This Week:
What: Old neon sign in afternoon light
11.25.2014
Ektachrome Classic Tuesday #21
Every Monday, (or Tuesday if my order pushes it too close for me to get the slide in time, such as this week), I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:
This Week:
What: The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
11.21.2014
Come Fly with Me: Air Travel Images from the Golden Age
Next week, we'll be entering the busiest travel week of the year as the Thanksgiving holiday. Millions will hit the roads, rails, and air to reunite with family and loved ones.
As if by sheer coincidence, I just acquired a modest collection of slides in old Airequipt trays off of ebay taken in 1957 and 1958. I had very little to go on with regards to their contents, aside from the years, and that some were taken in snow and at least two trays were taken in Florida. I managed to get them at opening bid of $15.00, and hoped for good things, but didn't get those hopes up, bracing instead for the likelihood of an excess of static photos of Aunt Maude, Fido, and that pretty flowering bush in the back yard.
I wound up being very pleasantly surprised, as the photos inside were actually REALLY nice. The photographer had a good camera, and got out and shot a fair deal of scenes of the day, even liberally sprinkling classic cars throughout the family slides in the batch. These slides are a noticeable notch above the typical snapshots of the era, with crisp focus and very lifelike compositions in many of the shots. I must have pulled at least 60 to 80 from the lot to set aside to consider scanning for future features.
Among the appreciable amount of keepers in the lot were a number of Kodachrome shots showing an air voyage taken between Ohio and Florida taken around 1958, with lots of shots in and around the terminals, as well as of airplanes of the era. Given my own longstanding interest in transportation, the travel industry, and history, I wanted to share this nice little baker's dozen images with you, as I try to piece together the bits and pieces based on what is here. I would definitely welcome any input regarding locations and other items I may have missed.
Enjoy!
As if by sheer coincidence, I just acquired a modest collection of slides in old Airequipt trays off of ebay taken in 1957 and 1958. I had very little to go on with regards to their contents, aside from the years, and that some were taken in snow and at least two trays were taken in Florida. I managed to get them at opening bid of $15.00, and hoped for good things, but didn't get those hopes up, bracing instead for the likelihood of an excess of static photos of Aunt Maude, Fido, and that pretty flowering bush in the back yard.
I wound up being very pleasantly surprised, as the photos inside were actually REALLY nice. The photographer had a good camera, and got out and shot a fair deal of scenes of the day, even liberally sprinkling classic cars throughout the family slides in the batch. These slides are a noticeable notch above the typical snapshots of the era, with crisp focus and very lifelike compositions in many of the shots. I must have pulled at least 60 to 80 from the lot to set aside to consider scanning for future features.
Among the appreciable amount of keepers in the lot were a number of Kodachrome shots showing an air voyage taken between Ohio and Florida taken around 1958, with lots of shots in and around the terminals, as well as of airplanes of the era. Given my own longstanding interest in transportation, the travel industry, and history, I wanted to share this nice little baker's dozen images with you, as I try to piece together the bits and pieces based on what is here. I would definitely welcome any input regarding locations and other items I may have missed.
Enjoy!
11.19.2014
11.17.2014
Kodachrome Classic Monday #20
Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:
This Week:
What: Street Scene of a Shopping District.
11.14.2014
10 Tips and Tricks of "Nostalgraphy"
Oddly, this post starts in the middle of a Big Bang Theory Episode.
Character Dr. Sheldon Cooper makes mention of a word he is coining, "prevening," to accurately describe the period between afternoon and evening.
My own coined term doesn't quite roll off the tongue as easily as that of Jim Parson's famous character, but I think it's about as succinct in describing a favorite photographic theme of mine: "nostalgraphy."
It's a fairly simple portmanteau that combines "nostalgia" and "photography." That said, the concept of nostalgraphy is not exactly self-explanatory by default. In short, it is the process of taking a photo in the present day with the intention of making it look as if it were taken decades ago.
Succinctly, what it boils down to is how this image definitely looks like it was taken decades ago...
but what about this one?
Character Dr. Sheldon Cooper makes mention of a word he is coining, "prevening," to accurately describe the period between afternoon and evening.
My own coined term doesn't quite roll off the tongue as easily as that of Jim Parson's famous character, but I think it's about as succinct in describing a favorite photographic theme of mine: "nostalgraphy."
It's a fairly simple portmanteau that combines "nostalgia" and "photography." That said, the concept of nostalgraphy is not exactly self-explanatory by default. In short, it is the process of taking a photo in the present day with the intention of making it look as if it were taken decades ago.
Succinctly, what it boils down to is how this image definitely looks like it was taken decades ago...
but what about this one?
11.12.2014
11.10.2014
Classic Kodachrome Monday #19½
This Week has an extra Kodachrome Feature, to commemorate the Men and Women who have served our country. Initially, I was going to comprise a feature article based on a lot I won that was purported to be the slide collection of a former Military Man, expecting it would tell a compelling tale, but it was not to be. Regardless, I've compiled a small collection of various slides of a Military theme that I am very pleased to share with you here!
Our first few images take us to the Korean War in 1951, as a trio of Privates enjoy a little levity for the camera.
Classic Kodachrome Monday #19
Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:
This Week:
What: Street Scene with a Double Decker Bus.
11.07.2014
Ikonography: The World of Zeiss Folders
After decades of shooting with cameras like Minolta and Canon, I have finally taken some photos with a certain well regarded camera whose name ends in "ikon" and thus far, it has been a really wonderful experience.
From the shooting ergonomics to the actual looks of the camera, I am definitely liking this new acquisition of mine. Have a look!
Okay, maybe you were thinking of a different camera line with a name ending in "ikon." While I certainly have not a thing against the certain highly regarded manufacturer of 35mm and digital cameras, my esoteric tastes as of late have been to that of medium format film, and of the durable beasts of decades past that are still very capable in capturing images on that film stock. And this is definitely one of them.
Okay, maybe you were thinking of a different camera line with a name ending in "ikon." While I certainly have not a thing against the certain highly regarded manufacturer of 35mm and digital cameras, my esoteric tastes as of late have been to that of medium format film, and of the durable beasts of decades past that are still very capable in capturing images on that film stock. And this is definitely one of them.
11.05.2014
11.03.2014
Classic Kodachrome Monday #18
Every Monday, I'll be spotlighting a different classic Kodachrome slide that I've picked up, and trying where I can to detail the who, what, when, where, why, and how (much) of the image:
This Week:
What: Street Scene with a State Capitol.
Classic Kodachrome Monday #17½
This Week has an extra Kodachrome Feature, to commemorate 51 years to the minute when the last streetcar plied the streets on Baltimore, officially ceasing to operate at 6:34am on the morning of November 3, 1963. I'm posting over a dozen Kodachromes of the final days of streetcar service showing the era leading up to this fateful time:
Why: Streetcars were my entry portal into history. I took many trips to the Baltimore Streetcar Museum as a child and was very quickly enthralled with these tangible links to another world that once existed in my hometown before my birth. While the degree of my enthusiasm waxed and waned a few times over my adult life, the interest never went away at all. Over the years, I've managed to acquire some original photos of the system, particularly in its later days, and am gladly sharing some of these today.
Route 8 was one of the last two streetcar lines among Baltimore's once comprehensive system. It actually holds the official honor of being both the longest and the last streetcar line in the system. Its journey into town would start at in the middle of Washington Avenue in Towson, where car 7382 sits on October 23, 1963.
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