Photographer and vintage-camera collector Mike Connealy has amassed a collection of more than 100 vintage cameras from all over the world. His collection includes cameras from the USSR, Japan and Germany.
After retiring, Connealy said that he, like other photographers, moved to the Land of Enchantment for “the gorgeous lighting.” Connealy said he started his website, mconnealy.com, about a decade ago. He said the website focuses on vintage cameras and the stories behind them.
Connealy said he often goes to thrift stores in Albuquerque to find his cameras.
“The reason I collect those cameras is because I want to know what kind of pictures they make,” he said. “And the possibility of making the best pictures with them.”
Connealy said one of his favorite cameras is an Ansco Folding Buster Brown No.1, Model B from 1910, a camera he bought after he saw a picture of his grandmother holding a similar one. He said he was surprised to learn his grandmother owned a professional camera, and found a similar one for himself online as a family connection.
