Support your local photographers!

If you're looking for a great photographer in the Chicago area, please stop by Katie Ryan's website, and take a gander! She's an amazingly talented photographer. Babies, weddings, special events, she'll rock them all!

Some interesting facts about Katie:

Katie Ryan focuses on a photojournalistic approach whether shooting a breaking story, an exciting soccer game, a bride and groom's first dance or a family portrait. She believes in capturing a moment rather than creating it. As a photojournalist she is able to fuse her love of photography with her passion of story telling.

Katie has had a love for photography since she was a young child and has been a professional photographer since 2001. She was given her first camera as a gift from her father for her tenth birthday.

Over the years Katie has photographed such people as Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley, retired Chicago Fire Commissioner James Joyce and United States President Barack Obama. She has had numerous photographs seen in such publications as Vine Line magazine, Spirit magazine and The Beverly Review.

When Katie photographs weddings, she gives her clients a non-traditional style of photography, which many find to be a romantic and refreshing alternative to traditional posed photography. Katie likes to tell a story through the lens of her camera, which is why her style appeals to so many.

She just can't put her camera down! When she is not working or taking pictures of her family and friends, Katie can be found shooting events for fundraisers & charities such as St.Baldrick’s foundation, The Chicago Fire Department, and The Lisa Doyle Fitzgerald Benefit.

Katie credits much of her success to the professionals she learned from while attending Columbia College Chicago. She was taught by world-renowned photographers such as Pulitzer Prize winner, John H. White of the Chicago Sun-Times, Chuck Osgood of the Chicago Tribune, and George Georgiou of Playboy magazine. While at Columbia, Katie enjoyed all the areas of photography she studied, but she concentrated and excelled in the areas of Photojournalism and Documentary Photography. Katie shares some of the stories she has told and the things she has seen with the photographs in this website.

And if you're currently in the New Orleans area, you are very lucky! The incredible Charles Silver has been spending a lot of time there, and is currently sharing his work based in this culturally rich city.

A blurb from Charles' website:

This first installment in the ongoing photodocumentary project by Charles Silver had its premier exhibit at the Cressman Center Gallery for Visual Art from July 4 to August 9, 2008. Interested parties may inquire through the Gallery or use this link to Contact Charles Silver directly regarding arrangements.

These photographs represent the starting point for long term ongoing projects documenting New Orleans in the post-Katrina environment. Three years after Katrina large parts of the city and its communities remain physically and psychologically devastated. Now even more devastation is threatening the city.

The project has concentrated on some of the endangered African American cultural traditions that are unique to New Orleans.

The majority of the photographs in this exhibit grew directly out of the concerns and wishes of friends within the cultural community of New Orleans. This community not only gave birth to Jazz but has also given birth to a range of cultural traditions unique to New Orleans. These traditions include Second Lines with brass bands, Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs and the Black Mardi Gras Indian tribes. Since the vast physical devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 many socio-economic and political forces have further endangered these valuable cultural traditions.

And please, support the arts wherever you are!

Photos of Yore

So a bunch of us nut-burgers on Buzznet decided to do a Christmas in May exchange, mainly because we were bored. I was assigned to get something for my friend Boz, who is an internet celebrity in his own right. Boz's mother passed away last summer, and he had recently mentioned that she had used a Kodak box camera to take many of their family photos, so as part of his gift I threw in a Brownie box camera and an old Kodak instamatic.

He loved them! (yay!) And the best part is that both cameras have old film in them. This happens a lot - I am constantly getting cameras in that have rolls of partially exposed film still in them. I like to think that it's like dinosaur archaeology - a person was shooting a roll of film and then was suddenly caught in an ice age(!!!), when it's actually more likely that somebody shot some film and then forgot to get it developed, and then just never used that camera again.

Well, nevermind where it came from, it's still cool! There are quite a few people who develop film they've found in old cameras and post the images to the interwebs. There are even several Flickr groups dedicated to old exposed film.

