Past of a Stranger - Photographic time travels into the past, captured by strangers.

poas · Jul 11, 2024

Hi all,

my name is André and I have been digitizing the past for some time now.

If you are interested, I would like to present my project: "Past of a Stranger" - or: Photographic time travels into the past, captured by strangers.

https://www.pastofastranger.com

I have currently published twelve very different collections, most of which were acquired at flea markets. I digitize the treasures (slides, glass slides, photo plates & negatives) via camera and light plate.

Enjoy browsing through the past,
André

koraks · Jul 11, 2024

Hi @poas, welcome to Photrio!
I've moved your post from the Scanning forum to its present place because this seems to fit a little better for the presentation of your interesting project. Thanks so much for sharing this with us, and I'd be glad to hear more about you and your projects!

poas · Jul 11, 2024

koraks said:
Hi @poas, welcome to Photrio!
I've moved your post from the Scanning forum to its present place because this seems to fit a little better for the presentation of your interesting project. Thanks so much for sharing this with us, and I'd be glad to hear more about you and your projects!

Thanks!

flowerpunk · Jul 11, 2024

Thanks for sharing,

Over the years I have collected negatives from friends and estates, some really great stuff. I do develop many of them in my darkroom because they are to great not to be seen by others.

It’s amazing how families will throw away memories of love one when they past away. I never thought about putting something like this together. One reason is not knowing the time span of when they were taken. I do have some hanging in our house.

poas · Jul 11, 2024

Yes, that's true. It's really surprising what people give away. I don't even want to know what treasures have already ended up in the bin.

Researching the developed photos is also a lot of joy. Especially when you can identify places and times. That's fun.

MFstooges · Jul 11, 2024

Thanks. Now I really think the best way to preserve color pictures is to digitize it and maintain the software & computer to access it even though I hate the idea of trusting the record to electrons.

Don_ih · Jul 11, 2024

I bought a bunch of stuff at an auction and ended up with all the negatives one guy shot while he was taking photos for his high school yearbook. I discovered the guy's name, the high school, the years involved, found their Facebook group and posted a link to all the scanned negatives there. A decent number of people looked through the scans. No one wanted to download any, though - even though they recognized people (including themselves). I found it a bit odd.

Daniela · Jul 11, 2024

Wonderful project! Thanks for sharing

perkeleellinen · Jul 11, 2024

Excellent project. I too am getting hold of negatives and giving them new life. Examples here and here.

I used the suffix [found photos], I wonder if there's a few of us doing this, maybe there's a better way to discuss, organise and share our finds. It is good fun to print and bring back to life what others throw away.

poas · Jul 11, 2024

Don_ih said:
I bought a bunch of stuff at an auction and ended up with all the negatives one guy shot while he was taking photos for his high school yearbook. I discovered the guy's name, the high school, the years involved, found their Facebook group and posted a link to all the scanned negatives there. A decent number of people looked through the scans. No one wanted to download any, though - even though they recognized people (including themselves). I found it a bit odd.

Yes, that's very weird. :/

Daniela said:
Wonderful project! Thanks for sharing

Thanks!

perkeleellinen said:
Excellent project. I too am getting hold of negatives and giving them new life. Examples here and here.

I used the suffix [found photos], I wonder if there's a few of us doing this, maybe there's a better way to discuss, organise and share our finds. It is good fun to print and bring back to life what others throw away.

These are great!

Sirius Glass · Jul 11, 2024

Welcome to Photrio!

pbromaghin · Jul 12, 2024

I've only gotten through your first portfolio, but wow, that guy was good in my favorite format, 6x6. Thank you for doing this.

poas · Jul 12, 2024

pbromaghin said:
I've only gotten through your first portfolio, but wow, that guy was good in my favorite format, 6x6. Thank you for doing this.

Thanks. That was my first lucky find.

poas · Sep 2, 2024

I have published a new collection: Road Trip through South America (Chile, Argentina and Bolivia) in a Ford County. These are slides (35mm) from 1976.

https://www.pastofastranger.com/en/collection-14/road-trip-south-america/

Happy time traveling.

