School daze

I know i'm quite late for back to school, but better now than never. Im not quite sure if these young men are related, however both of these photos came from the same lot, so its a good possibility.

Post Grad

Not much to say about these two. I love the expression of the girl on the left.

Save the last dance for me

What a great way to finish off the school year than with a dance. This does not look like a formal prom, but more of a private affair. These two couples look as if they just started a slow dance. Probably good news for the girl in the heels. I couldn't imagine how she could do anything like the twist or watussi in those.

Lying on the ground

Some great sundresses out on the lawn of an unknown park. Probably a picnic for just the girls. Not a very noteworthy photo at a glance, but after a few minuets of looking at it I couldn't help but have my eyes drawn to the woman in the centre. She's the only one that is looking directly into the lens. Not much else to say about this one.

Cubish

All of these photos lend themselves very well to the square format, especially the last one. The border also helps give them a sense of intrigue and mystery. There is no information on the back, so we must guess where we are. I'm going to assume somewhere in California.

I'll never grow up

This photo has one of the best shadows i have ever seen. I love how both the photographer and the woman's shadow seem to tower over them. It feels just like peter pan. For them, it was probably just a side effect, they were more interested in the dress.

C'mere you

I love the smiles in this photo. you can see the love in their eyes as they gaze at one another. They look so natural together, arm in arm. I like the use of landscape in this shot, and them being a little off centre helps the photo a great deal.

Picnic in the park

I love the composition in this one. It makes you feel as if you were right there.

Framing

I love how this was printed on the wrong paper. Unless this was meant to be like this for people to write on the bottom. There aren't that many photos of people sleeping, which is a shame. Some can be hilarious, but some can be quite unnerving. It makes you think if this is how you look. This one seems very calming.

Beach weather

If only it was warm here. Its still snowing up here. But at leased we can look at some nice photographic evidence that summer still exists. This one has great perspective, but you can't really tell who the photographer was trying to snap. The pattern on the front mans shirt sums up such an era.

Up, up and away

Some photos that you find you can figure out instantly. This one is one of them. The only question is why they took the photo. Was it for insurance, or just for proof. Who knows. I love vintage cars, but I can never get  truck names right. I believe this is a late 50's chevy or GMC, but any info would be nice. Thanks!

The same but different

Sometimes when you are at a flea market or buy a group lot on eBay, it's easy to spot photos that come from the same family. It could be the handwriting on the back, the development sticker, or maybe a familiar face. But sometimes, they seem completely different. In this one, I almost didn't see that they were taken in the same room. Both had different people in them, and were shot at angles that were slightly different that I had no clue they were related. What tipped me off was the fruit painting in the top right corner. If not for that, these two would never have been together.

Trim and a haircut

Some people who collect photos only focus on the image. The image is the most important thing, but we shouldn't forget that a found photo is a 3 diminutional object. Some have borders, some have smudges or ripped corners. Some, like this one, have been trimmed, perhaps to fit in an album, or just for aesthetics. This one really helps with what would be a rather pedestrian photo.

Tiny

One of the defining features of found photos is the size of them. There are very few large no  professional photos. most vernacular ones are no bigger than 6" by 4". Anything more than that is an enlargement. Amateur photography wasn't meant to be large and filled with detail. It was just supposed to document a person or place or event. In the same way as he telephone was only clear enough to hear another voice the consumer photograph was meant to show just enough to get a rough idea of what happened. This one is on the smaller end, measuring less than an inch. However, this one looks to be cut from another, larger photograph. How big it was originally is a mystery.

Third wheel

I feel that in this photo you can tell who the odd one out was. Sure, it could be that the viewfinders back then were hard to use, but that takes some of the story away. Maybe girl number 2 stayed bitter all these years, or it could be totally reversed. Another theory would be that the other friend is behind the camera, but thats not very interesting. What is interesting are their shoes.

School

Even though it's the middle of summer, School is still in the back of peoples mind. These guys look like their having fun. This photo dosent look like it was done professionally, so this could be a smaller rural school. Up at the top you can see some of the art that the students have done of a castle or barn. This was the class of 55-56 so these kids are now about 65 years old. I wonder who they became.

Off for a good old hike

Now that school is over and summer is officially here, its time to enjoy the sun and take a walk. I have no idea where these were taken. It sure must have been fun though. another thing that's hard to figure out is the date. I'm guessing the early 50s based on the wardrobe of the lady in the first picture, but the people on the top look older than that.

It's the best I can do

This photo may look like an ordinary snap, but the back has a different story.
Magaut 1 1/2 yrs                                                                  
 Lana   2 1/2 "                                                      
  Me 21 -                                                                
+don't call me a liar                                                                    
This isn't very good but right now its the best I can do
Theres an aura of sadness around this photo, you can see it in the way she poses. The kids look as if they dont have a care in the world. They have no idea what they will face. And for the most part, neither do we.

At the hop

I just love the composition of this photo. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the blonde girl in the middle. She seems to be staring directly at you, almost beckoning you to come and join. She doesn't look very happy, as if she wants to just disappear. It also helps that almost everyone else is turned away to look at her. She is the star in the picture. Im just not sure she wants to be.

Fun in the darkroom

These photos look like they were taken by a semi-professional, or at leased some one who had a darkroom. They were both printed on postcard stock, which has a very nice feel, but has been out of style for quite some style.I think it suits these quite well. This is most likely the photographers house, or their friends. When looking at all these photos, its interesting to see all the similarities in the photos. The same houses, same cars, same vacations, same fashion. Its comforting to know that their are other people in the world just like you.