Widelux - Rosa 'Ketchup & Mustard' - Hosta 'Forbidden Fruit' 2 August 2025

When Rosemary, our two daughters and I arrived in Vancouver from our former home in Mexico City I was unable to find a job as a photographer. I ended up renting cars at Tilden-Rent-A- Car on Alberni Street. Because I was an idiot I did not enjoy answering the phone, “In Canada it’s Tilden, may I help you?” If anything I learned humility and my idea of becoming a famous photographer was forgotten.

When we walked in Stanley Park I saw young men walking with Hasselblad cameras around their neck. I longed to buy one but I could not afford one. I had to content myself with my ancient Pentacon-F and Pentax S-3.

I soon learned to get work with those cameras and I forgot about those Hasselblads and bought a medium format Mamiya RB-67. Jobs happened because magazine art directors rapidly discovered that the 6x7cm format of my Mamiya fit a full page bleed (on vertical because of the revolving film back) and made a splendid two-page spread on a horizontal.

I have many cameras. The reason I bought them is that they had necessary features that were important in my editorial photography. One was the ability of a 35mm camera to synchronize at a high shutter speed with studio flash. I have to Nikon FM-2 for that reason.

In Vancouver it was the kiss of death to fail at an assignment. I had those two Nikons in my camera bag in case one failed.

In short I was never a gear head. This is the present definition of a photographer (mostly males) who like to collect cameras (and they must be in pristine condition) which they like to show off and wear around their neck. It is a tragedy if they do not take photographs with them.

Yesterday Friday I went to a presentation downtown of the near  production of a new Widelux swivel-lens 35mm camera  inspired by Jeff Bridges who loves them and has been shooting with one for years. The camera is going to be built from scratch in Germany.

At the presentation, a very interesting one with lots of pizza and drinks there were all those male gearheads with cameras around their necks. The Wideluxes were all like new. Only two women showed up (one with her husband). I could not understand why not one of those photographers (is having a camera around your neck make you one?) did not bring any photographs to show.

I obsessively printed for a week my Widelux photographs or found them in my files. I brought two little portfolios. Perhaps a couple of the people there may have asked me, “How did you do this?”

In Vancouver there are two possible solutions to deal with the above. One is to take photographs and print them because it is fun and not care if anybody else is interested. The other is to become bitter and depressed. Thankfully I have avoided the latter.

Today’s blog image is a scan of a rose, in which each bloom persists in its beauty and a Hosta that is one of my faves as it always looks lovely.The scan is just an example of doing something that is fun without accounting or caring if anybody else shows interest.

I am not a gear head.