I spent quite a bit of time researching old cameras since our last visit and found one of my best resources to be, of all places, e-bay, since most reputable dealers of older cameras spend a bit of time describing their wares. My hopes of buying a few cameras to replicate their unique characteristics were soon forgotten when I started biding on a few used “folders.” Let me say there are a lot of people still collecting cameras from the 1920 through 1940 era.
One dealer I spent time talking to warned about buying cameras that were on e-bay which were listed as good condition because the bellows, no matter how they look, often leak and it doesn't take much light to ruin a photograph. Though the shutter works, most are no longer clicking at the speeds marked on the lens. A reputable dealer cleans the works, sets the timing and replaces the bellows if necessary.
Perhaps after the new computer finds its way to my desk, then I will buy a Kodak or Afga folder (a bellowed camera that closes up into a case). There was a time when several of the older cameras could be found about the house, bet, alas, they have disappeared.
But on with the pictures. I have an 81 year old friend who I see a couple of times a week. He has recently discovered the stories from Shelly's Cafe and I swap stories for pictures. Truthfully he loves black and whites and since he knows my passion for the same he has started to donate pictures to the cause. As time goes on I will shuffle his photos in with my own collection.
remember- you can click on the photos to enlarge them!
What could be more heartwarming than a boy and his dog. It would be my guess that this picture was taken by a newer vintage Kodak style camera because of the sharpness of detail. The only thing I had to do to finish the photograph after I digitally enhanced it was take away the noise (white spotting ) and remove the shadow off the face. The hardest task I encounter is cleaning the five o'clock shadow of the face which can often make a ten year old look like a felon. You will also notice that many old cameras had a very large depth of field--in other words the background is as clear as the main focus which in this case is boy and dog. The best I could gather on the history of this photo is it likely came from West Virginia.
Another interesting photo given to me by my friend Jack. Okay, let me be truthful, this picture brings out the softy in me. When I first seen the enlarged picture, the shoes told the story of a family who had very little money. The britches are thread bare, but they did have a clean white shirts though a bit to big. Perhaps the photographer had a supply of clean shirts for the folks who had their pictures taken--don't be surprised The picture was taken during hard times still the parents found enough money to have their two sons sit for a photo.
My heart ached and I wished I could go back and at least buy new shoes for the lads. Funny thing--there doesn't seem to be any look of poverty in their face. Could it be the boys didn't know they were poor. Perhaps other kids around them were deeper in despair than this family. Nonetheless this picture has a thousand words encased between the lines.
Above is the tale of two photographs. The two are similar in the thought since we are looking at early photos of the "family" car, at least in the way America first looked at the courageous concept of heading out on the open road, ruts and all. The top photo I would guess was taken with an early box style camera. Remember, a lot of editing and cropping went into that fuzzy picture to salvage what you see here, while the bottom photograph was taken with a folder like the one seen in the hands of the girl on the right. The newer cameras were night and day from the box camera but still only gave the customer a small 2x3 photo for the owners to gaze upon--but how exciting for the family to share.
There was a lot of shadows to erase on the bottom of the family car photo in order to get a good look, otherwise their feet and the shadows were one. The first picture of the family looked a bit over-edited (below) so I re-worked the photo again. The original photo was a very small scratched and faded photograph. A lot of work went into this photo but it brought the shot back to life. This was several days work since I had to wipe the slate clean several times and start over. But alas, I will call it finished
To finish today's blog I want to share a really old picture from my adopted grandmother's family. It was a hunting camp, likely around Big Bear Lake, California in the San Gabriel Mountains. I remember her talking about their hunting grounds but I can't put a finger on the exact location. Anyway, I saw this Chevy in other pictures. It seems like they were gutting out the vehicle for whatever reason. You use your imagination on this shot--one of my favorites.
Hope to return soon. I have a pile of really neat school pictures to post next time around. Until then, smile and say cheese
