"Ben, let's get a picture of Ben, Jr. standing next to his brother...I mean the tv. Okay, Bennie stand to the side, yes...smile. Show grandma your missing teeth. No, no...don't step in front of your brother...I mean the screen. That's right. Oh you look so precious. Doesn't he look precious? Bennie pull your jacket down a little on the left, it's' riding up. Ben, would you fix Bennie's jacket? And why don't you hold Uncle Jake's picture. No, just on the corner, don't get in front of...of the...screen. Just put your arm around your brother for crying out loud...I mean the tv. Okay, that's good. Ben, how does it look in the camera?"
"Mom, my arm hurts."
"Just a minute Bennie. Ben TAKE THE PICTURE! Bennie's arm hurts. Ohhhhhhhh...that's just precious. Just precious. Grandma is going to be so happy to see the two of you together."
And so goes another day in the world of vernacular photography brought to you by "One Can Only Imagine," the reality that never existed.
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I think the little guy begged for his picture to be taken. He was SO proud of having one of the first television sets. His parents, of course, did not want to use a flash bulb up on something that was not Christmas. People usually didn't take pictures but once or twice a year. This one picture, of the proud boy, was going to through them off. and of course the boy wouldn't see the picture developed for another 6 months, a least.
ReplyDeleteOR.. it's all about the pics on top of the T.V. Think about that.
You're onto something. I'd forgotten how film sat in cameras all year and then some. Everyone was so cautious how they used those precious shots and those weird flashbulbs. What's really interesting in this shot is the fact that a flash was used but it's not bouncing off the screen. Just a hint of it in the upper corner. Maybe it wasn't a flash and this was a professional shot done in their home with lights strategically placed. When I do an inverse of the tv screen I can almost make out a figure crouching in front of the boy. Yup, considering the actual size of the print I think this might have been "professional".
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