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| Gary Cullen |
In 2015 I shot a Georgia Straight Fall Arts Preview. I had been doing these for years. I was supposed to pick a theme and then photograph the actors, dancers, comedians, artists and musicians with that theme.
The 2015 theme was the use of Gary Cullen’s Czechoslovakian, circa late 50s Tatra. Because I had known Cullen before as he used to have a camera repair business I knew he had a great collection of pristine cameras. I asked him if he had an Exakta VXIIa. He did. We decided to play a joke just for ourselves in the we would place the camera in every shot (partially hidden) for the Straight. The idea is that since the Tatra has a dorsal fin on the back it almost has not rear window. Jimmy Stewart used an Exakta VXII2 in the film Read Window with Grace Kelly. Nobody who saw the Straight spread noticed so our joke became just ours.
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| Gary Cullen's wife Karoline is a very good photographer. She assisted me and helped me light the Tatra |
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| The Exakta with my repaired Widelux |
When Horst Wenzel died quite a few months ago I was not only upset because we had been friends for many years but also since he repaired all my cameras and my panoramic Widelux was broken.I called Cullen and he told me he would look at it. He fixed it.
I decided to pay him by giving him my inkjet prints of him with the car, with the Exakta and with his wife Karoline. I drove to Tswwassen today and was greeted by the pleasant pair, who offered me tea and cat cookies (don’t ask). My camera was repaired.
In addition I was given a gift of a circa 1951/52 Exakta with two finders, the pentaprism and a waist level one. Additionally, since the camera is extremely complex Cullen gave me an instruction manual for the VXIIa which he says has all the info for my now earlier Exakta.
Once I can figure it all out I will putting film into this camera. That is an exciting prospect. The camera is extremely heavy. It could easily be a weapon.
