BAD SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY 101

Hard to believe, but I was on the yearbook staff in high school as a photographer. I never took one shot. I'm the sort of person who likes to observe, but not be observed. Well, a female photographer running around campus, especially at my school with it's horrific pecking order, would have been very uncomfortable. I tried to stay as invisible as possible the 4 years I was incarcerated. If I had taken photos, especially sports photos, they would have looked like this. Okay, probably they would have all had their backs to the camera so actually the person who shot this is a better sports photographer than I ever would have been.


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So what sport are they playing? And is there a guy named "Spot" or are we supposed to "spot" Allen Hill? Not quite sure. You'll have to enlarge the shot to figure out the sport.

This weeks Sepia Saturday's image shows Dinah Shore and Burt Bacharach playing tennis, thus my sport theme. The closest I can come is this shot of Frank Sinatra dressed for golf. The shot was purchased at an estate sale many years ago. I'm guessing the person who took this shot told the story of the moment over and over and over again. Their "encounter" with old blue eyes.





And again, I apologize for not fully participating in visiting other Sepia Saturday posters. I think I have narrowed down the huge sucking sound I hear from my bandwidth. I believe it's due to a piece of cloud software I recently installed. I am on a satellite connection with limited monthly usage. I've barely been online and the usage level still shows very high. It stupidly never dawned on me that hooking up to the "cloud" was going to obviously cause this problem. A client had requested I install it. I've reset some preferences and hope to see the numbers dropping. Then again...maybe I've got a neighbor hacking into my router. Who knows? Sometimes I just want to run away from computers...but not before checking my email.

Poor MOMMA

Poor momma was never the same after seeing the squirrel staring back at her from the toilet bowl.


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To his dying day father claimed he had never seen the squirrel before.

WARY BOY with a gun

Kids with guns are definitely a vernacular photography category. Seeing a few that were posted at Dull Tool Dim Bulb this week made me think of one I recently purchased.


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This shot makes me think of the famous photograph of the boy with the toy hand grenade taken by Diane Arbus in 1962. I still remember standing in a bookstore looking at a book of work by Arbus when I was in college in the late '60s. I was with a friend and we were both enthralled by the shot. It stirred all sorts of emotions and I longed to know the story behind the image. Years ago the San Francisco Chronicle ran an article about the boy in the photo which you can read here. Make sure you click on the image at the top, the contact sheet, to see an image of the man, Colin Wood, today with his own children.

My image has nothing to do with the Arbus shot other than the boy in this shot is a complete opposite of the Arbus boy. This boy is in control, wary, but in control. At attention, but relaxed. He'll never be famous like the Arbus boy and he'll never tell his story of the moment this shot was taken.

IF YOU BUILD IT they will come

Click on image to see it larger. Then you'll understand the title.

The CAT IN THE CHAIR says...

I always look at snapshots like this and imagine what the cat was thinking. Something along the lines of, “I’ll do it when they’re sleeping. Yeah, that’s it. I’ll make my move when they’re most vulnerable. That’ll teach them to put me in some stinkin’ baby chair!”



No information about this kitty. Perhaps if we knew the name we could check the police blotters from long ago under:

CATS ATTEMPT TO KILL OWNERS FAILS

At midnight on June 24th a disturbance was heard coming from the house at 22 Picketfence Lane. Neighbor, Frances McNutty, called the police at 12:04 concerned for the safety of her neighbors. Upon entering, the police found the owners of the house unconscious with blood loss due to severe scratches over their entire bodies and a house in disarray. The bodies were found in the bedroom. The only other occupant in the house was their cat Benny asleep in a basket of laundry.

Originally no suspects were found until a roll of film was developed exposing motive for the attack.

The cat was taken away in tiny handcuffs; a look of contentment on its face.

Neighbor Frances MuNutty was heard to say, "I'm stunned. Benny was always such a good pussy cat. He never pooped in my bushes."

Benny is now serving his time at a farm in upstate New York where he has a mice quota to fill each day. 

WHO WILL KEEP THE TEMPO? Why, the dogs tail of course!

I wish I had some words of wisdom to impart about this shot, but I don’t. I purchased it today and as soon as I saw it I knew it would be my Sepia Saturday post. It has nothing to do with the actual suggested theme.


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My theme this week is to honor all the amazing posts done by musician Mike Brubaker at TempoSenzaTempo. If you haven’t stopped by to read some of his detailed pieces about musicians from the past you’re missing out.

The photo was taken at Peoples Studio at 133 S. Gay St, Knoxville, Tennessee.

