Please Use Other Door

The photo on the left is literally the first black and white SLR photo I ever took. It was 1974 and I was working at Focal Point darkroom studios on 4th Avenue. The in-house instructor taught me the basics of exposure, film development and printing. He helped me load my first roll and out we went to find something to shoot and the first thing I saw two doors down was these two kids. So this is the first photo I ever took, developed and printed. The camera was a clunky Topcon SLR with screw mount lenses that I pinched from my dad who had a brief passion for flower photography.

With practice I got better with focus, composition and exposure. Everything was manual back then. The second shot is probably from 1974 as well. You could take photos of random kids in those days but it would probably be unwise now unless you asked permission first from their parents. And even then you'd be pushing your luck.