Recently I scanned 2700 35mm slides from an archive of more than 5000. In the process, I became reacquainted with the lovely tactile qualities of that medium: the feel of the mounts in my hand, the rapid way I could go from a wide view of many images to a close inspection of one, the… [Read More]
Archives for 2007
Grace Under Pressure
Merle Travis wrote two songs in his career that overshadowed all his others. He wrote them in the same evening, under intense pressure. With an album contract in hand, a recording session the next day, and an order from his producer to write some “…songs that [sound] folky” Travis recalled his mining-country upbringing, and turned… [Read More]
Film Prices
Fifty years ago, I was buying a lot of film. In 1957 I was working for both my high school newspaper and yearbook, and going through 8 or 9 rolls of 35mm Tri-X a week. Even though it was the school’s money, I remember exactly what it cost. Twenty exposures were 85 cents, and a… [Read More]