Early Days - Some of the Tools / Toys

Back in 1975-76-77 I bought a bunch of really good camera equipment.  My pride and joy, was a Canon F-1, at the time Canon's top of the line professional camera, with a 50mm F1.4 lens.  I already had a 135 mm Canon FD series lens.  I added the 200mm, and 100-200 slip and slide zoom, and the 28mm all Canon FD series lenses over a couple of seasons.  The F-1 was solid brass, with a titanium foil shutter.  It was solid, reliable, durable.  I loved carrying it.  A decade later I added a Canon AE-1 Program with a power winder, and a 24mm FD series lens.  The 24mm rapidly became my favorite.  

At the same time in the 1970's I had a Yashica Mat 124 G Twin Lens, and a Pentax 6x7. This image was taken with the Pentax on Kodak probably Tri-X, the film is unmarked on series.  I have no idea on exposure data, this was likely taken with a flash.  This is a scan from an 8 by 10 print made at that time.  I recently found the original negative.  

I made a living with that bag full of tools for a couple of years.  Not a really good, or easy living.  Why did I give it up? An easy answer, I was never happy with the work that people were paying me for.  It was never perfect, it was never good enough . . . I gave up because of my insecurities.  Looking back, the work was pretty good, and would have gotten better with time.  I was technically good, I could find the right angle, but I lacked attention to detail (or left that I did.) The Yashica I sold to a man I met in a camera shop (he was later arrested for taking photos of under age boys with it.) The Pentax was sold through a camera shop netting me more than I paid for it.  

The Canons I kept until about 2000, when I traded the entire pile on a Nikon N65.  Looking at prices today, I should have kept them.  At that time I think the whole bag full was valued at something like $400.  The F-1 in working condition today will bring more than that.  20-20 hindsight.