Photo Fascination

This is a repost of a digital project I started 3 years ago. Will post some new images soon, have been learning a lot about old photography processes and continue to push in this direction.

Lately I've really been drawn to these old vintage photographs! As many of you know (or don't know) color photography wasn't commercially available until approximately 1935. Most images prior to that time were in black and white, so the images that you see that are in color have been hand tinted. This was done either by photographers or artists who actually hand tinted the photographs to give it this look. 

I love the way that they painted the blush on the cheeks, drew on lipstick, and applied the ittle splashes of color in the background. The images transcend across several decades giving you the illusion that they are timeless. They are haunting and magical at the same time; alluring and magically captivating. 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/14161023@N06/3739207367/

Different artists also used different methods of coloring. For example, this artist decided to colorize the hair and eyebrows. The colors are also a little brighter, but the same idea is there. Without the coloring, I would sense that most people wouldn't give this image a second look. The surreal coloring draws you right into the photograph. It brings the past into the present, and creates an image that speaks through decades. 

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o114/kelly_marieburdekin/4031263810_ef00cb06c1.jpg

So, I have been working hard trying to replicate this look in order to create something unique and timeless for my clients, hoping that it would spark interest in someone with an artistic mind. I wanted to bring the allure of pre-1930 photography and combine it with modern work. This is what I came up with. 

Paige & Charles 

I definitely plan on continuing in this direction to see what I can come up with . 

Kelli 3 years ago 

LOVE!

Stephanie Revard 3 years ago

Beautiful!

Danielle 3 years ago 

Beautiful!

Katie 3 years ago 

Gorgeous! Reminds me of my great grandmother's wedding picture, they were married in the early 1930's. Makes the image somehow seem more real.

Preserving a moment

I always feel sad when I see old homes, old photographs, cities, or anything that contains memories go to waste... Once in a while, I get to make a difference! 

I was presented with this old, damaged photo recently by a very good friend of mine, who asked me to repair it for her. The photo was very special to her significant other, and damaged beyond belief. She wanted to have it repaired as a surprise for him. I told her I would look at it, to see what I could do, although I have to admit I was very hesitant and skeptical after having the photo in hand. 

This was one of the harder repairs that I have done, due to the significant amount of mold and water damage on the top and left hand side of the image. It took me a little longer than I anticipated, but I worked hard on it, and this is the end result.

She was ecstatic, and said that her significant other could not believe what I had done with the image. I was pleasantly surprised to receive this review from him the following morning in regards to my work on this project: 

"Kimberly has exceeded my expectation in the work a professional photographer can provide. She has blown me away with her expertise, attention to detail and artistry. Kimberly has reproduced a print for me that was ready to be thrown out because it was beyond repair.. So I thought. Her finished product is even better than the original with the highlights and crispness. Thank you Kim for giving something back to me that I thought was lost. Please use this piece in your gallery."

                   Todd R.

Todd is a U.S. Air Force Veteran, and I cannot tell you how happy this made me feel to be able to preserve such a good moment for him! 

Push button lunches

This digital negative was sent to me from a friend who has no idea where it came from. Found when cleaning out an old home. Possibly a distant relative, but no one knows for sure. I am always fascinated by these images,

PUSH BUTTON LUNCHES: When we were growing up in the 60's and 70's, we used to imagine that someday we would be able to push a button and pop out a lunch! Nowadays we have toaster ovens, microwaves, and dehydrated food, but we still haven't been able to teleport food. If they ever figure that out though, that's cool, because I'll be the first one teleporting when I'm running late!

Another thing we used to think about were telephones. There was talk of the possibility walking up to a phone booth, putting your money in, and seeing the person you are talking to! I thought they were crazy, mind you this is back when we still had party lines and all the neighbors knew your business. But, look where we are now! Not only can we video chat with the person we are talking to, but we can do it in our own space. We have come such a long way, my friends! It really makes me wonder if someday our kids will look back on today's world and say "remember when..." Part of me is really sad though that my kids will never know what it was like to live during those simpler times. 

