Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Negatives


A couple of weeks ago Ethan had called to tell me that he and grandma had found some negatives that were in an old box. I told him that the next time I visit I would bring them home and take a look at them. The envelope they were in was marked September 1954. As I looked at them, some of them look to be taken in that year. It is really hard to tell since I have no frame of reference for that period only what I had seen on movies made in that era. The negatives were a couple of different sizes. Many of them were 2x3 in size. I am guessing they came from a press camera. Printing some of these negatives was really fun. Some of the negatives were terribly over-exposed. I only printed two of those just because I know that mom may have never seen them and the average lab in those days would not spend a lot of time on an over-exposed negative. Much like today we will erase a bad digital image in a heartbeat not even thinking that the content could be important enough to save. Many of the negatives have made it through the years    but some were too badly damaged from scratches to both sides of the film. Some of them I scanned.




This image is scanned. I began to print it but under printing it almost looked like a positive.



This image was over-exposed but well worth the effort of printing. Of the few images of Grandma that exist. This is one in which she is smiling.


This image was also overexposed. I would gladly take that open seat.



What a picture. I honestly don't think I have ever seen such a moment anywhere.  It printed nicely 8x10. Mom will love it. That's her fourth from the left.







Not sure who this is at all but a great image.



Uncle Chuck (left) and Uncle Junior.
So much going on here.


Great picture.
Uncle Gordon and Aunt Ivy.