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	And so it began
	Medium format
	35mm SLR
»	The Exaktas
	The first Nikons
	Her ...
	The kids and the Exaktas
	The Nikkormat's
	The FE2
	Into the land of Nikon
	The MD-12s
	Upgrading ...
	The F4s and beyond
	An endless love story ...
	Adventures in the Sierra Madre

After I got my college degree, with an adequate salary to my few extravagances and free of any pressure to contribute to the family income, I acquired: a 64 Dodge -which captivated no less than three charming neighbors, maybe because of its 4 doors with no central beam- an Exakta Varex IIb with a Carl Zeiss Pancolar, a 100mm Enna Ennalyt and an Omega amplifier. 
 

Exakta Varex IIb - Ihagge - Dresden .

Armed with the Exa and the two Exaktas, the Varex IIa and the Varex IIb (and 8 lenses), I shot left and right in Spain, France, England, Belgium and Holland. Italy and Germany were spared by a miracle while I recuperated from a terrible amorous disappointment. That one, no need or reason to narrate here. Film technology helped to alleviate my physical overload, lightening my heavy gadget bag with a professional movie film that could produce color prints, black and white prints as well as slides, both black & white and color. No, it was not Kodak, it was Ilford first and Agfa later. My love affair with the beauties of the Ihagee House of Dresden and its sensual and infallible companions, the lenses of Herr Carl Zeiss, was intense, long and fruitful.
Taking pictures of children, from door to door, had given me a good additional income while I finished college and my pictures looked better every day. Several mothers adored me for making their creatures look more beautiful and/or more gracious than they were without my help; others, simply for giving them the opportunity to document and treasure the moment.