Rediscovering The Beauty of the Brownie Box Camera

I’ve been taking photographs for a lot of years. I remember my grandfather using his 35 mm Kodak, which I previously wrote about, and my own parents taking lots of photos. (My mother’s photos of Wake Island in 1957 is one of my most popular photos posted to flickr.) While I was in college I took a photography class and was introduced to the Graflex Speed press camera. You can still see them in the movies. Over the years I had a Mamiya-Sekor 35 mm camera, then a Pentax, and finally a Nikon, which is also my first SLR (single lens reflex) digital camera. I have had other cameras in between and there were years when we had too many children, graduate school, and other expectations to be able to take a lot of photos, much less process them.

I’m can’t remember owning a Brownie Box Camera, but I know we had them around and I do remember taking black and white photos. At that time I was quite young and not aware of photographic techniques. There was a simplicity about the camera that I never really appreciated until recently. You had to be good to compose a good photo, knowing you were only going to get one shot and unless you used the whole role up it might be days, weeks, or months before you actually saw. Of course in those days there were far far fewer professional photographers. One of my favorite books that I read time and again was “Eye of Eisenstaedt” a professional photographer who was frequently featured in Life magazine. His seemingly whimsical photos of people in everyday activities. Of course Ansel Adams and his nature photography had an influence on my perception of photographer should produce. That’s not to suggest I’m anywhere near their league. I’m a journeyman photographer, which means I shoot a lot and once in a while I get lucky. I don’t have what I would call a photographer’s eye, but I have never given up trying. I do enjoy photography.

One of the challenge is trying to carry a camera with me all the time. I just can’t carry a camera everywhere. That means I can and do miss some shots, but my job isn’t one that encourages me walking around with a camera. The second challenge has to do with making sure what ever camera I carry can do what I want. The advent of computer imaging using Photoshop, Aperture, and other software has changed the nature of photography. I can remember spending hours in a darkroom trying to take a poor negative and get something out of it. However, I’m thankful for those experiences that gave me some basic background in composition, shading, and black and white photography.

I finally rediscovered my Brownie Box Camera in my iPhone. I’ve had an iPhone for almost 3 years and have taken a few photos with it, but was never really turned on to it until, while reading a blog, I discovered all of the software available to enhance and refine my photographs. I enjoy my new Brownie Box, more of a slim rectangle, but I am using it for quick shots when my Nikon is not around. It has brought some fun back into taking pictures. [In fact, while writing this blog our 15-month old grandson stuck 2 Ritz crackers in his mouth, which begged for a Brownie Box photo.]

I keep playing with different iPhone apps to get a feel for what I can do. PS Mobile was my first selection, followed by Genius, CoolFX, TiltShiftGen (one of my favorites), Photogene (probably used the most), Best Camera (another favorite), and Color Splash (which I just got). The good news is that I have yet to spend $15 on all of the apps. And the best part is, I’m having fun! I’m able to process and post my photos quickly to flickr, facebook, twitter, and “the best camera.” The photos may not be the best, but they are mine and I like them!