The photographs selected here from the Brownie book project were taken in Mexico, in different locations, between 1980 and 1986.
This selection is a good introduction to the broader body of work referred to as Brownie.
Brownie serves as a time capsule of a young artist’s creative process. I purchased my first Kodak Duaflex camera, a successor to the Brownie box camera first introduced to the public in 1900, in 1975 at a yard sale.
This particular Duaflex was manufactured between 1947 and 1950 and was marketed as a step up from the traditional Brownie camera, which was still being sold at the time. In many ways, this entire project and book serve as a tribute to Kodak and its successful plan to bring photography to the masses. For me, the word Brownie is synonymous with the history of snapshot photography.
Beginning in 1979, I started experimenting with color photography, using the camera’s limitations as a way to push the boundaries of the medium within fine art photography. My true influences at the time were not other photographers but painters whose use of color and composition excited me; Matisse and Bonnard come to mind. After honing my skills with the camera in New York City and its surrounding areas, I decided to take this project on the road. Beginning in 1980, I made the first of many trips to Mexico and, in the following years, expanded my cultural palette to Haiti, Morocco, Egypt, Guatemala, and Ecuador. The photographs in this book are both a visual exploration and an abstraction of these places, transformed through the medium of this simple camera.
About David Katzenstein
David Katzenstein is a New York–based photographer who, throughout his career, has traveled the world to visually chronicle humanity. He has contributed to Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, and Condé Nast Traveler. In 2018, he founded the nonprofit organization The Human Experience Project, which creates content to support the missions of organizations working to inspire lifelong learning and strengthen communities. He is also the managing editor of the Barkley L. Hendricks Photography Archive. His previous books include Ritual (2022) and Distant Journeys (2024). [Official Website]
