NWHPC has an upcoming monthly competition for photographs taken in an
antique store. Since I stayed home from the studio today I have been looking
through old hard drives and came across this photo taken at Historic Cypress
Top Station a few years ago.
My interest in this photo is the Brownie Target 616—the same
model as the camera that Mother let me carry to school for the first time when
I was in the third grade. She had become interested in photography while
attending Southwest Normal Institute in Weatherford Oklahoma and had earned
school money working in Owl Photo Lab. Like me, her passion for photography
lasted a lifetime. Although, not being of means, her photography was limited to
pictures of family and friends. She couldn’t afford to waste film on less important
things.
During WWII cameras were not easy to get. Dad worked in the motor pool at Shepherd Hill Army Base and we had a couple of houses that we rented to
servicemen with families. One of their military friends offered to get Mother a
Brownie Target 616 from the base PX. It became her pride and joy. I am
still surprised that I was ever allowed to carry it to school.
I know I have told this story till everyone is blue in the
face but I’m going to do it again. Mother dutifully showed me how to load the
camera the day before. I had been allowed to take photos, with supervision, in
the past but to be taught how to load the camera and advance the film made me
feel like a full fledged photographer. She explained that there were only four
pictures on the roll so when I got to four I was supposed to stop.
Miss Jewel Reed, my third grade teacher took the class out
in front of the school and lined everyone up so I could take a ‘class photo.’ I
was feeling pretty important. During recess I finished off the remaining three
photos of friends on the playground. But I have never been one to quit even
when I should. I was talking to my best friend Jimmy Huffaker explaining how
much I knew about cameras. To illustrate I decided to ‘unload’ the camera to
back up my claims. After all I reasoned in my third grade mind that unloading
had to be just the opposite of loading. Right? I knew how to load so I must
know how to unload.
Well as most know, there were generally eight, ten or twelve
photos on roll film. On the Brownie 616 there were eight and I had been given
permission to use half of the roll—but not told that it was only half the roll.
Mother had not wanted me to use all of her precious film and she knew I would
so she had done a very motherly thing and blatantly and outright lied to her
youngest child about the number of photos available. Neither had she given me
instructions on how to unload the film—because, again, she knew I would before
the roll was finished.
I slid out the stops, gingerly unscrewed and lifted the pin
that held the carrying strap, the last prevention to keep the back from
accidentally sliding off. As soon as I pulled the camera apart, I saw raw film
and frankly scarlet I knew enough to know that meant that right then and there
I was in major trouble. I quickly shoved the two parts of the camera back
together and locked it down. This was all done in bright Texas sunlight in the
middle of the playground.
I know that I didn’t tell Mother that I opened the camera
because she had the film processed and she wouldn’t if she had known. Of
course, to my credit I don’t believe that I recall her asking. Although,
knowing me, I would have said, “No” even if she had asked—I would never have
made a good Catholic; confessional is not my thing. My parents always let me
get by with fibbing. Any fool can tell the truth; it takes a man of some
learning to know how to lie well, and I always thought I was really good at it.
Truthfully I know they knew or at least they suspected because I really wasn’t that good. I am
convinced I will spend the vast majority of eternity in an effort to atone for
my misspent childhood—and most, if not all, of my adult life.
I love the tag by the camera that the Brownie started the Kodak Kraze. Not exactly true, althought it did start mine. The craze started long before Kodak introduced the Brownie.
I love the tag by the camera that the Brownie started the Kodak Kraze. Not exactly true, althought it did start mine. The craze started long before Kodak introduced the Brownie.
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