Some time back my wife was given a box full of slides. You remember them, those little square pictures mounted in a cardboard frame. She was also given the projector to view them. Yes, it's old technology but still functions just fine. It was rather costly technology back in the day. You needed a 35MM camera and sent that film out for processing. My parents never had such, we were still using the old brownie camera. I do remember when Dad upgraded to one of those new polaroid instant cameras. Man, that something. The film was costly though and not many of those pictures survive today for some reason. I mean, my folks had an album full of pictures but they didn't have those polaroids mounted in their pages. Today I have a good number of old photographs gathered over the years. Some are very old, some were printed yesterday, but I don't believe I have any taken with a polaroid instant camera. I do have a Kodak instant camera. I don't recall the year that came out but remember it was taken off the market. Polaroid successfully sued Kodak for stealing their technology. At the time you could return the camera to place of purchase and receive a full refund. I kept mine because I was too lazy to take it back. Now it's a odd little item to have, still not worth a thing. but something different. But I've wandered off a bit. I was talking about this box full of slides.
My wife hasn't viewed all the slides yet, in fact, only a small number of them. These slides were all taken by her Uncle George. These pictures are most likely from the late fifties and early sixties. Uncle George kept up with the technology of the day. He did move on to video tapes early on in that tech. Unfortunately Uncle George became legally blind later on in life. I can remember him showing us some video tapes he had made, although he really only knew what they were by the sound. Oh, there were times when he could see pictures greatly magnified, but for over time all those pictures were lost to him. With that loss went the identity of many of the people in those pictures. There are also many places lost to time. I thought of that the other day when I ran across that box of slides. My thought was " forgotten memories." I felt a deep sense of sadness about that. Being a sentimental type it bothers me that all those memories don't have a home. The memories are there, captured in time but there is no one left to free them.
I've been thinking about this problem and doing a little research. It seems you can scan slides and digitize them. From what I have read they make special scanners just for that but others may work satisfactorily. Of course I am looking for the least expensive way to go about that. If I had the money to spend I would send them all to the lab and have them professionally processed. I'd have them complied and published in a book. But that is the stuff of disposable income dreams. I don't have much money that is disposable! So my thought is if I can figure a way to do this, I will compile those slides into a book of sorts. I would write an explanatory page for future generations to understand who took those pictures. I would identify anyone that I could. That wouldn't be many I'm certain of that, but my wife should be able to spot some familiar faces. Whatever the outcome though I would want those pictures preserved, kept in the family. I have seen family photos thrown in the trash before and it is a sad sight. No memory should ever be discarded!
I am thinking that those old photographs will be an interest. I have some that I can't identify, they belonged to my Dad, pictures from the war. Those memories went with him and today those faces stare at me unknowing, or do they? Some pictures are interesting just for the items in the background, old buildings, old automobiles, those sort of things. The clothes the people are wearing and their hairstyles can amuse. I'm drawn to them even though I don't know the person. The attraction is stronger however when it is known that they are members of your family, your ancestors. There are the people of a world gone by, a world your people lived in. So for those reasons I will do what I can with those slides. It's a project for 2020.
Uncle George, the world through his lens. He would have been ninety nine this year. He does hold a special place in my heart and in my memories. A lifelong bachelor that loved family more than anything else. The reason he never married, never had a family of his own is known only to him. But he recorded his life, his moments and his memories. There are there, in old photographs, on slides, on video tape. His picture sits atop my desk joining my family members. Those memories are his. George's memories. Memories lost in time.
PS: after further thought I do have one polaroid picture. It was taken circa 1968 with the Polaroid " swinger " camera. It is my sister in her new home. I carried that picture for a number years in my wallet. Now it is faded, wrinkled and barely visible. I have it stored away. I had almost forgotten about that.
My wife hasn't viewed all the slides yet, in fact, only a small number of them. These slides were all taken by her Uncle George. These pictures are most likely from the late fifties and early sixties. Uncle George kept up with the technology of the day. He did move on to video tapes early on in that tech. Unfortunately Uncle George became legally blind later on in life. I can remember him showing us some video tapes he had made, although he really only knew what they were by the sound. Oh, there were times when he could see pictures greatly magnified, but for over time all those pictures were lost to him. With that loss went the identity of many of the people in those pictures. There are also many places lost to time. I thought of that the other day when I ran across that box of slides. My thought was " forgotten memories." I felt a deep sense of sadness about that. Being a sentimental type it bothers me that all those memories don't have a home. The memories are there, captured in time but there is no one left to free them.
I've been thinking about this problem and doing a little research. It seems you can scan slides and digitize them. From what I have read they make special scanners just for that but others may work satisfactorily. Of course I am looking for the least expensive way to go about that. If I had the money to spend I would send them all to the lab and have them professionally processed. I'd have them complied and published in a book. But that is the stuff of disposable income dreams. I don't have much money that is disposable! So my thought is if I can figure a way to do this, I will compile those slides into a book of sorts. I would write an explanatory page for future generations to understand who took those pictures. I would identify anyone that I could. That wouldn't be many I'm certain of that, but my wife should be able to spot some familiar faces. Whatever the outcome though I would want those pictures preserved, kept in the family. I have seen family photos thrown in the trash before and it is a sad sight. No memory should ever be discarded!
I am thinking that those old photographs will be an interest. I have some that I can't identify, they belonged to my Dad, pictures from the war. Those memories went with him and today those faces stare at me unknowing, or do they? Some pictures are interesting just for the items in the background, old buildings, old automobiles, those sort of things. The clothes the people are wearing and their hairstyles can amuse. I'm drawn to them even though I don't know the person. The attraction is stronger however when it is known that they are members of your family, your ancestors. There are the people of a world gone by, a world your people lived in. So for those reasons I will do what I can with those slides. It's a project for 2020.
Uncle George, the world through his lens. He would have been ninety nine this year. He does hold a special place in my heart and in my memories. A lifelong bachelor that loved family more than anything else. The reason he never married, never had a family of his own is known only to him. But he recorded his life, his moments and his memories. There are there, in old photographs, on slides, on video tape. His picture sits atop my desk joining my family members. Those memories are his. George's memories. Memories lost in time.
PS: after further thought I do have one polaroid picture. It was taken circa 1968 with the Polaroid " swinger " camera. It is my sister in her new home. I carried that picture for a number years in my wallet. Now it is faded, wrinkled and barely visible. I have it stored away. I had almost forgotten about that.
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