Thursday, August 2, 2012

Polaroid: Life Continues Part II

Wow! I haven’t blogged since Easter. Where did the summer go? It’s August!

I have a few new additions to my vintage Polaroid collection -  an original WORKING Rainbow SX-70 OneStep Polaroid c. 1970

Where did I obtain such an awesomely vintage and cool camera, you ask? Oh, and it was free. Did I mention that? Go check out Listia.com – it’s a free ebay style auction site, but you bid with points instead of money. Some of the items people will even ship free! I auctioned a 1g mini sd memory card – shipped for free – and someone ‘paid’ 2000 points for it… A week later, I won this baby for just 800 points! I have auctioned off old jewelry I had sitting around, a hat, a dvd… anything – used or new!

70's polaroid

Isn’t it beautiful?
(Aside from the cell phone photo lol)

I also have this beefy looking Polaroid Sonar OneStep Land Camera circa 1972-77 (also from Listia.com!) I love it the look, but haven’t had a chance to test it yet.

 60s polaroid

The box it’s sitting on is actually a Wink Light 250 for my 330 Land Camera. It’s the ‘electric’ version of my flashgun – and no bulbs required! I imagine one flash per bulb got a little expensive after a while.

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it’s a Polaroid Wink-Light Model 250 that I *think* will fit my 330 c. 1957-1960.. Found it at the Cotton Yard Market in my hometown for $5.00!

I have fallen in love with these old cameras. One of these days I am going to scan in some of the Polaroid photos I have taken. I think that’s why I enjoy the Instagram app on my phone. I use another iPhone app called PostalPix – I can upload my Instagram pics directly to their site and they print them in neat little 3x3 or 4x4 squares. The prints look just like old photos!

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Love them! More to come later! Or sooner, rather.. hopefully! =]

 

 

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Easter Egg Extravaganza!

This year, I decided to do something a little different with my Easter eggs. Sure, we still have the plain ol’ dyed ones… but I also experimented with silk dying!

First, you gather some old men’s neckties. I scooped mine from the local thrift store! They have to be 100% silk. Experiment with some really funky patterns! Cut the lining out of the ties, so you just have the silk.

Next, wrap an egg in the tie with the outside pattern of the tie touching the egg. Wrap it in the cloth, then wind some string or yarn (I used thread) tightly around the egg so that the cloth is touching it completely.

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When you have wrapped enough eggs, boil them for 20 minutes. Your water will start to resemble some sort of witches brew because all the colors are combining! The first photo was taken right after I put them in, the second one was about 15 minutes later.

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Remove the eggs from the heat after 20 minutes. Let the pot cool before you start to unwrap! I know, the anticipation is killing you…lol!

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(Looks tasty, right? LOL)

When the water has cooled enough to touch, pull the eggs out and begin unwrapping them. The pattern from your neckties will have transferred to the egg!

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Pretty neat, huh? Smile

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Life Continues: Polaroid

It’s been awhile since the last blog. A lot has been going on with my business, I’m back in school and my personal life is… not to be mentioned. I have found that photography is a place where I can go and feel relaxed. Nothing makes me feel better than wandering around and taking photos of seemingly meaningless things. If I am around people, photography helps me connect with them. While I love the advanced cameras and accessories available today, I found that having an older camera makes people look twice. It makes them think, “Hey, that is neat. Take my photo with that old camera.” There is something nostalgic about seeing these dinosaurs of the camera world and they actually work. The Polaroid camera line is probably my favorite line of cameras ever. The photos are produced instantly and you have a memory that you can keep with you forever. Actually having a photo is somewhat of a privilege in today’s world. The closest you can get to instant is printing the photos from your home computer. Still then, the ink is expensive and the quality is sub-par.
Something about the Polaroid photos makes me smile and remember the moment it was taken. I blogged about restoring an old Polaroid 330 Land Camera in September, and recently I was working at a thrift store, helping organize and sort donations. Out of habit, I scanned their shelves on my break for any lost treasures when I came across a box, and the word “Polaroid” jumped out at me immediately.
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I had no idea if it would fit my land camera, but I was not about to just leave it there. I asked the store clerk how much she wanted for it, and she told me it had been sitting there for over a year. She thanked me for coming to help them, and gave it to me!! While we were sorting through the clothes, I had told her about restoring my land camera… I was so excited to get home and play with my new toy…lol. I came in and thumbed through the handbook for a minute until I figured out how to mount it. I am so happy it fit!
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Now I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of a clear M3 bulb – which will produce approximately 12 flashes. Yes, 12. Seems strange to me, but this camera is from the mid to late ‘60’s. It also had two packs of photo mounts in the box. As soon as a get a decent photo, I may use one of them. Smile
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Polaroid Sun 600

