Brownie No. 2

2017

This sequence of images was made with a No.2 Brownie Camera Model B that was sent to me quite unexpectedly. The camera had belonged to my grandfather and has been hidden away for decades. The No. 2 Brownie Camera Model B was discontinued in 1936 though I find that this camera is more relevant than ever to my working process. For this sequence of images I photographed in my garden, a place where I go to spend time connecting back with the Earth. The garden is a very real and tangible experience, a place where I spend a lot of time. Unexpected results are why I both love the garden and working with the Brownie.

I rig the Brownie for 120 film, through extending the film spools with plastic drywall screw anchors. The camera has light leaks, it is difficult to gauge focal distance and it is challenging to establish exposure time. My results are often grainy and blurry. Due to the nature of the camera and rigged film there is no real clear stopping point from one frame to the next. The final roll of film is an entire series of overlapping images, one extended negative. From this negative, I pull out sequences of overlap.