lynnb
Veteran
In 1979 I travelled overseas for the first time. It was an impulsive trip - I was on my lunch break and when I saw cheap airfares to the US in a travel agent’s window (AUD$399 return) I bought a return ticket to LA on the spot, flying Pan Am. It was an easy decision as I had always wanted to see the major US national parks and experience New York and San Francisco.
The next question was how to get around once there. Fortuitously there was an adventure travel company located above the travel agency, and it didn’t take much persuading to book an around-America camping/adventure trip lasting 6 weeks. That gave me 3 weeks to do some independent travel before my return flight to Australia.
My camera at the time was a Nikon FM with three primes: the 35mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4 and 105mm f/2.5. Film choice was easy: I decided on my favourite colour emulsion Kodachrome 25.
And so to Sydney’s Kingsford Smith airport on the day of departure in early May 1979, feeling very excited. I needed to buy duty free film on the way. Being cautious I checked the unloaded camera in the car only to discover it had jammed when I tried to cock the shutter. The flight was due to depart in three hours. Panic.
I detoured to the Nikon importer’s service centre to see if it was a quick fix. They were sympathetic but nothing could be done before my flight. My only option was to buy a new body. At least I could buy it duty free.
At the duty free store I decided on a new Nikon FE. I also bought 60 rolls of Kodachrome 25/36, an amount which amazed the sales assistant. I asked him to pack the film into lead lined X-ray protective pouches before he sealed the camera and film into a duty free bag (which could only be opened once through the Customs barrier at the airport)*. Sealed bag in hand I rushed to make my flight, glad to make it in time after the unexpected detour and delays.
I met a young woman at the boarding gate. She was about my age, with an American accent, and her name was Karen. She turned out to be booked on the same trip I was. We boarded our flight and the adventure began.
*It wasn’t until much later that I realised the sales receipt only included the camera. The film gods were smiling that day.
https://www.rangefinderforum.com/gallerysoft/gallery/27021/U27021.1700629148.0.jpg
(map added by Moderator Doug at OP's request)
A note about the photos
It was only in November 2023 - 44 years later - that I got around to scanning most of the slides. In the intervening years a small number have gone missing, though thankfully the more memorable pictures have survived. At least I established a file naming system from the outset: USA#roll_number-#frame_number eg USA01-15. At time of writing I’ve scanned over 1,800 slides on my Epson V700 at 4800 dpi, which will now need post processing in Lightroom. I’ll keep working on them as I add to this thread.
The next question was how to get around once there. Fortuitously there was an adventure travel company located above the travel agency, and it didn’t take much persuading to book an around-America camping/adventure trip lasting 6 weeks. That gave me 3 weeks to do some independent travel before my return flight to Australia.
My camera at the time was a Nikon FM with three primes: the 35mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4 and 105mm f/2.5. Film choice was easy: I decided on my favourite colour emulsion Kodachrome 25.
And so to Sydney’s Kingsford Smith airport on the day of departure in early May 1979, feeling very excited. I needed to buy duty free film on the way. Being cautious I checked the unloaded camera in the car only to discover it had jammed when I tried to cock the shutter. The flight was due to depart in three hours. Panic.
I detoured to the Nikon importer’s service centre to see if it was a quick fix. They were sympathetic but nothing could be done before my flight. My only option was to buy a new body. At least I could buy it duty free.
At the duty free store I decided on a new Nikon FE. I also bought 60 rolls of Kodachrome 25/36, an amount which amazed the sales assistant. I asked him to pack the film into lead lined X-ray protective pouches before he sealed the camera and film into a duty free bag (which could only be opened once through the Customs barrier at the airport)*. Sealed bag in hand I rushed to make my flight, glad to make it in time after the unexpected detour and delays.
I met a young woman at the boarding gate. She was about my age, with an American accent, and her name was Karen. She turned out to be booked on the same trip I was. We boarded our flight and the adventure began.
*It wasn’t until much later that I realised the sales receipt only included the camera. The film gods were smiling that day.
https://www.rangefinderforum.com/gallerysoft/gallery/27021/U27021.1700629148.0.jpg
(map added by Moderator Doug at OP's request)
A note about the photos
It was only in November 2023 - 44 years later - that I got around to scanning most of the slides. In the intervening years a small number have gone missing, though thankfully the more memorable pictures have survived. At least I established a file naming system from the outset: USA#roll_number-#frame_number eg USA01-15. At time of writing I’ve scanned over 1,800 slides on my Epson V700 at 4800 dpi, which will now need post processing in Lightroom. I’ll keep working on them as I add to this thread.
Last edited by a moderator:
![U27021.1699613713.0.jpg[IMG]](https://www.rangefinderforum.com/gallerysoft/gallery/27021/U27021.1699613713.0.jpg[IMG])
