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Woman with earrings, Henry Buehman photo, circa 1910, Tucson, Arizona.

"Henry Buehman (May 14, 1851 - December 19, 1912) was a German-born American photographer and politician. After completing his apprenticeship, Buehman traveled to the American West, where he worked and traveled before settling in Tucson, Arizona Territory. There he purchased a portrait studio and operated a financially successful photography business. Periodic trips through the surrounding areas allowed Buehman to compile a large portfolio of scenic and Native American images in addition to his portrait work. His accomplishments as a photographer led to opportunities in other fields and Buehman eventually became the mayor of Tucson from 1895 till 1899."

I first became obsessed with photography and motion pictures while growing up in post WW2 Manila in the Philippine Islands in the late 1940's/early 1950's. Film noirs were a particular influence. But my first love remains the theater. I acted in numerous amateur productions from 1958 to 1978. In 1979 I earned a MA in drama from the University of Arizona; earlier getting a BA in English from the University of Minnesota, where I co-founded the first film society on campus and ran it for four years. While at the U of A, I studied with the master black and white photo essayist W. Eugene Smith (1918-1978) the last year of his life. I am the last person cited in Jim Hughes' definitive biography of Gene, as I wrote about attending his final...