The closest thing to time travel

[richardsfault]

There is an amazing digital revolution going on in the world of
photography. Digital cameras get most of the attention, but they are
only half of the story.

The closest thing to time travel that I have ever experienced was the
scanning of old film images from almost-forgotten periods of my life.
This was especially true for slides that had until now only been held
up to light to look at, and B&W negatives from a college photo class
that were not among the handful that were printed.

There is something emotionally-riveting about seeing an old image come
to life on a modern-day CRT. It gives you no choice but to confront
the past and evaluate where you have gone since then.

Before we spend all our time re-taking everything with our new digital
cameras, have we given thought to old work that is worthy of new life?

I worry that there is an incalculable amount of precious film images
fading away that would be of great value today if scanned. This every
bit as much includes the work of casual snapshooters as well as
photographers. I have learned that even the most mundane old images
are fascinating today, such as insides of stores or parking lots full
of cars. Imagine the value of an old Kodachrome slide from the 50's
showing a parking area full of new-looking classic cars. After a good
scanning and a little Photoshop, it could be a work of art. The
possibilites are endless.

It often seems to me that companies like Kodak have missed the boat by
not educating the public about this and using their resources to offer
good scanning at a fair price.



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Some people claim that there's a woman to blame, but I think it's all...

Richard's fault!

Visit the Sounds of the cul-de-sac at www.richardsfault.com

 

[Robert Morrisette]

So true.!

 

[Rowan Crowe]

There is an amazing digital revolution going on in the world of
photography. Digital cameras get most of the attention, but they are
only half of the story.

The closest thing to time travel that I have ever experienced was the
scanning of old film images from almost-forgotten periods of my life.
This was especially true for slides that had until now only been held
up to light to look at, and B&W negatives from a college photo class
that were not among the handful that were printed.

I did something a little like this recently, I was lucky enough to get
my hands on some original B&W family photos from the mid 30's. They
are in relatively good condition chemically, with only some minor
creasing that is easy to clone out.

It's amazing to see the detail you can pull out of a small wallet
sized photo that is 70 years old.

 

[Billman]

I've had the same amazing experiences with old negatives, Richard. It
definitely *is* like time travel. When I got the colors and
resolution just right, images from high school-era negatives leaped
out at me and my mind instantly "filled in the blanks" outside the
range of the image. It almost felt like being there again, I could
even sense the smells and the attitudes of the people in the photos.
There is something quite different about an emissive display of an
image when compared to a reflective photograph -- I don't get the same
effect from a photograph.

I am dying to visit my folks and rummage through old boxes and photo
albums for things to scan!

Bill

 

[richardsfault]

I've had the same amazing experiences with old negatives, Richard. It
definitely *is* like time travel. When I got the colors and
resolution just right, images from high school-era negatives leaped
out at me and my mind instantly "filled in the blanks"

You've got that right, especially the one of my then-girlfriend and
now wife of 23 years! I wanted to "go back" so bad that I almost
couldn't bear the present!

Another freaky experience was seeing how much our daughter now looks
lile her then!

There is something quite different about an emissive display of an
image when compared to a reflective photograph -- I don't get the same
effect from a photograph.

I felt exactly the same way. It also has a lot to do with seeing "old"
times in the medium associated with the present day, thus the time
travel aspect.

For an extra intense experience, try listening to music from the era
of the images you are scanning!

I am dying to visit my folks and rummage through old boxes and photo
albums for things to scan!

Bill

I feel like going outside with a bullhorn and telling evreryone to
scan and share their film!

I also regret having a very sporadic photo hobby back then, with some
years completely unphotographed (high school and early college), and
other parts heavily (late college).

Here are some of the fruits of my labors:

http://www.richardsfault.com/Rochester81.html

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Some people claim that there's a woman to blame, but I think it's all...

Richard's fault!

Visit the Sounds of the cul-de-sac at www.richardsfault.com