Professor Aaron Lurth’s ‘Small Luxuries: Film Cameras’ book outlines the history and complexities of film cameras

Aaron Lurth

Aaron Lurth, program director of visual communication and associate professor of art at Luther College, published his first book, “Small Luxuries: Film Cameras” on Aug. 4.

“This book outlines the history of film cameras,” Lurth said. “The book walks through what a camera is, the history of the technology, historic brands, famous models of cameras, and the major players of the camera world.”

Lurth’s book is the second book in the Small Luxuries series, published by the Quarto Group. The Small Luxurious series celebrates everyday objects that have helped shape American culture.

“This is a coffee table-style book, so there are a lot of photos and it’s written to be accessible and general surface level things about the history of the medium,” Lurth said.

With a degree in both graphic design and photography, Lurth has a strong knowledge of film cameras and how they work. However, researching and writing this book gave him the opportunity to expand his knowledge of the history of photography.

“Both of my degrees are in the studio practice of my medium, so while I know a bit about the history of photography, I didn’t necessarily know a lot about specific models and brands. So, I was able to learn quite a bit about that aspect,” Lurth said.

The compact 128-page hardcover book features numerous illustrations and photographs. Lurth sourced and photographed around one third of the pictures himself, through cameras he owns or has access to. One of the oldest cameras photographed was a Kodak No. 3A Folding Brownie from 1909. The remaining images were sourced through older advertisements, photographs and newspaper clippings.

Lurth said one of the most fascinating discoveries from his research was the story of the German camera company, Leica. In the 1930s, Leica’s owner Ernst Leitz II helped approximately 300 Jews escape Nazi Germany by reassigning them to offices in France, Great Britain, Hong Kong and the United States under the guise of Leica employment. This effort was later called the Leica Freedom Train.

“To have one of the bigger, prestigious brands come up with a clever way to get people out of the country to save them was kind of neat to hear about,” Lurth said.

Lurth earned his bachelor’s degree in art from Luther College in 2008. He received his MFA in photography and graphic design from the University of Iowa in 2012 before returning to Luther as a professor of art and visual communication.

In the past, Lurth’s photographic work has been used by National Geographic, ABC, NBC, CBS, MTV.com, Time, the Des Moines Register, General Electric, CNET.com, Red Cross and The Iowa Review. His film projects have screened at more than 100 festivals worldwide and have won a number of awards, including the Iowa Motion Picture Association’s Best Documentary film. In 2022, two of Lurth’s photographs were added to a permanent collection at the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa.

“Small Luxuries: Film Cameras” was published by the Quarto Group. Copies may be purchased at the Luther Book Shop or online.

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