Here are two interesting sites of people who develop old film and are passionate about older cameras:

http://www.merrillphoto.com/JunkStoreCameras.htm
http://www.westfordcomp.com/holga/index.html

So watcha waiting for? Find yourself an old camera with film in it at The Collector Detector now!

Photographic Archaeology

We've been watching a lot of Treasure Quest lately. This show hits on a lot of things I love: history, underwater photography, techie gadgets, archaeology, boats, and diving! Holy yes!

It's a fascinating show. These guys are the group that found the Titanic, and they operate a fleet of ships equipped with sea rovers that comb the ocean floor looking for shipwrecks. Operating cost per day on one of these rigs is upwards of $35,000 USD.

They use sonar to map the ocean floor and then dive on any sites that appear to be a ship or sub. Once down, the rover picks around looking for anything that can help to identify the identity of a downed ship: imprints on cannon, shoes, gun turrets, paddle wheels, burnt timber, etc. Most of the time they don't even have to bring the object to the surface to identify it, as the rover is equipped with lights and hi-res cameras.

Add in the cocky Scottish archaeologist, the team of brilliant brother engineers (one of whom their captain claims is a cyborg created by the other), the tough ex-submariner (who looks like a Hell's Angel of the Sea), various guests, bad weather, malfunctioning technology, and harassment by countries whose waters they're close to, and you've got HIGH SEAS DRAMA!

It brings up an interesting topic though. Photography is used for forensics, archaeology and entertainment so extensively we tend to take it for granted. Without cameras, how would we document a person's life from babyhood through to old age, watch our favorite movie or TV show, solve a crime, see the far reaches of outer space, document history, etc etc?

I guess there would be a lot less starving artists. ;D

So do your part! Get a nice vintage camera from The Collector Detector and start contributing!

Spirit Photography at Flickr Commons

I've been on Flickr for a few years now (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dawnanthony), and being the vintage-obsessed geek and history buff that I am, I was fascinated when Flick introduced The Commons, which aims to be the central repository for the world's public photography archives.

I have spent hours looking at things like medical illustrations from the 1800s, past presidential inauguration pictures, nature photos, etc, but one set has really caught my interest: Spirit Photography.

First used by William Mumler in the 1860s, Spirit Photography is a type of photography whose primary attempt is to capture images of spiritual entities. Mumler is the guy who took the famous picture of Mary Todd Lincoln with the ghost of her husband Abraham.

The National Media Museum has put up a bunch of spirit photographs in the Flickr Commons, and I can't stop looking through them. Take a gander if you've got a minute, it's an incredibly interesting look at one of the first photo faking scams.

And when you're finished, come on over to The Collector Detector and buy an old vintage camera and make your own spirit photos!

Whistle While You Work...

One of the most important parts of selling vintage cameras is the restoration and cleaning of every camera that comes in the door. I have gotten pretty darn good at making a dirty camera shine up nice. I can handle dust and dirt with wicked aplomb, but there are a few things that people do to their cameras that really chap my hide.

And now, without further ado, the list of things that make me mad!

STICKERS. I cannot even express how much a sticker can reduce the value of a camera. And people put stickers on cameras for the weirdest reasons! I've seen stickers next to the shutter release that say, "1. Press Here", stickers below the wind knob that say "Wind" (!!!), stickers of the Spice Girls, decals of Nascar, and even Jesus stickers!

TAPE. Oh my god, tape. I have seen tape attaching manuals to the bottoms of cameras, tape keeping detailed instructions on exposure to the back of cameras, tape covering film windows and viewfinders, tape holding leatherette down, and tape wound around hand grips. Enough with the tape, people! Please! STOP TAPING THINGS.

ETCHING. Do you know that people used to etch their social security number on their belongings? I find this so strange in this day of identity theft. But I have run across numerous cameras with social security numbers. I've seen people's names of course, but I've also seen phone numbers, addresses, and post office boxes. And one camera named Betty.

