Archive

Monthly Archives: September 2015

A Moving GIF(t)

September 19, 2015
Vintage Photobooth
7 Comments

anigif

My friend John, assisted by his able friend Zeus, did the above animation of Ted’s Girl, Gail for me. John has a  fab photo site Vegas Valley Photo. It is great fun to browse through for an eclectic photographic take on on the desert and environs.

Thanks John and Zeus!

Two of the frames are the same but John and Zeus left them both in, as they are the same photos I published on my blog. When doing the post, I did wondered if I’d uploaded the same photo twice. I am getting very confused about what I have done or haven’t done, photobooth pic wise . . .

 

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Portrait of John’s loyal assistant.

Grant the Guide Dog Pup – 8 July 2000

September 19, 2015
Photobooth 45 Year Project (Archive), Polaroid Photobooth
4 Comments

 

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8 July 2000, Melbourne, Victoria

This is Grant and I in a rare Polaroid photobooth photo. He was one of my ‘respite care’ guide dog puppies. Being a black dog on a dark background, he isn’t too easy to see, but he was a very handsome boy.

Due to my failing health and the commitments of my business, I was no longer able to raise pups full-time. I took in trainees who had been injured, had had an operation or suffered from some other issue that meant they needed time to rest. Hopefully they would then be fit enough to return to their training.

The day after this photo was taken Grant was ‘decommissioned’ by Guide Dogs Victoria due to an unresolved issue which precluded him from completing his training. I believe he went back to his original puppy raising family.

I have no recollection of the location of this booth, not having made a note of it at the time. However, I suspect it was at Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne. There were four photos in the original set.

These come from my series Photobooth 41 Year Project. You can see all the posts that document the series by clicking here.

 

The Wink

September 18, 2015
Vintage Photobooth
25 Comments

photoboothWinker

I think this is the only photobooth photo I have where the subject is winking. The wink alone might have been enough to make me buy this photo, but this gent’s eyeliner, long hair and his comical, too-small, hat added to its appeal.

There is something about this photo that says “carnival” to me. I can imagine this bloke spruiking for business on any one of the sideshow games of chance and skill. I also think he is quite the cutie, but I have always had dubious taste in men.

Photobooth Signage

September 17, 2015
Photobooth Signs, Vintage Photobooth
11 Comments


I bought this and two other original photobooth display panels from the USA. They date to the late 1960s. These would have been placed on the sides of the booth to show off the quality of the images you could make of yourself. None of the strips are true booth photos, having been copied from the originals for use in multiple locations. As there is some overlap in the models and photographs used, I have chosen this, the best one, to share with you.

I wonder where the booth was located, as none of the models were male? I guess it could have been in an area dominated by hairdressing salons or another type of business with a predominantly female clientele. I love the variety of classic 60s hair and make-up styles.

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Sign Detail

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Sign Detail

Donna – From Baby to Babe

September 15, 2015
Lori and Me, Vintage Photobooth
12 Comments
photoboothDonnaAged12?

Donna in 1969

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Donna in 1972 or 1973

Ch-ch-ch-changes! This is why I love a series of photobooth photos of the same person. No other type of informal photography gives as much consistent detail of a changing face, but why oh why did this childhood collection end up on public sale?

My love to Donna and her friends. I hope they are all still with us.

To see the complete series of Donna’s growth from child to adult, please click here.

 

Lori and Me – Part 9

September 14, 2015
Lori and Me, Vintage Photobooth
5 Comments
donnaJayPart9

Undated. Possibly 1972 or 1973 “Me and Jay”

Above is the last of the photos of Donna in a photobooth with a friend. This time we have Jay, who could be another of Donna’s boyfriends. To me, they seem more like good pals. If a boyfriend, it is unusual that they are not kissing, given her love of a smooch in a booth.

Below we have the last of Donna’s friends or perhaps relatives. The way the notes on the back of each picture are written, makes it unclear whether this girl is named Sister, or if she calls Donna Sister as a nickname or is in fact her actual sister.

