Sepia Saturday 197: 5 October 2013

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Alan from Sepia Saturday says:

Our theme image for Sepia Saturday 197 does not come from one of the on-line collections on Flickr Commons. Let's face it, no world-class image collection would give album space to this blurred, scratched, undefined, and plain boring image. In fact it comes from the collection of that great photographer, Frank Fieldhouse (AKA "Uncle Frank"), and is entitled "The Pennines (From Express), 1941". Dusty, dirty, and plain as it is, it reminds us that we all have such images in our collections - and sometimes they can be as revealing as a picture postcard. So for Sepia Saturday 197 we are inviting you to by-pass the best, avoid the crystal clear, and focus your attention on the less than perfect, because, as we all know, all too often, life is less than perfect.
Great !  Fabulous!  A chance to show off all those misbegotten masterpieces!

My mother (as a fledgling photographer) seemed to have been wrestling with different but equally exasperating problems.

Too close...



Too far....


or perhaps it's too close again...depending on what you want to focus on.

Yes, that's the Grand Parade at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney in 1950 - where Fox Studios is now.

Here are some amusing ones of Taronga Park Zoo...



Perhaps not so amusing for the poor tiger...


or the lioness and her cubs.

Technology is so marvellous these days that you really are encouraged to look more closely at "failed" shots.

I found lots of little photos of my early childhood in Edinburgh.  Some of them looked worthless.

Like this one.


It's pretty crap isn't it?

But when you press that magic "I'm feeling lucky" you get this.


Yep - they're still pretty crap but I'm happy I didn't chuck 'em.

Why aren't I this happy about washing up today????

I am now looking more carefully at photos - even the crap ones.

There are some that I just can't chuck because they capture the person as I remember them so well....

This one of Grandad reading...


He loved reading so much he'd even do it standing up...


Every time I look for photos for Sepia Saturday I find "new" ones...ones I haven't really looked at before...




What on earth is this?  I wondered to myself.  Then I realised, zooming in, that it is my mother feeding chickens ...somewhere...


This is a not particularly good photo of my mother's mother....but at least I know where it is taken...it's in amongst the zoo photos and there is a popular walk nearby...

View Larger Map


However...



This one will have to remain a mystery....

Overexposed, blurred, ...a bit like my memory really....

For more fuzzy fotos on Sepia Saturday click here...

Comments

La Nightingail said…
What a wonderful collection of 'fuzzy' photos. Most of us throw things like that away, but aren't you glad you didn't - not only because they makes a great Sepia Saturday post (how did you know?!!), but because - even fuzzy - they mean a lot. I love the one of Grandad reading. It's really sweet. No question about why it was saved - even imperfectly. :))
October 3, 2013 at 2:17 AM
Alex Daw said…
Thank you Gail. I can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with!
October 3, 2013 at 6:16 AM
Anne Young said…
Hi Alex, I really enjoyed your post and the photos. Regards Anne
October 3, 2013 at 6:59 AM
Kristin said…
Nice collection of bad photos that turned out to not be so bad after all.
October 3, 2013 at 7:13 AM
diane b said…
The one of you washing up in Edinburgh is a gem.
October 3, 2013 at 4:52 PM
Anonymous said…
You are lucky to have found these misty but informative photos. I think mine were tossed out long ago.
October 3, 2013 at 11:21 PM
Wendy said…
Thank goodness for the arrow pointing to the tiger - I thought for sure you were just lion (lying -- ha ha - I kill me!). But seriously, I never did find the bird either. I love how you enhanced that one photo.
October 4, 2013 at 9:06 PM
Postcardy said…
Some of those are actually interesting, especially the Easter parade and the reading.
October 4, 2013 at 9:25 PM
Mike Brubaker said…
Absolutely inspired!
And you are right, memory is usually more blur and fuzz than crystal clarity.
October 5, 2013 at 2:02 PM
Boobook said…
You've told a lovely story here Alex.
October 5, 2013 at 8:04 PM
Sharon said…
I actually like the one of your grandfather. The problems are like a frame that draw attention to him.
October 5, 2013 at 9:17 PM
Rosie said…
Fuzzy or not, pictures of bygone days are still good to keep in our collection. Thank you for sharing.
October 5, 2013 at 9:36 PM
Jackie McGuinness said…
We have a box full of many fuzzy photos as well, but I also can't bear to throw them out.
October 5, 2013 at 11:11 PM
Unknown said…
Oh, Alex -- these are just wonderful! And you're right -- they capture what we remember, however fuzzy, however imperfect!
October 6, 2013 at 5:14 AM
Alex Daw said…
Thanks Anne - the feeling is mutual :)
October 6, 2013 at 7:41 AM
Alex Daw said…
Thanks Kristin - And I rediscovered some others if you know what I mean...this exercise is always worthwhile.
October 6, 2013 at 7:42 AM
Alex Daw said…
Diane - it was a real treat to discover it :)
October 6, 2013 at 7:43 AM
Alex Daw said…
I am lucky aren't I? Some of the albums are in very good nick and I am fortunate to have had a mother who was very conscientious when she was young about recording stuff.
October 6, 2013 at 7:44 AM
Alex Daw said…
Dear Wendy - I think the bird is that big black fuzzy thing that takes up most of the photo on the left side. It looks like a crow to me.
October 6, 2013 at 7:45 AM
Alex Daw said…
Actually I wanted to post a lot more of the Easter Parade because they were really interesting in an unintended sort of way.
October 6, 2013 at 7:45 AM
Alex Daw said…
Thank you Boobook!
October 6, 2013 at 7:46 AM
Alex Daw said…
Thank you Deb. I thought it was a great exercise.
October 6, 2013 at 7:46 AM
Alex Daw said…
Blushes and bows ;) Thank you kind sir.
October 6, 2013 at 7:47 AM
Alex Daw said…
Sharon - that's so true; it does frame him beautifully.
October 6, 2013 at 7:48 AM
Alex Daw said…
My absolute pleasure Rosie. Thank you for visiting my blog.
October 6, 2013 at 7:48 AM
Alex Daw said…
Dear Jackie - aren't we both hopeless?? In the nicest sort of way, of course.
October 6, 2013 at 7:49 AM
Nancy said…
What a good lesson to remember to take a closer look to those awful photos in our collections. Sometimes, just maybe, something good can be found. I love the little photo of you washing dishes and the one of your grandfather reading. Treasures to be sure!
October 6, 2013 at 8:56 AM
Bruno Laliberté said…
I've really enjoyed looking at all of these.
I'm only sorry you somehow lost your domestic bliss somewhere along the way...
:D~
HUGZ
October 7, 2013 at 2:35 AM
L. D. said…
They are great shots anyway. I like their feel of mystery. I try taking photos of my birds and usually I get the cage cutting the view in half or only one part of the bird.
October 9, 2013 at 4:14 AM
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