Reliving Pop Photo

[kmallick]

Anybody like to browse thru old issues of Popular Photography? It somehow brings me immense pleasure to read them again online (thanks to Google).

https://books.google.com/books?id=fumEWqHyJqQC&source=gbs_all_issues_r&cad=1

Still a lot to learn and appreciate what has changed and what has not over the years. Some of the issues and articles from the 80’s are still so vivid in my memory! And I still enjoy browsing through the commercials of the mail order camera stores and pretending I can order a few things that I couldn’t afford those days.

I miss Pop Photo....

 

[Dave Jenkins]

Yeah, me too. I miss Camera 35 even more.

 

[kshapero]

I miss the real Shutterbug magazine. It was the eBay of its day. You older guys know what I mean.

 

[Mackinaw]

For me, I miss Modern Photography. Always looked forward to Herbert Keppler's column.

Jim B.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Popular Photography did an article that featured a two-page spread of my work in their November, 2003 issue!

The cover

Intro to the article, which featured the work of three other photographers as well.

My work. Too bad they cut my grandpa's face in half 🙁

The text. The little portrait of me was done by my son, Mack. He was only four years old when he made that photo! He used a Fuji Quicksnap disposable camera.

 

[froyd]

Thanks for the link. I had forgotten about all the cigarette ads in the 80s!

 

[charjohncarter]

That was a nice article written about Chris Crawford. It is fun to see how much information was packed in the magazine each month. I don't know if they will go back further (but I can hope) I'm still looking for a David Vestal article written in about 1970-71. I cut it out to keep but lost it in a move.

 

[oftheherd]

My three top magazines, not in order; Pop Photo, Modern Photo, Peterson's.

I enjoyed Shutterbug when it first came out to look and the things I wished I had but couldn't afford. Later it morphed into a magazine with lots of interesting articles.

If I recall correctly, Herbert Kepler wrote for both magazines at different times, I think when one folded. His articles were often the first ones I turned to when I opened a magazine.

 

[oftheherd]

Popular Photography did an article that featured a two-page spread of my work in their November, 2003 issue!

The cover

Intro to the article, which featured the work of three other photographers as well.

My work. Too bad they cut my grandpa's face in half 🙁

The text. The little portrait of me was done by my son, Mack. He was only four years old when he made that photo! He used a Fuji Quicksnap disposable camera.

Chris,

That far back I don't recall that article but I pretty much read the magazines cover to cover, so I would have seen it. Nice you got that recognition that early on.

Lucky for us you visit us as often as you do and share what you do.

 

[CameraQuest]

for those not aware

Herbert Keppler was one of the founders of Modern Photography,
writing MP's mission statement in the first issue.

Jason Schneider joined him at Modern, writing the famous Camera Collector columns.

Later Modern was bought out by Popular. Keppler and Schneider moved to Pop.

Keppler becoming the publisher, Jason becoming the long time Editor of Popular Photography.

Anything you want to know about Modern or Pop, ask Jason!

Stephen

 

[p.giannakis]

This person in flickr scans previous issues of Modern photography and Popular photography.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/38552878@N02/

 

[charjohncarter]

Great Pan, I'll forage through them when Flickr comes online.

 

[Mackinaw]

This guy has scanned hundreds of issues of Pop Photo and Modern Photo from 1949 to 1968. You can spend hours on this site:

https://alookback.net/

Jim B.

 

[Takkun]

That's something I'll thoroughly enjoy once things start to reopen. The downtown Seattle library has a seemingly endless archive of photography magazines in the stacks dating back to the 40s at least, and its always a joy browsing.

If anything, it makes me feel better letting go of the boxes of 15-year-old issues I've been hoarding.

 

[p.giannakis]

Great Pan, I'll forage through them when Flickr comes online.

Actually, the link Mackinaw posted link to this account and it is better organised.

 

[charjohncarter]

I tried his link. I'll have to wait awhile for him to get to 1970-72. Thanks for tipping me to the archive.

 

[Pál_K]

I've saved a few dozen of the photo mags, Pop Photo, Modern, Shutterbug, ranging from 1950's through 1990's, but most are 1970's.

A favorite issue was always December, when they'd have a large section on current cameras, a page dedicated to each.

I saved a few of the KEH catalogs, including the very last one they mailed out. I've kept only one B&H - it's about 15 years old.

 

[fdarnell]

Thanks for posting that link!

 

[robert blu]

Interesting links. And nice to see Chris work recognized in that Popular Photography issue.

 

[Dogman]

Thanks to all for the links. I subscribed to both Modern and Popular (off and on) from the 70s. Their photography annuals were an inspiration to me. Unfortunately, they're all gone now after countless moving around.

I really really miss Camera 35 as well.