UPDATE: I was hopeful Mike Brubaker might see this post and make a comment providing some information about this image and he did. Thank you Mike!

Gosh, I'm very flattered! Such a neat photo! Band uniform capes start around 1930s when school bands started to march and play for football games - in the rain. And Ok it's an alto saxophone and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier (maybe). A dog's howl and a saxophone's yelp are pretty much the same annoyance.

BOASTFUL

This is my contribution to this weeks Sepia Saturday.

I have no information about either of the subjects of this photo other than what can be gleaned from their poses. I'm guessing they both thought of themselves as pretty tough he-men.

IRENE HORSLEY in 1914

No information about Irene Horsley other than her name. In this getup she looks like she should be playing a bit part in the Music Man. In fact, I'm not sure there wasn't a character in the movie that didn't wear this exact outfit.



I do wonder how old Irene was when this shot was taken. How long did girls wear these huge bows? To say the least, I'm glad it went out of fashion. I've seen some shots of girls far too old to be wearing huge bows in their hair.

It is possible Irene came from Nebraska because this shot was purchased at the same estate sale as the previous two images.

UPDATE: Thank you, Bulldog.

Irene Horsley wife of Claude A. Perry. Born November 29, 1896, died April 9, 1977. (http://nebraskagravestones.org/view.php?id=133923)

FUTURE FARMER of America in 1909

A future farmer of America? What did the future hold for this little fellow? Too young to have been in World War I, but he would have been in his early 30s when World War II began.

Anna Thompson was out and about mailing this at 7 AM on November 8, 1909. The message does not indicate her relationship to this boy, but she's certainly hoping it gets a response from Dena and Inez Chestem in Nebraska.




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I cannot decide what this little guys name is. Perhaps someone with a keener eye will decide what it is. I at first thought the name was Myrrle Clarence, but the double "r" seems strange. Any ideas?

Just imagine, in the not so distant future people will not even be able to read the handwriting on the back of this card because they will not have been taught cursive. It's a stupid choice being made by educators.

UPDATE: Thank you AnyJazz!

Myrole Clarence Thompson was born 9 Mar 1908 in Stevens County, Washington to Merville W. Thompson (1881- ) and Anna Isabell (Brutt) Thompson (1883- ). He had a brother Royall A. (1913- ) and a sister Zelma F. (1912- ). The parents were both born in Nebraska hence the card to friends there. I was also able to find Dena J. Chestem but her sister is shown in the 1910 Census to be Daisy. They were living with their father Olea A. Chestem in Decatur, Nebraska. He was born in Norway. In 1910 Dena was 14 and Daisy Inez was 11.

ESTHER LEWIS HOLMES in 1913

This is Esther in 1913. That's all we'll ever know.


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UPDATE: I dug out the photo and lo and behold there is a full name on the back. This is Esther Lewis Holmes.

LITTLE GIRLS with PARASOLS

A lot of little girls like parasols. They make them feel special. I think they also help to define their physical space. Beneath the parasol is their world and you may only enter if invited.




(SOURCE: Mother Goose, illustrated by Kate Greenaway)

To see more parasols visit Lost Gallery.

PARASOLS, like I said...THEY'RE A CATEGORY

There's just something about a parasol that makes the person holding it smile when their photo is taken. The lovely paper parasols decorated with delicate images are something to smile about. The perfect accessory on a warm day.


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So why haven't parasols been made with collapsable handles like umbrellas? There are times each year when I go to some event and take along an umbrella because I just can't stand the sun; we don't get along at all. Too often umbrellas draw heat instead of dissipating it. A parasol would be so much nicer. And in my case I want a paper parasol, not fabric. I want something a Geisha would be happy to carry. I won't go into it, part of my childhood.

I declare today BBP day! BRING BACK PARASOLS!

Oh sure, watching some idiot walking and texting while trying to control a parasol is just courting disaster so perhaps people should be licensed to carry a parasol. Just something to think about.

PARASOLS, they're a category

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, parasols were common in photos. They were the fashion accessory of the time and for good reason; women's complexions were to be pale, not tanned. Pale skin showed you were upperclass, tanned scan was for the working class.

I'd love to be able to collect antique parasols, but rarely see them. They often look to be Asian, but perhaps there were companies in the US manufacturing them to look Asian. I haven't a clue. I do know that they are a category, a vernacular photography category.


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Visit this site to see some lovely impressionist paintings of women with parasols by American artist Frederick Frieseke.