PERMANENT MARKER. Ugh. This is so hard to remove. Especially when it's on leatherette. I have gone through countless replacement heads on my spinning toothbrush. I mean my extra special professional camera cleaning revolving brush tool. (Honest!)

GREASE PEN. This is an issue often found at auction houses. They mistakenly assume that grease pen is easily removable from most camera surfaces. This is not the case, especially when you are dealing with Bakelite or plastic, which can retain the color of the grease pen and can be incredibly difficult or impossible to remove. Auction houses, if you're reading this, Cease and Desist!! Puh-lease!

And lastly, ah, the pleasure of getting a camera with corrosion. Funnily enough, the worst part about corrosion in a camera for me is the smell! It's like old feet and rotten eggs mixed together! Eww!! Take the batteries out of your cameras when you store them people! For the love of all that is good and holy!

Now I know that most of these people thought they'd have their camera forever, and that I shouldn't complain about these problems on a used item, but, well, I just had to vent somewhere. Lucky youse guys. (My apologies for the Chicago accent slipping in)

Know what might make you (and me) feel better? A sparkly clean vintage camera!!

Nothing to do with cameras...

Growing up in Chicago, you cannot ignore the plight of homeless people. My father was a Chicago policeman, and was very involved in helping the needy when I was a kid. He used to take me with him to his part-time jobs helping out. I'd play on the office equipment and get to meet all kinds of different people, including the homeless. I used to wonder why my mother hated them so much - they seemed really nice to me.

In my early twenties, I lived on the South Side near Midway airport and worked downtown. Every day I would take Cicero to I55, which is a popular spot for panhandlers. I was always afraid to donate anything because my father had taught me as a young girl to be cautious underneath highway overpasses, but I couldn't help but notice the signs of the homeless people. Heartbreaking. I instead donated to Streetwise, a newspaper that pays homeless people to hand out papers. To this day that underpass is still overcrowded with the homeless.

I worked in Lincoln Park for a while, and there was a homeless couple who lived in the parking garage where the employees parked our cars. My co-worker and I would bring them lunch every day. Then they abruptly disappeared. I never found out what happened to them.

I also worked in the Loop in downtown Chicago for many years, where there are homeless people on pretty much every corner. You start to wonder how you can actually help anybody, there are so many. I gave my lunch away many times, but does that actually do anything? I don't have a lot of money, how can my little bit help?

Well these guys have found a way. I read about Tim this morning, and I am so happy that somebody has actually found a new way to bring attention to the plight of the homeless.

Let's use the interwebs for good, people! Donate!

Antique Folding Cameras - Way More Affordable Than You Think!

Have you ever wanted to own a real antique camera, but were convinced you couldn't afford it? Well believe me, you can. It doesn't matter if you are looking for a unique addition to your decor, or actually want to run some film through it, there are plenty of them around for way less than you think.

Various manufacturers, like Kodak and Ansco, produced large amounts of box and folding cameras in the early 1900's, and there are still plenty of them around today. They were made in a variety of colors and sizes for all different types of film. Box cameras in good working condition start around $20 USD, and folding cameras usually start at around $30.

Some things to look for when shopping around:

• Check out the condition of the bellows - do they look supple and free from holes? Cracking and stiffness are the most common problems with folding cameras. Also, open the back of the camera and hold it up to the light so you can check for holes. Folding cameras are prone to tiny pinholes in the corners of the bellows.
  
• Is the lens clear and free of scratches? A common problem with older cameras is fog or fungus, both of which are difficult to remove from an old lens.
• Do all the knobs and dials move freely and without obstruction? Every time I forget to check this, I end up with a film spool knob that doesn't work, or an aperture ring that's frozen stiff.
• Is the camera easy to open and close? Does it close tightly, and do the seams fit together properly?
• Inspect the finish of the camera - is it smooth and free of defects? If it's a Bakelite camera, look closely at the corners and edges. Bakelite cameras are prone to melt marks, which are hard to detect unless examined closely. If the camera is covered in leather or leatherette, make sure it lies flat and that there is no lift.
  
