DIANA IMAGES
1977-1985
These images were made with the plastic lens 120 roll film Diana camera, taped after loading to prevent light leaks.
I started using alternative cameras in 1977, attempting to made a less defined image. After my first Diana self-destructed, I placed an ad in the local Lexington, Virginia, newspaper for more Dianas. They were difficult to find in those pre-eBay days; the company had stopped production. A guy who ran a tourist shop on the Blue Ridge Parkway responded to the ad; he had eight of them, still in the boxes, for $10 each. He was astounded that anyone would want plastic toy cameras — he thought of them as worthless child's play.
Many of the my first images with the Diana were of my children, Beth and Yates. Most of these images were made around Lexington, Virginia, where I lived for twenty years and raised a family. A few of these images were made at Pawley's Island, South Carolina. The circus images were of the traveling Hoxie Brothers Circus in Buena Vista, Virginia.
