Bronwen - December 2013

It was around 1958, while at St. Edward’s High School, a Roman Catholic boarding school in Austin, Texas that Brother Emmett, who was in charge of the PX, told me that I had a package. The package was from Olden Camera in New York. Inside the shiny box there was a brand new Pentacon-F single lens reflex. This was my first real camera. I was excited. I will never forget the smell of the metal of the camera and the determined shutter click. Since today April 22, 2022, I can look at my Pentacon-F here in my office and to assert that it is in perfect working order. I can re-live that excitement.

Something like that feeling of excitement has hit me as in this last week that I have been at making my scanner negative sandwiches. I wrote about the process here.

I am going through my extensive files and I even (to my delight) thought of two negatives of my Rosemary. When I scanned the pair the result was perfect the first time. It is here.

Because most of my peers have died, disappeared or switched from their film and digital cameras to their phones, I feel a tad isolated. But my excitement is not diminished.

The pictures here are of my longtime friend and subject Bronwen Marsden. She has always been a delight to photograph. I believe I could have a big stomach ache if I were to sandwich all the pictures I have of her. Who knows I just might do that.