Back in 2015, I had the opportunity to scan in all my old black and white negatives from a photography class in 2004. The course was all about shooting on 35mm film and using the dark room on campus to develop our film.
I remember signing out the #9 key a lot some nights, just to tool around in that dark room. It was a great resource and it was an experience I ended up using later on when I moved to Florida.
Since I was using a Canon Rebel G Camera, and whatever film you could buy at the time (since it was the early 2000s, film cameras were still a thing), this would help me in a starting point of using Canon products, funny enough.
Unfortunately, Amazon now sells this camera as renewed / refurbished (what else is new??) and you could probably find it on other marketplace sites for similar or lower pricing. Film on the other hand... you're better off seeing if local box stores have rolls; Amazon isn't a cheap alternative, although it's not off by much. Once acquired, try getting the film developed with a reasonable turn around time because we're so used to seeing everything now! with digital devices. Some sites quote as long as 2 weeks or more to get the prints / scans (to disc, etc.) back because they ship the film out somewhere. It's not done in house anymore. Hopefully there's an actual photo store locally that focuses on prints, but those too are becoming obsolete.
I know I have previously written about that course and have uploaded shots here, but I haven't uploaded all of them. Over time, the film has started to degrade, leaving the attempt to scan, a little crispy around the edges. I have kept the negatives in archival sleeves, in a tote bin, which then moved from Massachusetts to Florida and they are now kept in a closet. As with everything here, these have seen (or felt) heat, humidity and cold (from the AC). So I know I'm losing time on keeping them.
Which is why I jumped on the opportunity to spend a day scanning them. I had used an Epson Perfection V600 scanner, which again, Amazon sells as renewed / refurbished. I do not know what the newest update to that is at this time, as I'm not scanning photos or negatives. I remember this particular scanner did both slides and negatives. There was a holder for each type and we didn't have any issues. As it was a wired scanner, it also came with an installation disc that had proprietary (to Epson) software.
Getting back to the text with my uncle, I did find the pictures, and quickly put the two shots I had into Photoshop. I did a real hasty edit and sent them to him with the comment of "[t]hey aren't frameable. I would have to spend too many hours trying to clean them up. The film negatives were already crispy when I scanned them in 2015 (originally taken in 2004). I just did a light cleanup and they still look bad". Which is basically repeating what I've written, but now you have the context.
Yes, I had a fence in front of me. No, I wasn't thinking about future proofing my photos at the time and getting a better shot of this billboard. I was mindlessly taking photos of my surroundings because my professor made this particular day a field trip day. There was just a handful of us in the class, so he drove a couple of us in his car and the rest split themselves up between other cars (I think we had 3 cars worth of people in the end). I didn't want to venture too far off from the class since I didn't have my train money with me and wasn't expecting to go into town that day. I get squirreled easily, so they could have walked away and wouldn't have noticed I wasn't with them. Therefore I needed to stay close.
For reference, the road I'm on may be Comm Ave, but I could be wrong. I honestly forget where we parked. I have a sneaky suspicion it would be Commonwealth Avenue, as there were more parking spaces that day there, and we could walk around more / better. No one would need to worry about running to feed a meter or anything else. I think the professor handed the drivers enough quarters so we could take our time around the Kenmore Square area.
I do have to say, after trying to search online for any better quality photo, there were several billboards around Boston, telling sports fans to "Keep the faith". The images included David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez. It now has me second guessing whether the photo I have is Pedro or Manny, as I've been saying it's Pedro for 21 years. I can't say "you be the judge" because the image is such poor quality, that it's hard to tell. The little bit I have of a face, it looks like it could be the Pedro board, but I don't know.
As I was looking at my other scanned photos, I decided to pull out some other photos and try to edit them. Most are from the same day and area.
This shot is the group heading back to the cars at the end of the field trip. We are on the same bridge where I would have been for the Pedro shots. The light source at the top of the photo (the random squares) is from the scanner. This was one of the film strips that curled up on me during the years, sadly enough.
The Hotel Buckminster was located at the intersection of Beacon Street and Brookline Avenue, with the main address (front door) being on Bacon Street. It's part of the "heart of Kenmore Square". According to the internet, it had shut down in 2020 due to the pandemic and hasn't opened up again. It was running under new management for a few years but they decided to permanently shutter the doors during lockdown.
How unfortunate; I never got to see inside the building but the outside view is so cool.
This photo was taken in Kenmore Square but I don't remember what street I was facing. A lot of the buildings in this area are owned / operated by Boston University. I have no recollection of that side street. I know I'm in Kenmore Square and I think very close to the Citgo sign, so maybe the Beacon Street side of Kenmore. If I keep going right, I'll be facing the Pru. I wish I took more photos around these buildings. Better landmarks.