• When checking the shutter, make sure you open the back of the camera and watch from the back, since it's hard to see the shutter firing through the lens of most cameras. Check the shutter at all speeds, as it is very common for older cameras to work fine at faster speeds, but to lose accuracy at the lower shutter speeds.
• Buy a camera that's been checked thoroughly by a reputable dealer, like The Collector Detector!
  
  

We built this city...

With bricks by Argus.

Argus is an American company that has been making cameras since the 1930s. The C3 was their most popular camera, and it was one of the top selling 35mm cameras in history.

And these things still sell like crazy! Every one I get in flies right back out the door.

Looking at it, you wouldn't think it would be so popular. It's a particularly ungraceful camera - pretty much just a big rectangle with a lens attached to it, and it is incredibly heavy. Most people call it "The Brick", which I can vouch for, since I accidentally dropped one on my foot last week. Ouch!

All kidding aside though, it's a great beginner's camera, vintage or not. It's not too complicated, it is durable and solid, and usually reasonably priced ($39-69) in good working condition.

The first time I laid eyes on one about 20 years ago, I immediately liked it. The silky feel of the Bakelite housing, all the complicated looking silver gears and knobs, and the heavy, bulky feel of it thrilled me. Even the custom-fit leather case with the padded sides and blue velvet lining appealed to me.

Thankfully, I am not alone in my fascination with the C3 and its fellows. There are Argus collector clubs all over the world devoted to this monster, and the other vintage Argus models.

Have I made you want one yet? Go For It!

SX-70 - The Skins Are Almost In.

I've run across a lot of Polaroid SX-70 Cameras that are working well, but have badly deteriorating Porvair skins. Like this Model 2:
This isn't as bad as some I have seen, but it's enough to turn most people off of a camera that otherwise would be highly coveted.

So I started doing some research on replacing the skins. I've only found two places that currently make the skins, but the colors and styles they offer are very limited. Now, if you are going through all the trouble of replacing the skin on your beloved 1970s camera, wouldn't you appreciate some alternate options?

Yeah, me too. So I found a local place to do a mock-up of a few designs for me. We'll see how it goes. If they're not ridiculously expensive I'll put a few up for sale in our store at The Collector Detector and see if other people are interested as well.

I wonder if a My Pretty Pony pattern would sell?

Ah Polaroid, I love your naming conventions.

Somebody over at Polaroid was a comedian. I am consistently amused and titillated by the names of Polaroid cameras.

A few of my favorites:
The Button, because it's cute as a Button, of course. Duh.
The Amigo because it's a camera! It's flesh colored! It's your friend! Not creepy at all!
Oh look! It's the Electric Zip! I hope I don't get a shock when I press the shutter! Zing!
(a. yes I am a dork, and 2. why do my fingers keep trying to type shitter instead of shutter?)
The Big Swinger. Ahem. Hmm. This was in the 70s, and there is a couple using their Big Swingers on the manual cover. I'll let you make your own assumptions.
The Cool Cam! It's cool! Hence, you will be cool if you buy this camera! Didn't anybody ever tell Mr. Edwin Land that if you have to tell people that you're cool it's kind of a self-canceling thing? In spite of all this, he was cool, and it is a cool camera. Dang.
The Big Shot. I have nothing bad to say here. This camera was SO GIGANTIC, I went from feeling like a total nerd using it to feeling like King of the World. It totally works. Plus Andy Warhol loved this camera. Done, and done!
The Square Shooter. Was this camera only for taking pictures of my friends? HAHAHAHA. Ha.
The Time-Zero. Interesting. I either want to go Orwellian (see George Orwell's 1984) with this one, or Reznorian (See Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero).
Or, it's the end of the world.
Or, hurry up go get one now before time is out!
I'm in a quandary. So I'll move on.
The Super Clincher. This one kills me. Why does it remind me of a certain posterior anatomical orifice? That can't have been what they were going for. Am I the only one? Is it a deal breaker? Or a "Clincher"! Wait, I get it!
No I don't.
And fittingly, I'll end here.