The Polaroid Sun 600 is another recent addition to my collection. A friend gave me the camera for my birthday in November, and I found some film for it online. I had to buy film to see if the camera even worked. These types of cameras came with batteries in the film packs for the flash, so the camera wouldn’t operate without the instant film. (Sorry for the blurry cell phone photos! =] )
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I got 2 packs of the Silver Shade from The Impossible Project, a group based out of NYC committed to save the Polaroid film production. They offer several types of Polaroid film that is not manufactured by Polaroid anymore.
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I love my new old toys! ‘Till next time!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Springs Park–Lancaster, SC: Where It’s At Today

With hours of research under my belt, I have yet to pint point the beginning of Springs Park. I came across a discussion board that mentioned an outdoor swimming pool and clubhouse for the mill employees in 1924. Yet another site states the park, operated by Springs Industries, opened in 1940s, then closed in late 1980s. I have read some unusual attractions in the original park included a steam propelled model railroad which was a feature of the Charleston Exposition in 1902, an Army pursuit plane, and a training plane. Another site states Springs Park expanded in 1948 to include a pavilion large enough over a thousand. More research indicated that by the summer of 1963 the park also included an Olympic swimming pool with a diving tower 10 meters above the water and an amphitheater capable of seating 5000 people. According to Denise Walker, the owner of a discussion board for the history of the park, the high rise diving board was the first of its kind in the southeast and one of two or three in the entire country, which was designed by a Charles M. Graves. Attractions also included a king-sized merry-go-round, a kid-sized Ferris wheel, boat and pony rides, swings, a bowling alley, an archery range, a skating rink, shuffleboard courts.
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Coming down the trail, and walking the short distance up the hill to the fence surrounding what is left of the pool, one has no trouble imaging the summers of long past. The remains of a shower house sit to the right of the pool, a gaping hole where a window once looked out to the length of it. Across the way, another building sits in ruins. What a site to see, the photos do no justice for the sheer size of the now defunct park!
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I came across a Facebook page dedicated to the park, and several of its members shared a few photos and childhood memories. One of the users even posted there were concerts at the park. She wrote, “I seem to remember Patsy Cline, with her red hair, in an orange chiffon dress with gold sequined high hills. My uncle Charlie Brooks worked for Springs so we would go down from Kannapolis to visit when they had the opening each year. This was back in the 60's. I have many memories of Springs Park.”
Having seen for my self what condition the park is in today, it pains me to think of why someone would let such a grand attraction sit in ruins like this.
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The high dive has long fallen, and the entire pool has various graffiti painted on the walls. The tiles are cracked and missing, the surrounding sidewalk is crumbling and at one point is actually caving in. I don’t condone trespassing, and if you even attempt to locate this park, be warned – it’s dangerous.
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My friend and I explored what remains of the park, going into the pool and walking down into where so much water once was. It always makes me feel strange to walk in places that you aren’t meant to, even if the water isn’t there today. 2011-12272011-1240
I found another site online that officially states the parks closing in 1990. A lady posted a newspaper clipping, along with this photo. She went on to write this photo was taken in June 1990, the last summer the pool was officially open. Everything else has closed by then, and the life guard in the photo told her it wouldn’t be long till the pool closed too. old park pic2While I loved the adventure this old park provided, I hate to see something like this park once was go under. It makes me wonder about the places I know today, and what sort of people will stumble upon them in 20 or 30 years only to find them in ruin. You don’t expect to see things on this big of a scale fall down so hard.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Polaroid 330 Land Camera: Back to Life!

