Family Photos

In the past several months I've scanned and cataloged about 300 old family photos.  They spanned the years from about 1910 to the 1970's.  I knew many of the people that populate these images, but most are long gone.  One of the photos that I really like is the one you see here.  That's my grandfather, Forest Ezekiel Hickey sitting in his Ford Model T.  Proudly sits, as you can see.  Americans adopted the automobile with gusto.  In the early 20th century we culturally embraced this new form of independent transportation.   When Henry Ford came up with the idea of installment payments, we never looked back.  The car became part and parcel of our identity as a nation.  It continues to be a massive economic driver into the 21st century.

So it follows that to make this experience of car ownership complete, we should have our  picture made with it.  How many of you have this type of image in your family photo collection?  I'm sure there are plenty.  I've heard some folks talk about cars they have owned as if they were relatives.  I'm guilty, too.  Below is the favorite car of my life, I wish I could have it again.  I bought it when I was a senior in high school.   An Austin-Healy Sprite..red of course.

This may have been the only time in my life when I was truly cool, or so I thought. This roadster was hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but I loved driving that little bug eyed car.  Cruising in my sports car was a transcendent experience, nothing else mattered.  That's me at the wheel with my Uncle Billy.  He's a guy that loves his cars, too.  He owned some really snarky Rambler Nash cars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nash_Rambler back in the 1950's.

So here's the photography angle.  Picturing ourselves with our cars enhances the experience.  It is pride of ownership to be sure, but there is something else.  Maybe it's atavistic behavior, showing off our trophy like a caveman displaying his daily kill.  I guess that really happened, it did in the movies anyway.  Tell me why you like having photos of your car with or without you.   Better yet, post a photo of same and tell us about it.  See you later.

Photography

Let's all have some fun with photography.  I want this is be a blog about photography without all the facts and figures.  You know, f stops, focal length, the technical stuff.  There's a million sites where you can get that if you're looking for it.   If you're here, you've learned all that jargon on some level.  Your skill level is not important here...your desire to share the process is of importance.    I want to hear from you about why you find photography interesting, stimulating, gratifying. what memories does it possess for you...you describe any and all of the reasons it makes you more complete.  I want this to be a blog about how photography adds texture and wholeness to your life.  So, you don't need to be a professional to contribute to this effort.  You can shoot with the latest and greatest, your iPhone, any old camera you might have.  Images we  capture hold meaning in our lives.  The one taboo here is, NO POLITICAL DISCOURSE.  There's a million sites with that stuff if you're looking for it.  Dont' look here!!!

So let's begin.  I played around with cameras from the time I was a kid.  Like a lot of kids my age, my first exposure (yeah, I know) to photos was the family camera, a Kodak Brownie.  The small black box you had to hold at your waist to see your family members in the little glass prism.  I think they may have even appeared upside down.  They looked about the size of ants because they had to stand 30 feet away from the camera so you could see them in the little glass prism.  Makes sense, right?  Then the 3x3 black and white prints came back fom the drugstore with lots of background and sky.  That's just the way you took pictures back then.  It really gave you good environmental images and if you're into photography you understand how important those enviro shots are.  You know, the dead winter grass and everyone wrapped up in winter coats watching little Andy ride his new Christmas bicycle.  And then there was the long shot of little Andy sobbing after taking his official first header into the sidewalk.  His rescue was delayed while his Aunt Betty made everyone wait while she took the million miles away crash photo to save the endearing moment.  He still can't ride a bicycle very well.  Trauma of youth thing I guess. He suspects my brother and I shot his wheels with our Christmas rifles.  I'll be back with another installment soon.  Let's hear your stories, too.

  

An Inspiration From The Smithsonian