SLR: We Celebrated with Goulash

Is this the best shot? (right) Despite smoke partially obscuring my book publisher's face, I felt this picture characterized him most clearly.

More years ago than I like to think, I received a highly surprising letter from the world’s most prestigious English-language technical photographic book publisher.

Andor Kraszna-Krausz, founder and owner of Focal Press of London, explained that he had proposed, to Asahi Optical Co. of Japan, a massive tell-all book on Pentax cameras. The company had assented—but only if I wrote it.

To that date, all the major hardcover camera books by Focal Press had been of German-made cameras such as Leica and Contax, authored by the most prestigious European photographic authors. Focal had published the monster, authoritative Focal Encyclopedia of Photography (first printed in 1956 with 1,298 text pages, profusely illustrated with drawings plus 109 photos—one and a quarter million words).

The maniacally exacting editors of this encyclopedia would be poring over my text to make The Pentax Way literate and error-free. Focal’s technical illustrator, Percy Poynter (what a wonderful name), would follow my instructions for drawings but Focal’s editors would select the photographs. With great trepidation, I agreed. But could a mere photo writer from the colonies deliver to the exacting standards of the mother country?

Over 13 years and 11 editions, plus translations into Spanish, German, and Italian as well as a Taiwanese pirate edition in English, The Pentax Way proved I could.

While my visits to Focal Press in London remained formal tie-and-jacket affairs, Kraszna-Krausz and I gradually fell into a relaxed personal relationship. One day while visiting my house, Kra (as he was affectionately called) was puffing away at his pipe in the kitchen and seemed even more relaxed than usual.

Picture opportunity! Despite the confusing background and bare, circular daylight-type fluorescent light tubes in the ceiling, I grabbed a Pentax S3 (I think) with 100mm f/2.8 lens, loaded with Kodak Tri-X Pan, and quickly made 13 exposures at about 1/30 sec and f/2.8.