Not sure how I feel though, sure seems like technology has really overcomplicated our lives. I do find it amazing that despite our technology, we are still dealing with the same struggles today that we were back then. Poverty, unemployment, and political corruption; still the same story, like a broken record.  Even through the Vietnam war, things just seemed so much simpler. Or maybe our perception is just off and we remember things differently? 

The ashtrays placed all nice and neat on the counter are a subtle reminder of some of the improvements we have made in our culture. This was a time when you could smoke at a restaurant (only in the "smoking" section, which was not really effective; you would be sitting in the non-smoking section a few feet away with several people huffing), at your work desk, or even as a patient when you were admitted to the hospital. 

This was a good reminder for me of both the positive and negative changes in technology that have impacted our culture.  Looks like sandwiches were just as popular back then as they are today! Good ole' bologna sandwiches and French's mustard, definitely a childhood staple.  

Oh, Sweet Pea!

So... When we were kids, we didn't have Xbox's, or iPads, or any type of electronic devices. There weren't many toys to pick from in the sixties. Of course we had the standard; candy land, dolls, Lincoln logs. Then there were always pots and pans, empty cans, beer bottle caps.

I remember being so excited when I got my first EZ Bake oven. Kindergartener but I remember plain as day, that I absolutely had to have it. I got lucky, and got the good part of the wishbone after Thanksgiving dinner, so I quietly said a wish and on Christmas, my wish came true.I got the standard oven (mine was turquoise or green) and I believe 3 dry mixes that came with it. I also got 2 round cake pans and a light bulb.

What the EZ Bake company doesn't tell you, is that once you went through the 3 standard mixes that are included, you had to pay a fortune to buy more mixes. I don't remember ever using the EZ Bake again after our 3 standard bakes, so it was undoubtedly a waste of money. My parents weren't the type to rush right out and buy more mixes (even if we could afford it), and we didn't have google back then to find recipes. 

We had to be super creative in our quests to have fun back then. I remember grabbing the pans from my EZ Bake oven set once, and making mud pies with all of the neighborhood kids. We would decorate them with rocks and sticks; lovely! We would dress up and pretend that we were selling cakes. The only picture is in my memory.

I'm never sure who the people are in any of these digital images, but this photo brought back some really great memories of how we used to create our own fun as kids. This young girl is just swinging from a hand rail and obviously having a great time. Note the obvious - no helmet, white clothes. Lack of concern for injury from whoever took this photograph despite the concrete and potential for head injury. I also noticed the lack of signs (What I miss the most about those days). This is what childhood should be; adventure, exploration, and just able to be a child! 

Snow Fort

As a child, snow is awesome! You get to sled in it, drink hot cocoa, and build forts! As an adult, not quite so amazing. Trekking a grocery cart through 3 inches of snow with the freezing rain whipping in your face, strategically layer every article of clothing based on the wind chill, or having to wait 20 minutes in line for a good cup of coffee is just insanely ridiculous. There is brown snow, yellow snow, (even pink snow on the image below) but very rarely the idyllic white puffy snow and unicorns that we all believed in as children. And of course there is shoveling, salt, and having to add an additional 20 minutes of drive time onto every trip, hoping there are nothing but experienced drivers out on the roads which is too often not the case.

I do love this fort though, these kids are so excited! It looks like they just hollowed out part of the snowbank to create this full underground home. I notice that they aren't wearing any gloves, must have been toasty! School closed today FOR SURE! Don't you ever just want to go back ? 

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Snow Fort. Mid West, 1963.

This looks like such a fun day! Lovely smiles. I only wish that they had this image to remember it. How many of our days would we chose not to remember without photographs to remind us? I wonder how their lives worked out for them, here we are 52 years later. 

Here is another slide I found from this family driving through the snow, after the storm. He obviously let his kids out of the car for this shot - mom decided to stay inside to keep warm. Probably didn't want to get her stockings wet. 