It’s been quite sometime since I wrote a blog entry, but my current project seemed photo-blog worthy. I recently acquired, thru a friend who found it in an old house, a Polaroid 330 Land Camera, circa 1960-1970’s. I had never seen a camera like this, and was instantly curious as to how to use it.

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After some research, I learned the camera opened up (see photo above) and there were still places to get film for it! I also learned it was inoperable without battery power from a #532 Eveready 3v battery. When I finally figured out where the battery compartment was, I was disappointed to see the camera still contained the same battery from the late 60’s.. and it had completely corroded both connections.

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I found a 3v battery online, but I had not a clue how I was going to get this thing working without intact battery contacts.

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I came across a forum for Polaroid enthusiasts, and saw a post from a user who had the same issue with their Polaroid 450. A few users had suggested rewiring the battery compartment, and after a trip to my local RadioShack, I was ready to attempt to rewire my camera..

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I purchased a 2 AAA battery holder, along with some lithium AAA batteries.. First you should remove the corroded contacts from the old wire. Trim all the way to the edge of the old contact, as the wires are only about 3 inches long. Wire the white (camera) to the red (holder) and the black (camera) to the black (holder). At this point, you should insert the AAA batteries to check if the camera is getting juice. Extend the lens to shooting position, open the back of the camera and look at the back of the lens.

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If you were successful, when you cock the shutter, and press the red button on top you should hear the shutter click. I am going to solder the wires together for a more permanent connection. I need to figure out how to cram this rig in the battery holder, it will almost fit, but you will have to trim the plastic of the old holder in order to get the door to shut.

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Now, I must patiently wait on film… If all goes well I might have some awesomely vintage photos to post this time next week!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Under the Water

When I was growing up, the only thing we had as far as 'underwater cameras’ was going to Wal-Mart, paying like $10 for a disposable one in a plastic case, getting about 25 photos from it, and paying again to have them developed. There was no way to see what your photos looked like, you simply tried your best with the $13 disposable camera in a plastic case, and hoped for a good outcome. Recently at my day job, I discovered the coolest thing I’d seen in a long time… and underwater digital camera. Not a camera in a plastic case, an actual digital camera that is completely waterproof (and shockproof!) to 10ft. It wasn’t exactly my DSLR, but it was still amazing.

We played with it so long, it was so amazing! Albeit definitely doesn’t have the quality of my big camera, it’s still really neat to play around with.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
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Monday, July 18, 2011

Beaufort!

It’s been way too long since I updated this blog… I’m sorry for the general slacking on my part. I do however, have some new stuff to share.

I went on a road trip to Beaufort, SC on July 1st. I traveled thru Yemasse, SC and came across the Old Sheldon Church ruins. It was so beautiful! But so muggy, God love the south in the summer. You step out the car and the heat is so intense it literally takes your breath away. Don’t forget about the mosquitos, we started to venture down to the marsh until we were attacked by a swarm of them. Go figure I left my ‘Deep Woods’ bug spray at home this time…

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Next we traveled further towards the coast, finally arriving at Hunting Island State Park. The beach is loosing a lot of land and trees due to erosion. It was really spectacular to see all these large trees and their roots fully exposed, then hardened and preserved by the sea. She is so unforgiving, the sea… takes with her whatever is in her path…

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There were once many cabins for rent at the park. Today, only one remains standing (and is booked for at least 5 years…), I was hoping to find at least 2 cabins left. However, the sea claimed another one last year… You can see the last remaining one in the background, the small blue building in the distance. This is what’s left of the other one, a few hundred feet of bricks and blocks and pipes and all sorts of other things. All covered in rust and cru stations, broken glass and even a blanket were buried in the sand. I wonder how long it will take the tide to wash it all away.

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We ended our first and only night down in Beaufort with a fantastic trip to the Dockside Restaurant. With impeccable timing, we were able to watch the sunset as we has some pre-dinner cocktails. It was absolutely amazing.
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Till next time! Which, I promise, won’t be so long. Smile