Mystery Solved! (Warning BAD PHOTOS!)

[dazedgonebye]

Did you ever wonder how your parents managed to take such crappy pictures of you in the 60's?
Wonder no longer.
Behold the product of the Kodak Brownie Super 27! Efke 100 iso 127 roll film. Lit with flash bulbs.
I swear, these just need some browned paper to look like the ones dad took.

 

[Ducky]

A bit of nostalgia and some cute shots. What did you threaten the little girl with, she's afraid to move? My kids, now grandgids, just stared me down til I quit trying.

 

[Ronald M]

I remember my dad saying he did not need to focus his 127 Kodak Kodak something because it had "universal focus."

Wonder why that inovation fell by the wayside.

 

[chris91387]

that's a great look though.

- chris

 

[charjohncarter]

My dad has been gone for a very long time, thanks for bringing him back for a few seconds.

 

[capitalK]

When my father and his brothers were growing up in the late 40's early 50's their father (my grandfather who I sadly never met) took all the family photos on Kodachrome with a Viewmaster camera. My dad has the coolest childhood photos I've ever seen.

These are pretty awesome too. A great experiment, to be sure.

 

[Abbazz]

Maybe one day people will acknowledge all the harm done to photography by Kodak...

Cheers!

Abbazz

 

[RayPA]

that shot of the Christmas tree is kinda of Arbus-ish looking. All it needs is the giant and his parents!

.

 

[nikon_sam]

These past two weeks I have run a roll of film through an Argus Argoflex 75, Kodak Six-20 Brownie Target and a Kodak Brownie E...
I thought I remembered that all the pictures my parents took when we were kids were sharp from 2' to infinity and the tones were perfect and plentiful...but now I'm having some doubts and some of my childhood memories are starting to go slightly out of focus...
The results of using these cameras have been disappointing on so many levels but now after looking at your samples I don't feel so bad...I couldn't a sharp image on any part of all those negs...I made sure I was at least 7 feet from any subject and in some shots I was trying to check for DOF...I guess that didn't exist back then...
Thanks for posting the shots...they made my day...I feel better now...

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I would not call them bad photographs exactly. They simply show the quality, or lack there of, from the lens/camera. The photos have a great vintage look to them, and I usually try to achieve that myself when taking pictures at re-enactment events.

I'm in need of a supply of Efke 127 film within the next few weeks when I'm going to run it through a Kodak Autographic Vest Pocket camera. I wonder how that'll work out.
Unfortunately my regular film dealer has run out of this film and I'm waiting for him to get it back in stock 🙁

 

[Uwe_Nds]

I'm in need of a supply of Efke 127 film within the next few weeks when I'm going to run it through a Kodak Autographic Vest Pocket camera. I wonder how that'll work out.
Unfortunately my regular film dealer has run out of this film and I'm waiting for him to get it back in stock 🙁

Have you tried www.fotoimpex.de directly?

Cheers,
Uwe

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Thanks for the link, Uwe.
They'll be my next port of call if www.fotofilmfabriek.nl doesn't get it back in stock within the next couple of days.

 

[dazedgonebye]

Any way you look at it, the camera has a crappy plastic lens and 2 focus settings. It's tough to get a sharp image.
I think these things were intended for daylight snaps of the family vacation. Mom and the boys standing in front of the entrance to Disney, snapped from 12 feet away.
At this point, what they provide is a taste of the experiences of a generation (or two) ago. Both the experience and the results tickle at my memories, and that's a plesant experience.

 

[Chris101]

I think that last picture is GREAT! It's really got that Americana/snapshot thing going that I call 'grunge' and seek for all of my work.

 

[blw]

The only thing truly missing is bad colors. B&W helps on some levels, but if you could run some cheap, store-brand color through that thing....you'd have a winner.

Consequently, I do have to agree with Abazz. I'd like to think all their variations of film they've made over the decades absolves them of all the horrible cameras they've made; but then, they persist into the digital age and that might be the tipping point.

 

[Shok]

I intentionally look toward that dodgy grunged out type of photography. It's something that can't be intentionally replicated by digital programs.
I don't find the photos that bad per say. With the right combination of composition and subject matter, you'll get some fascinating shots through that monster!!