"Bought a box of approx. 1000 WW2 era negatives at an estate sale - need advice"

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Moriturii

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My 90 year old father passed away in January and were still going through his old pictures. He was stationed in the Pacific during the War. Luckily he had access to a camera. Here's one shot shot he took while at Bougainville in the Solomon Islands in January, 1944. GI's up front and captured Japanese prisoners in back.

Jim B.
Bougainville_+1944.jpg
 
Mackinaw said:
My 90 year old father passed away in January and were still going through his old pictures. He was stationed in the Pacific during the War. Luckily he had access to a camera. Here's one shot shot he took while at Bougainville in the Solomon Islands in January, 1944. GI's up front and captured Japanese prisoners in back.

Jim B.
Click to expand...

Rare shot!

(interesting that the jeep has no windshield mounted and the MP has an old Springfield.)
 
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There's quite a few photos up now and some of them are very good. The square compositions in particular show a lot of experience and a very good eye IMO.
 
I really like the exposure on these photos. Am I wrong in thinking that the photographer overexposed and reduced development times on the sunny pictures? It doesn't look very contrasty and I love that.

Does anyone have an idea how to achieve photos looking like this other then overexpose and under develop, any other considerations?
 
Moriturii said:
I really like the exposure on these photos. Am I wrong in thinking that the photographer overexposed and reduced development times on the sunny pictures? It doesn't look very contrasty and I love that.

Does anyone have an idea how to achieve photos looking like this other then overexpose and under develop, any other considerations?
Click to expand...

Yes, you are probably wrong.

Bear in mind that Kodak speed included a 1-stop safety factor, thereby demonstrating the flexibility of the concept of overexposure, and that lenses on both the camera and the enlarger were uncoated, thereby reducing contrast.

The easiest way to re-create ANY vintage look is with vintage gear and the film that gets closest to what was available then: preferably slow and grainy (Rodinal can help reduce speed and increase grain).

Cheers,

R.
 
bigeye said:
Rare shot!

(interesting that the jeep has no windshield mounted and the MP has an old Springfield.)
Click to expand...

They've also removed the top bows. As for the aged of the rifle the MP is holding I couldn't comment without seeing the stock. M1903 rifles were produced until 1942. The 1903A3 and 1903A4 version were produced for a good while after too. ;)
Great shot, Jim!

Thanks for the link Moriturii, some very good pictures there. I love this sort of time-capsule.
 
Steve Bellayr said:
From what I have viewed they are impressive. I should think that the finder could go back and locate the photographer.
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I was going to make some off hand remark about estate sales occurring after someone dies but the guy who bought the negs says,
I just found out that the photographer is still alive and living in a nursing home in my town. I'm going to try to get in touch with him, and show him some of these photos.
Click to expand...

Which raises some other questions for me:
How little did this guy's family care about his photography?
Apparently not much. Though, they may have been forced by finances to sell all/most of his stuff to pay for the nursing home.
The daughter of the photographer was who sold the negs, I wonder did she actually have the right to do that? If the photog is till alive, she can't have inherited them.

The photos are good, the story (what little there is, so far) is depressing.
Rob
 
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