I knew that getting everyone at one time would be impossible so we opted to purchase the small camera. I was so frustrated after helping do some of the pictures that I decided I would never get a digital camera or never until they were at least a lot better in how they functioned. This small camera would not take a picture for at least  2 or 3 seconds after the shutter release was pressed. (Not a good thing for someone used to taking soccer action shots and depended on instant shutter release.) Plus the ability to enlarge those images past an 5 x 7 inch image was not practical. So I felt that getting a digital camera was pretty stupid, but, my mind was changed with one fateful event.

We had gone as the Mapleton 4^th ward on a trek in Wyoming. It was at Martin’s Cove and from the 6^th Water Crossing 14 miles to the end of the trek. I had used my Canon A-1 film camera and taken 40 rolls of film with 24 exposures each during that trek for the three days. I had a lot of good images and really enjoyed the event but carrying the film was a little bit of a problem and I always seemed to be having to change rolls when the best “Kodak moment” was occurring. I put together a slide show after I got back and had to scan all 40 rolls of negatives into my computer to make a power point presentation since I had used negatives not slides.

The following year Mapleton Stake planned a trek to the same locations and had asked me to take pictures on it as well. Another member of the stake, Derek Haynie, was going to do video for it as well. Derek and I met a couple of times to plan what we would do and he told me that he had a Canon D-60 camera (digital) that he wanted me to use since he couldn’t do both that and video. I finally accepted his offer but took my old camera as well with another supply of 40 rolls or so of film. He gave me the camera a few days before ythe trek so I could get used to it. Well as I looked through the view finder I was sure I wouldn’t like it since everything was blurry. Well when I looked at the picture after it came up on the screen on the camera it looked in focus so I guessed he just had a problem with the eye piece and I would have to trust the auto focus on the camera. We went on the trek and for the first day went to Martin’s Cove. I took a lot of pictures with my old camera and a few with his. Then the next day as we went on the now 17 mile trek at 6^th Water  Crossing I used both cameras again only this time I only shot about 14 rolls through my camera and took over 800 images using his. I often used it because I wouldn’t have to change film before I took the image. By the end of 17 miles I had loaded his memory card which we downloaded onto his computer that night at camp and then plugged in his battery to recharge it even though it still was OK for a while. I had used my camera but again had to change and carry the film. It was so easy to use his though that I pretty much depended on it for the rest of the trip. I had been able to take more images and get at least one image of each of the participants on the trek. It didn’t cost anything to get them into a digital format for the computer and I only had to change the card if I took over 800 images and that was almost as many as I had taken the year before with my A-1 and over 400 more than I had taken on this trip with my A-1. The camera would take the image as soon as I pressed the shutter and I didn’t have to advance the film before taking another image, in fact it would take three a second if I held the shutter release down. I was then convinced that I could live with a digital SLR camera and ordered one as soon after I got home as I could. I bought the newest camera then out made by Canon the 10D. I did have to buy new lenses since my old camera lenses would not fit the new camera but it didn’t take long to get one zoom lens at a fairly decent price and I was back to doing things as I had with the film cameras only a lot faster and at a lot less expense. (Now that I have had three of those cameras though I am not sure it is less since I spend a lot each time I upgrade to the newer, higher resolution, faster cameras. Canon puts out a new model each year but I was usually able to go three years before upgrading. I now have a Canon EOS 7D with a single zoom lens that will go from 28 mm to 300 mm. I can do everything I want with it and with my 32 gig memory card can shoot over 1000 images in Raw mode before having to change cards which is a lot quicker process than changing a roll of film.

I am glad I finally made the change but was also glad that I got to use one of the digital cameras before making the change since I then knew what was really out there and how good they had finally been manufactured. I have now in my lifetime taken over 500,000 images and a major amount of them since going digital.