When my wife and I got married in June of 2012, we got the chance to reminisce with many friends and family. It was a wonderful time to see our loved ones, and we enjoyed catching up with relatives we haven't seen in years. One of the best gifts we received was something that I wasn't aware actually existed. My aunt and uncle from New Jersey told us that they had something special they would like to give us on wedding day, and that something special turned out to be my grandfather's camera. Apparently, my grandfather had given this camera to my uncle years ago, and they figured that the camera should "come home". I have to admit that I was truly blown away to open up the box for the first time and see this camera. It's a Bee Bee Model B camera, produced by the German camera maker Certo. The Bee Bee was made in the 1930s, and was distributed in the United States by Burleigh Brooks (hence the name 'Bee Bee'). The shutter is a Deckel Munchen Compur, and features 10 shutter speeds, ranging from 1/200 second to 1 second, and also Timer and Bulb. After a little research I was able to find some additional specs on the camera. One article I found showed an advertisement from 1939 for the Bee Bee. The body, without lens, originally sold for $70.00! It appears that I can still get film for this guy, so I can't wait to try it out!
One last thing. We needed some inspiration for our new Kaufman Photography logo, and where better to look than my grandfather. Paying homage to the man that inspired my photography, his camera is a fitting reminder of the stories we all cherish. The camera is home, and I couldn't be more honored to continue creating stories with it.