(Git you one at The Collector Detector)

Intriguing - TTV Photography

I got an email yesterday from a guy in Australia who was interested in a rusty Kodak Duaflex IV camera, which I had listed at a low price due to its condition, thinking that maybe somebody could use it for parts.

Turns out that he is a member of the TTV: Through The Viewfinder group on RedBubble. TTV is a technique in which photographers use a digital camera to take pictures "through the viewfinder" of an older camera. Browse through the gallery if you have a minute - there are some gorgeous shots in there.

Things like this make me want to get back into the darkroom. I wish I had the time right now, but all my energy is being put into this business. But that's ok - I have never worked for myself before, and every day is an adventure at this point. Maybe in a year or two I'll be able to get back to making art like I used to.

Until then, I've got to dig out all my broken TLR cameras and get them up for sale - it's nice to know that they'll be getting a new life after all!

http://www.thecollectordetector.net

I need more POWER, Cap'n!

I got this little doosy of a slide projector last week:

Not only does it come in red, green, and TARTAN, but it is actually called the Skot Projector. Whoever the designer was at American Optical, I think it's safe to say that he liked to kick it with a nice big glass of Scotch and some Star Trek TOS.

Truth be told, I hated putting this one up for sale. I want to use it as a holiday decoration. I could get some Angel Hair and a couple of Rudolph and Clarice figurines from those claymation Christmas movies I love so much, and have them flying over this projector. How cool would that be?

OR, I could get 8 of these, and put them on the roof pulling Santa's sleigh! Not that I have a house with a roof, since I live in Chicago in an apartment, but since we're pretending and all...

SCORE!

The Collector Detector

So-Called "Cheap Cameras"

I have a bone to pick with people who disdain the less expensive variety of vintage cameras.

It seems to me that the most original, colorful, and funkiest designs invariably popped up on the most inexpensive cameras.

For instance, take a gander at this little guy:
I mean, seriously, Polka Dots? On a camera? Awesome.

That seafoam green color is so evocative of the 60s - I can just imagine how well this would match the living room or kitchen decor. Or the wings on the master's caddy.

And the variations are endless! There are hundreds of different models of the Kodak Brownie Camera alone!

Now excuse me while I go put some pincurls in my hair and slip on my bobbie socks and penny loafers. Has anybody got a strand of pearls they can lend me?

http://TheCollectorDetector.net

Is this thing on?

Hello World. So. I used to be a programmer, can ya tell? Then I realized that I could use my evil computer powers for good instead of making zillions for giant conglomerate banks.

Good as in, spreading the love(obsession) of vintage cameras. I think that qualifies for good, yah?

So I joined my husband's vintage collectible business and now I get to buy & sell vintage cameras all day long! How cool is that! (Check me out - The Collector Detector)

Going to auctions is one of the best perks of this job - you never know what kind of goodies you'll find. And it still amazes me every time I find a Polaroid kit or an adorable 50s snapshot camera in the most incongruous of locations.

My newest baby is a teensy little Bilora Box Camera. He's currently sitting on my shelf between a Polaroid Spirit and a Brownie 8mm Movie Camera. He looks a bit forlorn, like "Who are these freaks?".

Somebody soldered a metal handle on his head. What a tragedy. I think I'll move him to the shelf with the wooden horses and that weird alien cat statue.

I got an Argus A2B delivered yesterday - it's in pretty nice shape except for a little speckling on the lensplate. For some reason I love the look and feel of these cameras and the Dasco/Pickwik/Detrola style cameras. They just scream Art Deco. Although I suppose they're a little more Art Nouveau in reality.

Ok kids, back to work for me. I've got about 100 new cameras in to clean up and get out into somebody's lucky little mitts.

Toodles!

http://TheCollectorDetector.net