Photographs and thoughts on photography and camera collecting
I’ve been waiting for about a year to take this picture. I first noticed it in Winter 2020 and was attracted to it’s shape and the way the tangled branches were growing around it. I kept meaning to take a a picture of it, but before I knew it Winter had passed, Spring had arrived and the urn was completely covered with leaves, so much so that you could no longer see it. So I waited…
Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Fuji XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS II.
These were taken around “The Club“, a relatively recently opened “seniors community” in Briarcliff Manor. “The Club” is situated on the site of the former Briarcliff Lodge, a once popular resort hotel once frequented by a number of celebrities. Unfortunately, after being abandoned for some time it burnt down around 2003.
Taken with a Fuji X-E1 and Fuji XC 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 OSS II
I recently made contact with a long lost niece (actually first cousin once removed but that’s too much of a mouthful). She’s been sending me old pictures that I’d never seen before. This is one that I particularly like. Yes that’s me. Look at the hair. And it’s taken my experience with cameras back a few years. Until quite recently I attributed my interest in photography to a camera that my wife, Eirah gave to me as a present around 1979. Then I came across a picture of my father and our dog (See: My First Camera). I remembered that a friend from high school had a camera (and even a darkroom) and that led me to ask mum and dad for a camera of my own, the one I used to take that picture. That took my interest back to when I was about 11, around 1963. Now I see this picture, which takes my experience with cameras back even further. According to my niece her dad was about 11 when this was taken, which would make me about 6. Coincidentally I connected with my high school friend on the same group where I found my niece. We did a video chat the other day. It has to be the first time I’ve spoken with him in 50 years.
Even though it’s very hard to see the camera I believe I can identify it. I think it’s a Kodak Brownie 127:
The Brownie 127 was, in the UK, an extremely popular plastic snapshot viewfinder model for 127 film made in England by Kodak Ltd. From introduction in 1952, over a million had been made by August 1954, and the series continued to sell many more millions. A few (~263,000) of the first model were exported to the US in 1953-4, where they were badged Brownie Starlet – and should not be confused with the more common Brownie Starlet.
The first version of the camera was made of a black Bakelite-type plastic and had a rounded shape, where the film carrier mechanism and viewfinder were attached to the top of the camera, which lifted out the base. The base carried the lens and shutter. The sides were stepped, and there were steps beside the viewfinder tube. The second version had vertical lines on the sides and a flatter top. There were many small changes of faceplate and detailing; some had cream controls, later models having grey. An experimental white version, with a silver top, was made and only sold in Jersey in the Channel Islands – in c.1959; it was not successful, as the colour dirtied very easily. This rare variant is frequently faked by painting black ones.
The third version of the camera was made of grey plastic and completely reshaped to have flat sides, angled corners, and square, 4x4cm images. The shutter speed and lens aperture were fixed; the only controls were wind-on and shutter release. The shutter had double-exposure prevention and flash sync, and a shoe for a special Kodak flash-holder (introduced for the Instamatic range) was added to the top. The shutter release was a large white square on the front, beside the viewfinder. (Camerapedia Wiki)
Coincidentally I have one in my collection.
Lunch with Shannon at P.J. Clarkes in Manhattan. “P. J. Clarke’s is a saloon, established 1884. It occupies a building located at 915 Third Avenue on the northeast corner of East 55th Street in Manhattan. It has a second location at 44 West 63rd Street on the southeast corner of Columbus Avenue…The bar was once owned by a Patrick J. Clarke, an Irish immigrant who was hired in the early 1900s by a Mr. Duneen who ran the saloon. After about ten years working for him Clarke bought the bar and changed the name. The building is a holdout and is surrounded by 919 Third Avenue, a 47-story skyscraper…The building was originally a four-story structure. It lost the top two floors when the skyscraper went up in the late 1960s. On the second floor there is now a separate upstairs bar/restaurant called Sidecar, which offers a more formal dining experience.”
Taken with a Fuji X-E3 and Fuji XF 18mm f2 R
I was sad to learn recently that my friend, Paul Savior had passed away.
I’ve posted pictures of him, his house and garden and even helped him do a photobook of old pictures for his children (See: Paul’s house; My friend Paul; One of Paul’s cats; and Paul and Family.
A recent communication from the Roaring Brook Lake Garden Club described him as follows: “We wanted to share with you the very sad news that longtime Garden Club member Paul Savior passed away on Friday. Paul had just celebrated his 90th birthday on August 16. He is survived by daughters Valerie and Allison. His daughters said the Garden Club meant a lot to him. Paul had an acting career that spanned over six decades, with roles in shows like Kojak, Mannix, General Hospital, and The Young and The Restless. And of course, starring roles at Tompkins Corner and Garrison Depot Theatre.
I have many memories of Paul, but a couple stand out. The first is of a one man show that he performed at the Tompkins Corners Cultural Center. The show consisted of readings from Edgar Allan Poe, one of Paul’s favorite authors. I don’t think I’d realized just how good a performer he was until I saw this. The second is of him driving around the lake in his midnight blue, convertible Jaguar, which seemed to fit his personality so perfectly.
RIP Paul. I’ll miss you.
Photos taken with a Sony RX-100 M1.