I was attracted to photography since I was a young kid. The first camera that I owned myself (meaning not my family’s shared camera) was a Yashica GSN Electro 35. A lot of us had this camera in the 1970s because it was cheap, and made great images if you knew what you were doing. I got it as a Christmas gift when I was 13.

Of course, I set my sights on more cameras. One of these cameras caught my eye at a family Thanksgiving dinner in Independence, Missouri. My uncle Wes brought his Canon FTb, a very popular, well-made, advanced 35mm film single-lens-reflex camera that was introduced in 1971.

Wes was framing up an image of the dinner table loaded with food, and I asked him if I could looks through it for a second. At that moment, I was so hooked on getting more cameras and becoming a photographer.

Wes passed away in December of 2023.

Earlier this month, Wes’ daughter, my cousin Lori, and her husband visited. Among the gifts she brought was a box with her father’s cameras, including the Canon FTb. I was moved by this gift, and it brought back the memory of that Thanksgiving like it was yesterday.

The camera is big and heavy by today’s reckoning, made of steel, brass and glass. Wes kept it immaculately clean, and it looks brand new. The shutter seems to be running flawlessly. The lens is the 50mm f/1.8, one of history’s most popular lenses.

I will take good care of this reminder of family and photography from nearly 50 years ago.