Sunday, August 5, 2007

Photography

This is the house I grew up in. I lived there 17 years. My dad was an amateur photographer and we went on lots of outings to state parks, flower shows, etc. so he could take pictures that he hoped to enter in the Photography Club shows. I'm sure he took a lot of them just because he wanted to too. He developed his own films and printed his own pictures. Our bathroom was the darkroom. On developing night he would give us fair warning that NO ONE was going to able to use the bathroom once he started working. I can still smell the developing chemicals and see the little 2 or 3 frame ends of film that would be left in there. This is my favorite picture of me that he took when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I don't know where the red coat came from because I never had new clothes, just hand me downs from cousins and friends. The reason I know I am probably 10 or 11 is because I am holding my Brownie camera and my older brother and I got them for Christmas when I was 10.
I don't know which state park this is in, I just remember my dad needed a picture of nature to enter in the show and he wanted a spot of red in it. When my parents moved out of state, my dad sold his darkroom equipment and cameras to my son who is now our official photographer. He also developed and printed his own pictures as a teenager and the basement bathroom is still painted black.

3 comments:

meggie said...

I really enjoyed this post Wanda! I love the way your house looked, with the snow on those trees, & the shadow of the larger tree.
I also love the one with you as a little girl. It looks cold, -was it?
I had a friend whose father did his own photographic prints- he was always pestering us to get photos. I still have some he gave me.

TB said...

I love nostalgic photos, and these leave me wanting to know more about them. I think that you are so fortunate to have a Father whose interest was photography.

Joyce said...

I can see where you get your artistic ability from. I have very much enjoyed your posts on the prismatic gardens. Wonderful idea with your impeccable color sense.