---

Teaser:

Alan Edward Klein · Sep 2, 2024

Nice project. You just reminded me I;m sitting on 43 reels of 50 feet super 8mm movies my wife's father took over the years, many 50-70 years old. My projector is broken and I need to buy another or digitize the film.

albireo · Sep 4, 2024

Fantastic! Just like a time machine. Thank you for putting so much work into this great project.

swchris · Sep 4, 2024

poas said:
https://www.pastofastranger.com

Very nice.

I remember I have some slides from a house clearance.

They are from around 57, many of the pictures are from South Africa (as I was told) and some from the Alps.

poas · Nov 29, 2024

Hey again!

I have just published a new collection:

The photographic collection of David L. Friedman from Long Island, NY comprises slides from the years 1968 to 1977, showing street scenes from New York City, impressions of the first “Earth Day” in 1970 and expressive portraits. The collection offers fascinating insights into the culture and everyday life of this formative period.

https://www.pastofastranger.com/en/collection-15/

Enjoy browsing through the past,
André

awty · Nov 29, 2024

I like a good picture when ever its taken, but I don't understand the desire for someone else's nostalgia.
I am clearing out my mother inlaws house, four generations of hording of avid photographers, boxes and boxes of negatives slides and photo. Important photos will be kept, the rest will go into crates and be tossed out eventually.

Romanko · Nov 29, 2024

awty said:
I like a good picture when ever its taken, but I don't understand the desire for someone else's nostalgia.

For me this is about preserving our history. Once I found a box of old negatives in a local antique shop that happen to be taken in 1919 during Peace Celebration in Hobart. Not a lot of images of the event survived.
I also enjoy finding images of places I visited that were taken 50 or even 100 years ago.

awty said:
Important photos will be kept, the rest will go into crates and be tossed out eventually.

Instead of throwing away these slides and photos please consider donating them to a local historical society, library or simply bring them to a nearest antique shop. Where are you in Australia? I might know someone who will happily take them.

poas · Nov 30, 2024

I think it's a shame when the past ends up in the trash. Just think when the work of Vivian Maier was thrown away. Phew.

Kino · Nov 30, 2024

I have several boxes of 4x5 B&W negatives of a woman who graduated from Bryn Mawr and who has her portfolio in the Bibliotheque National in Paris according to a bio I found online. The negatives were in a thrift store along with some random photo gear.

Found a local art center that had established an award in her name in watercolor painting (she apparently changed art concentration later in life), but they never responded to my many attempts to contact them and donate the negatives.

Can't bring myself to toss them or really inventory them yet.

Sad.

Don_ih · Nov 30, 2024

Kino said:
I have several boxes of 4x5 B&W negatives of a woman who graduated from Bryn Mawr and who has her portfolio in the Bibliotheque National in Paris according to a bio I found online. The negatives were in a thrift store along with some random photo gear.

Found a local art center that had established an award in her name in watercolor painting (she apparently changed art concentration later in life), but they never responded to my many attempts to contact them and donate the negatives.

Can't bring myself to toss them or really inventory them yet.

Sad.

I'd take them off your hands.
I'm sure lots of people would.

poas · Nov 30, 2024

Kino said:
I have several boxes of 4x5 B&W negatives of a woman who graduated from Bryn Mawr and who has her portfolio in the Bibliotheque National in Paris according to a bio I found online. The negatives were in a thrift store along with some random photo gear.

Found a local art center that had established an award in her name in watercolor painting (she apparently changed art concentration later in life), but they never responded to my many attempts to contact them and donate the negatives.

Can't bring myself to toss them or really inventory them yet.

Sad.

I agree with @Don_ih! And please don't put in the trash.

Kino · Nov 30, 2024

poas said:
I agree with @Don_ih! And please don't put in the trash.

I am holding on to them for now and will try to make a point of at least browsing through them in the near future, as they may contain pre-fire images of Notre Dame in the 1970's.

This cannot be the sum total of her work (maybe the culls) but they are at least worth looking at. I tried to get my a division of my former employer, The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, to just look at them and they could not be bothered.

The LOC's reputation is undeserved in my opinion.

Past of a Stranger - Photographic time travels into the past, captured by strangers.

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency