It came as a Christmas gift from my father’s employer. In those years, girl’s gift used to be a doll or a knitting kit. But that special year, ten years old kids would get a unisex gift: a brownie camera.

Wow, I was so impressed; I felt that I was really blessed and that this was a really nice gift.

I have never been a doll or sewing type of girl! I like real things and gadgets.

I was used to cameras because my grandparents had some. But it was forbid to touch them and definitely to use them.

But on that day I was given the right to touch, use and call that fascinating thing, my own. I was so glad.

In fact, my mother did take some control over that camera since she was the one who had means to buy films. So she used my camera for all sorts of family pictures. This is why today, I have a lot of those family pictures and I know what camera took them.

My mother used to tell people that she could not buy me enough films…and that I was shooting only waves and sunsets!

I have been in love with cameras since then and that will be almost fifty years next Christmas!

My mother kept that camera for me. She gave it back to me a few years ago and all the souvenirs came along…

I know when my passion for photography began.