age 12

childhood excursions

Imperfect photos can tell interesting stories

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12

These were among the first pictures I took with my dad’s old bellows camera that used 45mm film. His uncle had gifted it to him when my dad boarded the ship to move to the U.S. — an impromptu act of love to a 21-year-old pursuing his dreams. I was 11 or 12 when my dad had got a new fancy Nikon, so I got this incredibly interesting and mysterious ancient thing with a pop-out, accordion-like bellows and zero instructions.

As an adult, I scanned the negatives and adjusted the color but the images themselves are straight.

The first person I showed them to on this website said they were “bad.” I love them, but maybe that’s because of the memories attached. Or maybe it’s because I no longer have that camera. I’m still kicking myself for not being more careful about what was in some boxes I donated to Goodwill a couple of decades ago. What I would give to have that camera now.

series 1 previous: guggenheim next: gifted danae