I think I got into photography in the summer of ~'73. My brother and I had a "summer camp class" that year, and besides being nearly electrocuted while fiddling around with the plug of an enlarger, I don't remember much.

The first camera we shared ... (just finished a web search) was a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye Flash. For some reason I really liked the way the shutter release clicked. At the time, I was interested in trick photography, and recall many multiple exposure attempts, and a few times cutting up negatives - I remember one I made in which my brother was a "giant" leaning over our house, arms reaching down with hands ready to clench the photographer.

Several years later I bought a Canon A1 or AE1 (I'd have to look - I still have it) and my dad let us turn our basement "kitchen" into a darkroom. Developer, stop bath, fixer. I can remember the smells, but not which one was which. A couple of years later I bought some used color film developing system (I'm sure I found it in the "tradin' times" - best pre-eBay/Craigslist way to find used stuff). I quickly decided this wasn't for me. Everything was done in the dark (no red light), and costs added up quickly for me as it seemed that about 1 in 5 prints was acceptable.

....to be continued.