The Brownie Hawkeye was a very popular camera. Kodak sold millions of them from 1951 through 1960.
This particular camera came from Chicago. The film advance knob was jammed so I had little hope for the roll of film contained within. I freed the film in my darkroom. It turned out to be a roll of KodacolorX.
There was a time when men went to picnics wearing dark suits. They ate potato salad and had quiet conversations in the sun. They spoke of their children, their wives and their pasts. There was far more past than future for these men.
We take photos of people to capture the way they look at the moment the shutter is released. People change quickly. Children grow like weeds and friends get gray.
Sometimes we take pictures fearing that the one just taken may be the last of the subject.
There’s still dignity and respect left in the world but you really have to look for it. It’ll likely be gray haired and quiet. If you find it, treat it as a valuable commodity. There’s not much left.
“Life gets mighty precious when there’s less of it to waste.”
–Bonnie Raitt
