My very first roll of film in 1940 at age 11

I started taking pictures in 1940. We lived in Toledo Ohio at that time. I have two original pictures of my Mother taken on my first roll of 127 film with a 49 cent camera purchased at a Walgreens Drugstore in Toledo Ohio. The film cost a whole 15 cents back then.
I've used many different cameras since that 49 cent one.

Me at 21, 1950

A self portrait of skinny me. I stopped smoking about 8 years later at 28.

Camera was a 2 1/4 3 1/4 Bush Pressman. Film, Kodak SuperXX.

Me at 19 years

Bob and I took a lot of pictures of each other and other interesting things. I really liked my Bush pressman and can't remember whatever happened to it. Oh well, it was another great camera. Photo taken by Bob Pikoulas.

Part of our old gang 1949

Like all kids, we used to congregate on the weekends telling all our tales of the week. This shot was taken outside Bob and Jim's apartment, (Bob's taking the picture), in the woodlawn area of Chicago on Ingelside near Marquette Rd. Taken with my 35mm Argus C3 in 1949. Notice the old Kodak Brownie reflex camera around my neck.

I still have one of those old Brownie cameras.

Neighborhood Friends from 1949

Some of my old neighborhood friends on the south side of Chicago. Left to right, Chuck, Tommy And Bob. Bob became my lifetime friend until his death in the late winter of 2008.

Taken with a 35mm Argus C3, with PlusX film.

Old friend, Chuck

Charles was kind of a weird guy but a good friend. We double dated and had a lot of good times together. A all around good guy. Chuck passed away in the late 80s.

Photo taken with a 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" Bush Pressman sheet film camera.

Joan 1950

A shot of Joan posing at our fireplace. Pictures of Joan were taken with a Bush Pressman 2 1/4 X 3 1/4 camera. Shot with PlusX sheet film. A few later pictures of her was taken with my 4X5 Speed Graphic.

Good friend Joan 1950

I used to double date with my friend Charles and his date, Joan. I thought Joan had a photographic face so I asked her if she would like to pose for some pictures, she agreed and it became a weekly habit for about a year. Her payment was free pictures. My older sisters would seldom pose for me so Joan was like a younger sister and eager to pose. She's wearing my grandmothers neckless and draped with dark green velvet material held together with close pins in the back.

The Wrigly Building at night 1950

Bob and I went downtown Chicago one night near Christmas, year 1950.

This picture was taken at night using a Quickset Junior tripod with a 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 Bush pressman sheet film camera at the Chicago river-front. I still have the Quickset tripod and still use it.

Spring tree 1950

This tree was taken in the spring of 1950 with a 2 1/4 X 3 1/4 Bush pressman film camera after a rain. The original shot was in black & white and later made into a watercolor using Adobe Photoshop. The location was far south on Cicero Avenue, Chicago.

Me and my Speed Graphic camera 1951

I was one happy camper when I got my 4x5 Speed graphic. I used it from 1951 to 1957 when I finally sold it. It used film packs and sheet film holders. Now I think back at how clumsy that was. I did my own film & print processing back then using a portable darkroom with a Graph-Larger cold light pack on the back of the camera. I did get lots of nice pictures with that camera.

A self portrait taken with my 2 1/4 X 3 1/4 Bush Pressman sheet film camera using SuperXX film.

Army Photographer 1951 - 53

A self portrait in the Photo Lab Office of the First Division Signal Co. in Germany.

Just goofing around after hours. Yes, those were the only cameras used in the Army back in those days..... SMILE!

Shot with a 4X5 Speed Graphic using a Kodak SuperXX film pack and a foot tripper.