By Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Legendary photographers, from Ansel Adams to Andy Warhol, got their start shooting with a Brownie camera of one model or another. The original Eastman Kodak Brownie camera was launched in 1900 and was a small, box-like design. It had a cheap price tag, as well, which was the result of Kodak founder George Eastman’s desire to produce an inexpensive camera that would still take good photos.
The Brownie camera will be celebrated from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, April 19 during the “Evening with the Artists” event at Silke’s Old World Breads Bakery and Café at 1214-A College Street. For this event, the local photography group Darkroom Junkies will show photos from its current project, “Out of the Box,” in which all of its members took photos with old-fashioned Brownie cameras.
“It was interesting to shoot with a Brownie, since I had no idea how the photos would turn out,” said Heidi Hopkins, a member of Darkroom Junkies. “Surprise! Some did.”
During the event, which is free and open to the public, the café will celebrate the artists by providing guests with an array of delicious appetizers. Additionally, the band Red River Breeze will play. The photos from this show will remain on the walls of the café through May. 
Well-known area photographer Malcolm Glass will have photos on display during “Out of the Box,” including “Nora and Her Two Best Friends,” an image that depicts a statue of Nora Witzel, her Brownie camera and her dog. Witzel was an early Brownie enthusiast whose statue may be seen on a walkway outside of the Montgomery County Court House.
For more information on the event, call 931-552-4422.
This photo by Malcolm Glass, “Nora and Her Two Best Friends,” was shot for “Out of the Box,” an exhibit in which photographers took photos with old-fashioned Brownie cameras.