"Bee" Camera. 1997 (First Camera) { 5 images } Created 17 Sep 2020
“The Bee Camera”
The very first camera I ever made.
Back in 1997 I was working as a machinist/tool maker. During my apprenticeship I was taught that if I was going to make a tool, in the design of the tool it needed to be an extension of myself and still function in the job the tool was designed to do.
At that time friend and photographer Brian Booth was using a pinhole camera he made from foam core and duct tape for a project he was working on. Having no idea what a pinhole camera was, I was intrigued. Seeing Brian struggling with the foam and duct tape camera, I said, “I think I can make you something a little bit better.”
I started with blocks of 6061 T-6 forged aircraft aluminum and hand machined them to make the sides, top and bottom of the camera while keeping tolerances within +/- one thousandth of an inch, because when it come to cameras, light leaks suck. The front plate of the camera had a quick change aperture set up and the back had a spring loaded film pressure plate system that made changing out 4”x5” film holders easier and faster.
And because the camera is a tool, and an extension of myself, the sides of the camera had Bees crawling through keyholes because I was learning about Bee Keeping at the time, and the script on the top of the camera is a small clip from one of my favorite poems in Pablo Neruda’s book “Captains Versus”. (One of my all time favorite books. 😁)
Underneath the camera is a stainless steel 1/4-20 tripod mount and the words etched “Numero Uno”
After I gave the camera to Brian I borrowed it back for a bit to learn about pinhole photography, and then fell in love.
Brian Booth still owns the camera today and said it’s not for sale, but will talk if the opening offer is in the seven digits…
The very first camera I ever made.
Back in 1997 I was working as a machinist/tool maker. During my apprenticeship I was taught that if I was going to make a tool, in the design of the tool it needed to be an extension of myself and still function in the job the tool was designed to do.
At that time friend and photographer Brian Booth was using a pinhole camera he made from foam core and duct tape for a project he was working on. Having no idea what a pinhole camera was, I was intrigued. Seeing Brian struggling with the foam and duct tape camera, I said, “I think I can make you something a little bit better.”
I started with blocks of 6061 T-6 forged aircraft aluminum and hand machined them to make the sides, top and bottom of the camera while keeping tolerances within +/- one thousandth of an inch, because when it come to cameras, light leaks suck. The front plate of the camera had a quick change aperture set up and the back had a spring loaded film pressure plate system that made changing out 4”x5” film holders easier and faster.
And because the camera is a tool, and an extension of myself, the sides of the camera had Bees crawling through keyholes because I was learning about Bee Keeping at the time, and the script on the top of the camera is a small clip from one of my favorite poems in Pablo Neruda’s book “Captains Versus”. (One of my all time favorite books. 😁)
Underneath the camera is a stainless steel 1/4-20 tripod mount and the words etched “Numero Uno”
After I gave the camera to Brian I borrowed it back for a bit to learn about pinhole photography, and then fell in love.
Brian Booth still owns the camera today and said it’s not for sale, but will talk if the opening offer is in the seven digits…