The writing on the back is also the only indication in all of the photos, of our blond beauty’s name. As they all came from the same album, I felt it reasonable to assume the notes were addressed to the owner of the album. The person most frequently featured, who is referred to as me in many of them, being the most obvious candidate as the owner.

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Top image. 1973 – “To one of my best friends. Stay the way you are Sister” Bottom Image. 1973 – “To Donna, A re… fr.. your friend always Sister”

Donna is photographed with many boyfriends and girlfriends over a period of 4 years from 1969 to 1973 in this series of photobooth photos. It has been a long time since I started these posts, so if you’d like to review the previous photos, please click here.

 

Violin Virtuoso?

September 10, 2015
Vintage Photobooth
10 Comments

photoboothChildwithViolin01

This is Daisy Holmes. This photobooth photo was taken in the late 1930s.

I was particularly thrilled to find the top image, as my great-grandfather, grandfather and mother were all professional violinists. My mum only retired from teaching in 2014, at the age of 85. I excitedly showed it to her on its arrival from the US, thinking she would be as pleased as I was. Her only comment was, “An instrument that big could not possibly be played by a child that size.”. Okay, not what I was expecting, but useful information for a non-musician such as myself.

So, the question is, was this a family instrument Daisy hoped one day to learn to play? Was it a prop used by anyone who ventured into the photomaton studio? Did she learn the violin and not having her own fiddle with her, choose the oversized prop instrument? Or did she just aspire to learn, with this being her way of communicating her desire to her parents?

Although completely automated, photobooths were originally situated in groups, in shops leased specifically for the purpose. You would pay at a counter, take a ticket to an attendant, who would guide you through the process by telling you how to pose to get the best portrait results.

As it had been in penny photo studios and even in more formal photographic studios, props were supplied that could be used by the clients in whatever combinations they desired.  Hats, coats, ties, sporting equipment and musical instruments might have been part of the selection offered. What you chose told the world about you: your hobbies, aspirations, desires.

Daisy was definitely telling a story about herself in the top photo, sending a message to anyone who saw it. Below, she is just an ordinary little girl. Above she is an aspiring artist, musician, actress or . . .

Any other ideas? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

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Daisy on 16 April 1938

Farmer Jeb And The Incongruous Backdrop

September 8, 2015
Vintage Photobooth
11 Comments

photoboothFarmerJoe!

This photo came from the USA and from an album of images that were mostly dated 1938.

I am guessing this man was on his way to a costume party when he spotted a photobooth and gave it a run. Having said that, it is possible the event was held at a venue with its own booth. The crudely drawn, faux lead-light window background is more typical of private machines than public ones. Looking slightly ecclesiastical, it would be more suitable to someone in a nun’s habit or priest’s robes. I just long to Photoshop in some rolling hills, a barn and some cows to make it more suitable to his costume. That is if I knew how to use Photoshop!

With his fake, glued-on beard and twisted smile, he looks to me as if he is imitating the country hick stereotype that was popular in movies of the era. This picture gave me a laugh when I first saw it for sale. Hope it makes you laugh, too.

Man In A Photobooth With A Large Rubber Doll

September 5, 2015
Vintage Photobooth
28 Comments

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The only thing I can say about this is “Why?”. Why do these exist? Why take it into a photobooth? Why do I find this so amusing?

A Pooch Like My First

September 2, 2015
Vintage Photobooth
10 Comments

photoboothStandardPoodleDino

This is not my first dog but this pup is his spitting image. His name was Dino and he, unbeknownst to me at the time, was named after Dean Martin for his dark and lustrous hair. Being only 6 or 7 at the time, I assumed he was named after Dino the dinosaur, the family pet from the Flintstones.

Dino was my first love and I was totally bereft when he died whilst we were on holiday one year. We left him with my grandparents, he got out of their back garden and had an unfortunate altercation with a car.

This standard sized photobooth photo is not entirely in focus, but given my current dog’s performance in photobooths, it isn’t too off the mark for a subject generally so wriggly and squirmy.

Update – 4 September 2015. My friend Mike thinks this dog is wearing a toupee. I agree. It is made from Dean Martin’s quiff. Below is a pic of a human wearing a toupee made from dog hair.

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