Jeff Bridges sees the big picture

USA TODAY, April, 2008 by Scott Bowles

MONTECITO, Calif. -- "Smile and turn to your left," Jeff Bridges says, holding an antique camera to his face. "Now turn the other way ... frown ... and freeze!"

He's showing off his Widelux, a panoramic camera whose shutter moves so slowly it can capture its subject twice and snaps wide-angle shots of nearly 180 degrees.

Bridges carries it everywhere. To movie sets. To weddings. To the Lebowski Fest, an annual pot- and bowling-filled celebration dedicated to his slacker king character the Dude in The Big Lebowski.

"This is my baby," Bridges says, packing the camera into a weathered case. "It has seen just about everything."

So, too, has Bridges.

Born into one of Hollywood's venerable acting families, Bridges, 58, has spent most...