I see a family so full of dreams. What roads did they travel down? I wonder how many of them got to their destinations. 

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Snow Storm. Mid West, 1963.

I will admit though, that there is something special and beautiful about the snow that I can relate to. I love being able to grab a cup of something warm, and cuddle up with that special person (or hobby) and look at it from a distance. As much as I like to think I hate it, I don't think I could live without it. 

Apocalyptic snow

You could almost be forgiven if you ever forgot what a good snowstorm looks like, but looking at this picture should remind you not to ever take the milder winters for granted! I love how the snow banks tower over the top of the car. Imagine stepping back in time before 4 wheel drive, before snowplows, before cell phones. If you got stuck back in these days, there wasn't much of an option other than to walk, or wait for someone to come and rescue you.  When our grandparents told us "We had to walk a mile to school, through 4 feet of snow, both ways" perhaps we should have believed them? 

Looks like dad decided to take his wife and 3 kids for a drive after this storm (you can see 3 heads peeking through the rear window, and one larger head in the passenger seat). I got goosebumps looking at this photo knowing that I would have done the exact same thing. 

Going through some other slides I found some information on the location of this family. I'm not sure if this is where they lived, but many of the slides are labeled W. Bend. I know there is a West Bend in Wisconsin? At any rate, I'm thankful for modern society - that we have SUV's with better heat, natural gas in our homes - and yes, even cable TV and netflix! Although this would be a great experience.

Visible V8

Christmas, 1963! Good find from these midwest slides. I love the old pool table in the background, and the sparkling vintage tree. 

I had to look these toys up, since I have never heard of them! The VISIBLE V8 was an engine motor assembly kit. Something you can build! When I say "you" I mean "not me." I hate putting things together haha. That is why I picked out a husband. Anyway, it came with a motor and 100 "moving parts" - the only thing that was not included was size C batteries. That gift, of course, was for the boy, who was no doubt expected to grow up and be an executive at Chrysler. Or at least an assembly line worker. 

The youngest girl got a doll, and the older girl got a Jon Gnagy Learn to Draw Outfit. The drawing toy consisted of an Art instruction book, a drawing board, some diagrams, an eraser and a pencil. In case you've never heard of John Gnagy, he was an Artist and T.V. art instructor. His show "Learn to Draw" aired from the early 1950's into the late 1960's, and this toy coincided with his program. 

I did some quick research, and found out that the drawing set is going for around $20 on ebay. When I did a search on the Visible V8, most of the items that came up were going for between $150 and $180! That's a pretty good investment. 

This picture accurately represents midwest traditional values - boys build cars, girls turn into mothers or dream of drawing horses.  Thanks, Santa! 

Summer of 63

New box! KODAK Ektachrome, 1963. I am feeling like a kid in a candy store!

I have absolutely no idea where this was, other than "somewhere in the Midwest." It could have been in the next town over here in Michigan, or it could have been any number of places (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana). More than likely these were someone's grandparents. I am seriously digging the trailer and the car! 

You know, sometimes it's difficult for us to imagine what our grandparents were like when they were younger. We don't usually think of them in terms of being young and in love, and the thought of grandma necking with grandpa in the back of an El Camino or GTO on a Saturday night just seems off, but this image really tells a story! It carries an awkwardness that many new couples lack nowadays. Both are a little reserved during this photo. I'm not great with old cars, but I think this is a 1962 convertible Corvair? I would love to own this.

I get that he is an extension of his car, and she is an extension of her upbringing. He has a sort of subtle Norman Bates quality to him, but in a good way. They are both adorable. Simple life, somehow, some way, it just seemed easier; inescapable. I can imagine him pulling up with the engine revving, and her greeting him with a glass of lemonade and talking about what was going on in the world. 

