<Begin Segment 18>

TL: How about his interest, Clarence's interest, in photography and the Photographer's Club?

YB: That came in after his health began to fail. He had to have a hobby, and he had a very good friend who had a bakery down on Weller Street. Dearborn? Dearborn or Weller. It's not there anymore. This was before the war. Or after the war, it was there. That's right. And, so he'd go with him and he began to collect material, and he didn't even go to school to study; he'd read books. And, I still have his books and things down there, but I wish I hadn't given away his good camera to his grandson; maybe they're just kicking it around. However, he took some real nice pictures, which I still have, all put away in cases.

And, then they formed -- I don't know who the others are. I remember one or two, the daughter of one of them I know, and they formed a Japanese group. But there was an old timer Issei man who lived in Tacoma, and I think he later came to Seattle, but did all of the work for one of the outstanding studios for the wealthy people. And he was located near the Group Health Hospital there. It was one of the old homes that was fixed into a studio, and Clarence got to know him very well, very close, and he taught him a lot of things.

So from there on in he took over, and without going to school, he learned to develop and print all his pictures, and started sending them all over. And, managed to get first prize in a photographic contest put out by... something Photography Magazine. And they bought -- two companies that deal with water bought two of his pictures that had to do with scenery of the Sound, or the water, or the ocean. They're beautiful pictures. One is a very peaceful picture beside a mill, and the trees and the lights shining through between a shaft of light. And, so he enjoyed doing many of those pictures. It came out pretty good.

<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.