I’ll never forget it.

My brother Bruce had gone out to pick some stuff up at Great Eastern Mills department store in NJ. Little did I realize he was picking up a present for me that would change my life.

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My first brownie camera. Ahh..the beautiful grey plastic body and the silvery flash bowl. And those cool little flash bulbs. 127 Film. oh yeah..totally cool.

Yep, I was well on the way to…..what, I wasn’t sure at the time.

Slowly it became apparent. A freedom to make images of life around me. The first shots were pictures of people posing.

All of the prints were contact prints and therefore REALLY small. Picketts Photo shop on Main Ave. did the processing.

The local “Y ” had advertised photo club for kids and I immediately signed up.

They took us out to 3rd Ward Park in Passaic, and just had us shoot. Anything.
That afternoon we went back downtown, and the instructor processed the film for us.

Next week the magic happened. I will never forget watching the image come up in the developer. Ever.

That was it for me. I was in hook,line and sinker.

A few years later , the trumpet I had studied so hard to learn “Java” by Al HIrt, went on the block to instead buy a real camera. A used Nikon F. Still have it.

Well there have been quite a few cameras since then.

But I’ll never forget the first.

Thanks bro.

We would love to hear your story of your first camera, photograph, general photographic experience, and share it here on the HOME page.
If you’d like to share write us here at: [email protected].

Cheers!
Damon Webster