I miss Bertucci's, but I love the different brands in this photo. Top of the building (obviously) is a sign for Bertucci's, a famous Italian restaurant in New England. It's so good there. The pizza... the salad... the rolls to dip in olive oil... it's better than Olive Garden. Hands down. 😛👅
We used to love to go in and ask for a bag of rolls and that would be it some days. The staff had brown bags loaded with the cooked balls of dough on the warmer, as it was one of the popular pieces of food at this place. I'm salivating just thinking about it.. I could totally go for a slice pizza and the bread right now...
Most people have a Staples, so we're used to the big red box truck to deliver our office supply needs. "It's that easy". 🔴
I do have to say, this photo being shot in Boston, I can't have it compete with Pino's in Brookline Brighton. That was my "go to" place at school (sorry Eagle's Deli 😜).
This photo was taken during a snow storm. I was home for something, and thought the tracks in the slush looked pretty rad. I guess mischief was managed in this one?
I know the head on the cat looks weird. It's how I edited out the scanned artifacts and tried to sharpen it up. I promise that it's a real cat and a real photo. I don't know who the cat belongs to; it was on our back deck this day, just hanging out on this winter day. Snow and ice had melted enough that the deck looks like it poured, but it was actually the middle of winter, which is why there's a plastic chair leg looking weird in the lower left hand corner. Might have been the middle of the day too. I want to say around 3pm, but who knows. It feels like it could have been three. I was concerned on who's fur baby this was, but didn't want to scare it by going outside. So once I took the photos (I took multiple and this was one of the better ones), I went about my business. I might have been making tea, which is why I saw the cat. Our kitchen looked into the backyard and the deck door was between the kitchen and dining room. We had a kitchen window looking out there as well.
I think my trip down memory lane / street / avenue / quest for walking scores in a busy city needs to come to an end tonight. I miss those days of riding on the T and walking everywhere (as lousy as I am with directions, I could tell you what T stop you need). Nothing will compare to the buzz of the area, especially during peak sports times. 2004 was the year the Sox won the World Series, making the "Curse of the Bambino" go away for a moment.
Don't get me wrong; I had no issues in Brockton either, getting up and going to places locally. I could walk to Cumby's for my 99¢ coffee or Dunkie's for my coffee and bagel combo (although there was a wicked good bagel shop next door, which was far superior than Dunkie's any day). I'd play frogger to get to all of those places and be home before my drink was frozen and my toasted bagel with cream cheese was hard.
Ask me to tell you what exit you need off I 95, 93, 128, or the Mass Pike? Sheeeeeeeiit... I don't know. I got lost getting home from Reading one day (I ended up in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace area courtesy of a Fleet Center exit. Don't ask me how I made it home that day. I down right scared it out of my brain). I also missed my exit going to Peabody for a 3 year old's birthday party (I white knuckled the steering wheel while I drove through through the O''Neill Tunnel because I squirreled myself somehow. I wasn't supposed to be anywhere near there). These were days before GPS in cars and on phones. I was relying on printed maps. I don't know how I made it to places, but I did. I learned valuable lessons which have carried me into Florida.
I don't go out and venture off in a state where you can pick up a bus every hour and change. I may have driven to Naples and Marco Island for work in the hotels, but I didn't like it.. not one bit. I was super uncomfortable, but I did it. I have yet to go take solo trips to Cape Coral, mainly because my need has been to Winn Dixie and that is about it. I haven't ventured further. That area has too many things to look at. I know I need to go, but I haven't yet.
Living in Florida is like living in the Wild West for me You never know what you'll see and what you'll come across. Which is why I need a better form of transportation. Driving works because it's got air conditioning when you need it, but when you're not used to driving in big places, it's over stimulating.
Walking scores are great and if you know where you're going, they're perfect. Plus, it allows you to take pictures and you can see some great stuff, as I've been able to scan onto a disc. It's too bad I don't have the means to recreate some of these things now. I wish I could, but money and employment are hindering that. I need to align myself in a better working position in order to take a vacation back north, just to get better photos. Or more photos, depending on the case.
Until the situation gets better and I get my job stuff sorted, go out and enjoy the scenery. You never know what you're going to be looking at.
Cheers;
See also (aka links to various things mentioned)
- Canon Rebel G Camera
- 35mm Film on Amazon
- Epson Perfection V600 Scanner
- Photos edited in Photoshop
- "Mischief managed" reference is to the "Marauder's Map" in Harry Potter
- Which, by the way, there's a new audiobook reading of the series - "Full Cast Editions" (but not the original movie cast).
- Media about The Curse of The Bambino
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Thanks for sharing!