Zebras On The Moon.

Back in the early 70's when I was learning photography, (Ha! I'm still learning photography!), I played around with Kodak Kodalith Ortho film, a high contrast film with no tonal ranges. This image is one of my better efforts because, well, Zebras are just made for this sort of image anyway, aren't they?

This was taken at the John Ball Park Zoo in Grand Rapids, MI in 1973 or 1974.

Other than cleaning up the hundreds of dust spots in the black areas, adding a border and "glow" (from Picasa), very little has been done to this image.

Board Broad

Original Black & White

I think I like the "painting" more than anything. Another black and white negative. Colored with Picnik, and added "HDR" effect. Kinda reminds me of Mel Ramos pin-up artwork. Finished with a fake Polaroid Insta-Print look.

Gossip Girl

après la douche

From a black and white snapshot.

Is it just me, or does the simple act of adding color increase the erotic impact of these images?

Shower Door #2

Speaking of being sneaky....  this was one of those times.

Now, this could have been done two ways. I could have taken a normal image, and applied the "bathroom window" effect on ACDSee Pro, - or - I could have actually taken the image through the shower door. In this case, it was the latter, rather than the former. Black and white negative, colored with Picnik tint tool. Gallery frame also from Picnik.

Leave Them Be?

Some of the images I’ve run through the flatbed scanner are complete works in and of themselves.  They’re enlargements from actual photo shoots where I was attempting to be serious, rather than 1) sneaky, or 2) prurient.  They would require very little in the way modification to get posted here, except…  they were printed on really obnoxious silk-like texture paper, and the texture shows up in the scans.
In this particular case, I used the smudge stick filter in Photoshop Elements 5.0 to cover the silk texture, and added a border in ACDSee Pro.  The image was also obviously cropped, and inverted from the original.  The result is a more hand-drawn appearance to the image, without going overboard.

Here are a couple more images that have pretty much been left alone.  The interesting part here, is that these are scanned from 120 film square negatives… in a 35mm film scanner.  It was tricky, but I got it to work.  The image on the left, was a candid taken of customers at the counter of the camera store I managed in the Seventies.  I cropped out the surly boyfriend, (you don’t want to see the original!), and  used the Sepia tool in Picasa.  That’s the extent of the changes.  I was amazed how the feel of the picture changed with just that little bit of modification!
The image on the right is of one of my oldest friends, (although I haven’t seen her in more than 10 years).. we’ll call her Suzie.  She wanted a portrait for her husband at the time, and I was happy to oblige, being a perpetually  broke college student at the time.  I borrowed a friend’s apartment, gave Suzie my suede “hippie” hat and got to work.  This is also a scan from a 120 black and white negative that I somehow shoved into the 35mm scanner.   It was also given the sepia treatment, along with the soft focus tool.
There you have it. Not all old images have to be turned into weird and wacky abstract works.  Sometimes they’re just fine the way they are. 

Dark Into Light

 

Original- Black and White negative.  A little bit of everything here..  Picnik, ACDSee Pro, Photoshop Elements 5.0, Picasa.  Altogether it creates a moody setting.  There was a lot of trash to take out!

Appreciative Booty-philes.

It's a nice one, at that.

Original black and white from a public modeling shoot put on by a Detroit area model agency, and a local camera store. Early 35mm work with the trusty Yashica TL SLR purchased in Vietnam. It still worked, while the 3 custom-tailored Hong Kong suits were already outgrown and on the way to the Kiwanis sale..

Promenade.

Some time in the Seventies. Somewhere on the Cape. On a honeymoon. Wedding followed some 5 months later.

From original (washed out) color slide.

Window Dressing

Original black and white negative. I believe this was part of the 1975 trip to Sebewaing, Michigan. If not in Sebewaing proper, then somewhere in Michigan's "thumb", along Saginaw Bay.

Shower Door

Another of those ambush shots. In most homes, these lanquish, hidden in the bottom of the sock drawer. Here they become part of the gallery.

35mm black and white, with effects from ACDSee and Picnik.