Author Archives: Tom (Admin)

Hiking in a Himalayan Hailstorm

We went on a trek this morning – quite short and easy by trekkers’ standards, but pretty long for old(er) folks staying at a resort in the Himalayas where there’s a golf cart and driver if you don’t feel up … Continue reading

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Raymond Albert’s Photos: One Last Wedding

For months, I have been sharing photos believed to have been taken by Raymond Albert in the late 1940s through the late-1950s.  In total, the collection consists of about 23 rolls.  This post highlights roll number 22, probably from around 1958 … Continue reading

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Tirukalukundram

Eighteen kilometers west of the Tamil Nadu tourist town of Mahabalipuram is a town of about 24,000 called Tirukaludundram which is known for its hilltop temple, the Vedagiriswarar temple.  The temple consists of an upper part up on a hill, which can … Continue reading

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Found Film: Grandpa Albert’s House on the Coast

For months, I have been sharing photos believed to have been taken by Raymond Albert in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s.  In total, the collection consists of about 23 rolls.  This post highlights roll number 21.  I’m guessing the current … Continue reading

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Backyard Aquaponics Project

A few years ago, my daughter wanted a fishtank for Christmas, which was cool for everyone because we all got to enjoy it in the living room.  We kept live plants with the fish, and I noticed at the time … Continue reading

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Drones, Kingfishers, and Joey Cook’s Ukulele

Goa, India’s diminutive state on the west coast, enjoys a certain reputation as a party destination, full of backpackers and bikinis, in search of yoga or outdoor sports.  But it also has its wildlife – especially birds. I wrote about … Continue reading

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Guest Post: Darkroom Blues: A Blast from the Past (Part II)

This is part 2 of an article shared by a photographer friend here in Chennai which was originally written for the Photographic Society of Madras, a local photographic society founded in 1857.  The first part of the article is published … Continue reading

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Guest Post: Darkroom Blues – a Blast from the Past (part 1)

A friend of mine here in Chennai shared an article with me the other day, which he had written for the Photographic Society of Madras, a local photographic society founded in 1857.  It reminded me not only how far we have … Continue reading

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Found Film: Lakes and Rivers

For the last few months, I have been sharing photos believed to have been taken by Raymond Albert in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s.  In total, the collection consists of about 23 rolls.  This post highlights the 19th and 20th roll … Continue reading

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Camera Test: The Ensign Commando

In 1945, London’s Ensign Ltd. designed a rugged, all-purpose camera for the British military that never saw much action because the war ended shortly thereafter.  It was subsequently “civilianized” but never got much traction due to supply shortages and the … Continue reading

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Camera Test: Olympus PEN EE.S

A few days ago, I blogged about another vintage camera that I characterized as somewhat unique in that there were virtually no settings or adjustments you could make on the camera.  I thought it might be one of the earliest … Continue reading

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Found Film: The Alberts visit Quebec

For the last few months, I have been sharing photos believed to have been taken by Raymond Albert in the late 1940s thru the mid-1950s.  This latest post features photos from a trip the family took to Quebec, circa 1955. On this trip, … Continue reading

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Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road

This is one more / the last post from our recent trip to Australia.  Over a two-week period, we were fortunate to be able to pass through (though without actually seeing much of it) Sydney, and this was followed by … Continue reading

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Camera Test: Agfa Ansco No. 1A Ready-Set Special

This is a camera I bought, not knowing anything at all about it, simply because I thought it looked cool. It turns out that this particular model is not all that well-known, but the overall Ready-set series is. The Ready-Set … Continue reading

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Pongal in Chennai / Camera Test

Often I blog about old cameras I’m testing out, often I blog about things we see and experience in India.  This post has a little of both! The Ansco Agfa Karomat 36 (known by variants of that name) is an … Continue reading

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Katherine: Hiking the Gorge

When planning our recent trip to Australia, we wanted to include a few days exploring the country’s amazing “outback.”  Confronted with endless options, we decided on the Northern Territory, but rather than the usual Uluru/Alice Springs outing, we opted for … Continue reading

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Chennai’s Republic Day Parade

Today was a pretty special day in India – even President Obama agreed, as he spent the better part of the day with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, having been invited as Chief Guest for the annual Republic Day Parade. President … Continue reading

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The Hidden Power of Gummy Bears

I am a clumsy person, unsuited for any sport that involves any sort of stick, ball or other implement.  Running after a ball with a stick would pretty much be a guaranteed serious injury.  My peers in elementary school gym … Continue reading

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Views of the Great Barrier Reef

We recently had the pleasure of enjoying one of the “seven wonders of the natural world,” the Great Barrier Reef.  Launching from Port Douglas on Australia’s northeast coast, we took an all-day boat trip about 70km out to see and … Continue reading

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Found Film: Trips to the Zoo and to Montreal

This is another post in the series on the photos taken by Raymond Albert in and around Rumford, Maine in the late 1940s and early 1950s (see “Introducing the Alberts”).  In this post, I share two rolls of film, in … Continue reading

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Cairns, Australia: “The Problem with Flying Foxes”

We were walking through downtown Cairns, a coastal tourist-y town and Barrier Reef jumping-off point in northeastern Australia, when we heard this odd “shrieking” sound.  We realized it was coming from a group of large trees with metal barriers around … Continue reading

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Chennai by Night: Bhogi

I have some interesting photos and videos to share since I last posted in mid-December – but first, some information on the current happenings in Chennai! It’s Thai Pongal, the four-day harvest festival and one of the most important holidays … Continue reading

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Found Film: The Alberts – Two Weddings

For the last couple of months, I have been sharing photos believed to have been taken by Raymond Albert, circa 1950.  This latest post shares the photos he took of two different weddings, a few years apart. All of the … Continue reading

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Camera Test: Ansco Shur-Shot Jr

The 1948 Ansco Shur-Shot Jr. box camera, a simple little contraption of mostly sheet metal and cardboard, uses a basic design that has not really changed much over 50 years. The only real “upgrades” from box cameras you might see … Continue reading

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Found Film: Albert Family Outings

A couple of additional rolls this week from the series of photos taken by Raymond Albert in and around Rumford, Maine in the late 1940s and early 1950s (see “Introducing the Alberts”).  This looks like spring and summer, 1952, in which … Continue reading

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