Finding Color

People inexperienced in photography make a common mistake of believing results are determined by the quality of a camera. That's not true. Good photographs come not from fancy cameras but from skilled minds behind them.

On a bitterly cold day last December I went outdoors with my 1957 Kodak Brownie Starmite II. The camera is a mass-produced piece of crap with a cheap plastic lens. It was sold the year I was born for $10 to ordinary folk who used it for family snapshots. 

Before going out I thought carefully about what I could do. I had color film (127-roll) which I'd never used before in this camera. Recognizing the strength (color saturation) and weakness (unsharp focus) of my equipment I decided to emphasis the former and put all my eggs in that basket.

I looked for and found a sleepy South Shore town that was empty. It was late afternoon and dreariness had chased shoppers home. One thing stood out, however, in the dark Winter -- bright, colored neon lights in deserted stores. Unseen by anyone else they called to me like an artistic beacon. I played with them and created the images below.

What do you think?