Author Archives: Tom (Admin)

Found Film: The Alberts at Christmas

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

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”).  I’m guessing this roll is from Christmas, 1951. It’s always … Continue reading →

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Camera Test: No. 1A Folding Pocket Kodak, R.R. Lens Type

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

Remember the No. 1A Folding Pocket Kodak, R.R. Lens Type?  With such a distinctive name, who could forget it? Not like the cameras nowadays – all DSC-something-cybersomething-shot-pix – they all blur together.  Naming conventions were different in the early 1900s. … Continue reading →

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Red Shutter Leica: To Repair or Not to Repair?

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

Hundreds of dollars spent on a collectible vintage Leica, and it doesn’t work.  What to do?  Naturally, take it apart! This is the camera I picked up on eBay.  it’s a Leica IIIc, made in 1941.  I thought I’d gotten … Continue reading →

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Found Film: The Alberts, Summer and Fall 1951

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

The story of Raymond Albert’s family, as told through his lost and found photos, continues as we enjoy a late summer in Rumford, Maine around 1951-ish.  There is no real theme to tie these photos together – they come from … Continue reading →

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Big Photo Contest Win!

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

No, it wasn’t me.  Although I did get an “honorable mention.” We used to tease my wife Anne over her insistence on using a camera that had long surpassed its obsolescence date.  Until one day it was mysteriously found inside … Continue reading →

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Varanasi: The View from Mother Ganga

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

Varanasi, India is, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.  Also known as Benares, Banaras or Kashi, the city’s identity is inseparable from the River Ganges, along whose left bank the city of just over 1 million residents … Continue reading →

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Found Film: The Alberts Go Fishing

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

It’s time to share another batch of Raymond Albert’s photos. In this batch, Raymond (shown above) goes on a fishing trip with some friends and family. I’m not sure where this lake is – probably in Maine, but there are … Continue reading →

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Camera Test: Ansco Readyflash

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

The Ansco Readyflash – so named because it’s “ready for flash” (but I don’t have one) via two connectors on the camera – is about as simple a box camera as you could probably come up with.  It’s made of … Continue reading →

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Found Film: The Alberts and the Korean War

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

We met the Alberts a few weeks ago, when I introduced Raymond and his family, whom we know from a box of about 20 developed rolls of film Raymond left behind recently.  This installment appears to have been taken around … Continue reading →

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Varanasi: Walking the Ghats

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

In previous posts I’ve talked about the “ghats” of Varanasi.  People keep asking me, “What exactly IS a ghat, anyway?” Basically it’s a series of steps leading down to the river.  We spent hours walking along the ghats. And not … Continue reading →

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Andy Shepherd’s Camera

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

The Shaw-Harrison company manufactured these simple, bakelite cameras from 1959 to 1972 in a variety of colors – along with an identical model called the Valiant 620. I picked this one up on eBay for a few bucks because it … Continue reading →

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Varanasi: In and Around Town

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

There is an endless number of interesting faces, places and scenes to photograph in Varanasi. Last week I shared some photos of the ghats along the river – where most of the tourists hang out; but in this city of … Continue reading →

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Found Film: Introducing the Alberts

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

Raymond Albert was born on March 20, 1926 to Willa/Vila/Ovila (depending on the source) and Annie (Chenard) Albert, who were born in 1892 and 1895, respectively, in Canada and came separately to Maine as teens.  According to the 1940 census, … Continue reading →

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Death along the Ganges

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

As Americans – like most “Westerners” – we are for the most part, relatively isolated from death.  Not that we don’t have people close to us dying – we just don’t deal with the specifics.  I reflected on this just a … Continue reading →

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Varanasi by Night

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

We finally had the opportunity to visit Varanasi, India – also known as Benares or Kashi – one of the seven holy cities of Hinduism and Jainism, and also important in the development of Buddhism.  Varanasi, a city of 3 … Continue reading →

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Project Underwood: Typewriter Restoration

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

One evening about a year ago, my (younger) daughter and I were checking out typewriters on eBay.  We share an interest in “retro” machines (this is how my camera craze started, and her last Christmas present was a record player), … Continue reading →

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Found Film Friday: Only Briefly Misplaced

Posted on September 26, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

Every week I post a roll of “found” film that has been forgotten in someone’s attic or inside a camera, often for half a century.  You never know what you’re going to end up with though.  With the old spools, … Continue reading →

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It’s 1914 and Everyone’s a Photo Critic

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

One hundred years ago this month, much of the world was at war.  But in the United States – which would eventually mobilize 4 million military personnel – public opinion in 1914 was still firmly on the side of neutrality.  This … Continue reading →

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Flower Collage

Posted on September 21, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

Here’s a fun photo project…and an idea I stole from my wife (I explained to her that I was improving on her idea – it didn’t go over well).  Go find a green space and see how many flowers you … Continue reading →

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Found Film Friday: Cowboys and RVs

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

It’s been a slow week for photography and blogging.  Last weekend we went to photograph and film the annual Ganesha Chathurti immersion of Ganesh idols in the sea.  I got some great video, but unfortunately can’t locate the video card … Continue reading →

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Found Film Friday: Country Outing

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

This week’s roll of “found film” came to me from near Binghamton, New York, where the Ansco company was located from the mid-1800s to around 1980. The spool was covered in rust, and the backing paper was stuck to the … Continue reading →

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A Brief History of Photography…as of 1912.

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

I have a few old camera magazines – about a century old.  It’s fun to flip through them every now and then and consider how much has changed…and in some cases, how little has changed…in the field of photography. The … Continue reading →

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Dispatch From Sierra Leone: Return Home

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

So, I’ve been back a week, but a lot has been going on.  I wanted to go back and share some final impressions of what was a fascinating, extremely challenging month in this small West African country I never imagined … Continue reading →

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Found Film Friday: Portraits with Grandma

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

This week’s found film was inside a camera – a Kodak Brownie Target Six-20, as seen below. This camera was manufactured between 1946 and 1952 and sold for three and a half bucks. It gets its name from the film … Continue reading →

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Found Film Friday: Trip to Grandpa’s!

Posted on August 30, 2014 by Tom (Admin)

This is the final installment in a series of film rolls recovered from Colorado, and originally shot in the 1960s.  We have met the “Smiths” and seen them at Christmas, Easter, birthdays and a trip to Florida and camping with … Continue reading →

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