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Summer of 1963, Midwest

The slide turned red because Ektachrome slides quickly lose their cyan, which is part of the dye process. Some of the yellow is still there, and luckily, this slide still has quite a lot of details!  Looking forward to going through the rest of this batch of slides over the next few weeks to see what else I can discover about this family. 

Sunday

This is an adorable image that I found tonight. When I shoot in some of these older neighborhoods like Flint and Detroit, this is what I envision it was like back in the day, before the factories started closing down and everyone started leaving in search of America. Look at the purse and white gloves! How many little girls dress like this nowadays? I remember looking at outfits like this for sale in the Sears catalog when we were young, wishing we could dress like this! 

Mid west neighborhood, 1969

Whenever I look at some of these old, beautiful homes - I can't help but imagine what it would be like to live there.  Little girls dressed for church, barbecues on the back porch, dad washing the car. LOVE the smell of fresh grass! 

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Man holding hose, mid west, 1969

And there's dad, creeping around the side of the house with a hose! How sad  that these neighborhoods are so decayed now, and all that is left are these memories.  On a side note, I imagine his wife probably took this photo! 

All I really wanna do...

Ahhhhh.... One more! The shorts and glasses! Gingham and patterned dresses - super cute, this has English countryside written all over it. So, the British were sipping tea and making conversation, while Americans are attending Woodstock, in the summer of 1969.

This would have been a fun day! 

Porkelli's and Helston

Well, going through some more slides tonight I was able to put together a small piece of the puzzle regarding the woman in my previous post. I found her in a couple of additional slides!

This first one which shows her with 3 other ladies, standing  In front of a metal road sign, which clearly gives directions to Porkelli's (1 -1/2) and Helston (6). These are both located in Cornwall, England, on the southern island of Great Britain.

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Porkelli's and Helston

Porkelli's is an old mining town, with a population of less than 200. With the industry declining, many of the residents are, sadly, leaving. Most of the homes in this area consist of granite faced farm houses and cottages, and a few bungalow's. 

Helston is a parish known for its beautiful churches, and its mixture of Georgian and Victorian architecture. The biggest event in the area, is FLORA DAY, when all of the men in the village dress in Top hat & tails, and all the women dress in ball gowns. This the most important day of the year for locals where everyone gathers in town to celebrate family, dance and tradition (Doesn't that sound fun?) The festival usually occurs the first week in May, you can read more about it here http://www.helstonhistory.co.uk/flora-day/flora-day-a-very-personal-view/ They are dressed fairly nice, so perhaps they were on their way? 

Wherever they were off to, they appear to having a good time. It's amazing to think that if I went to Cornwall, I could probably find this exact location and stand right by this sign, I'll bet it's still there. 

Three of these women are present in this second photograph, obviously in addition to a man. I have no idea regarding any of their relationships. There are no wedding rings, so all you can do is speculate. 

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Eating tomatoes

They are enjoying themselves.  I'm not sure when tomatoes are ripe in England, my guess is based on the jackets, it was sometime in the late summer or early Fall. '

Cornwall, England

I recently purchased some slides off ebay, and this is one of the negatives that I was able to process with my new digital scanner. I bought the images in the hopes of using some of the scratches, etc. for digital processing, having no idea the frames were filled with people. I have no idea who this woman is, or who the photographer is, but I am so intrigued by it! 

The image has such a mysterious feel to it. What happened to her, who was the photographer, and how did the image end up here, in Michigan, some 3500 miles away, over 50 years later? Was it taken by her husband, a friend, a sister? The 1960's and early 1970's are my favorite era and I can't help but think how amazing it would be to be able to step back in time and hang out with her for a day. 

It's fun meeting her for the first time, but I can't help wondering what her life was like. I wish I could know more about her, or at least her name. I'm sure she never in a thousand years imagined that this image would end up here, 50 years later. 

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Woman on rocks, Cornwall, England, 1970's

The seller said the images were taken in Cornwall, England, in the 1960's or 1970''s. If she was 30 when this image was shot, that would make her at least 74 years old today.