Some Twin Peaks Marylin Monroe Vintage Finds
This last few years, since the Pandemic hit, lots of folks were stuck home, and if they weren’t learning a new way to work, they were starting a hobby, or reinvigorating one. For me, I took it as an opportunity to start organizing all of my vintage cameras. I sure had collected a lot over the years, since I had worked as a professional photographer and had done a lot of travel photography over in Japan. Upon doing some soul searching and just asking the question: ‘what would be the most fun thing to do at this point in life.’ The answer came back that my new venture would be to create a vintage camera pop-up at the Sunset Mercantile market events. Let’s sell local.
Even though I already had a lot of inventory, I set out to gather more 35mm film slrs, lenses, film, bags & gear. I would go around and shower garage sales, estate sales, antique stores, co-ops, you name it, even mom & pop camera shops in other towns, in search of more film photographic gear. Part of building the boutique experience, required that I collect furniture, pieces and lamps, decor that would help in building out the vintage themed pop-up I was envisioning. I found this H.R.M make-up case and accompanying ocean going vessel luggage that looks like something that would have been loaded onto the Titanic in 1912.
Vintage luggage befit a voyager on the RMS Titanic
At a an estate sale in Twin Peaks, run by, The Yes Co, I went to recently, I had such an adventure getting there. Walking around the Twin Peaks neighborhood of San Francsico, It made me feel as if I were out on a ‘Rick Steve’s European tour’. Walking through these little quaint neighborhoods I had never seen, and winding in and out of these high elevation alley ways, brought back my memories of being on the Greek Island of Mykonos, or walking through small French Rivera towns. I was lost in the feeling of being a traveler in my own back yard. Oh, and lest I forget, I picked up a Beauty lamp for 10. $ at a Movie Memorabilia estate sale. But once again, one of the best parts of this vintage journey, is that it’s one of discovery..
At another Yes Co Estate sale, one had I dubbed, ‘The Christmas Home sale’, since there was an inordinate amount of Christmas themed nick nackery around, I found some great stuff: Two Life Magazines, which I love to read and thumb through for vintage design ideas, some 8mm film reels, & would ya guess, some 1960’s Christmas home movies on ‘em, and a Kodak Starmite II vintage camera kit, that still had the flash bulbs in tact.
It’s just these kinds of things that help to create my vintage wares presence in the neighborhood and online. I wish to provide cameras, lenses, film, bags and magazines, that help others get inspired to enjoy photography and create their own individual style. Digital serves it’s purpose, but this movement is all about getting back in touch with the analog side of things. It’s part style & atmosphere, but also the feel of taking pictures with a mechanical medium that relies on a chemical process to render images. There’s just a lot of excitement, challenge, and anticipation to see what you’re gonna get from taking pictures with a film camera.
Just pick yourself up a point and shoot camera, for starters, load it with some black and white film, start shooting and you’re off and running. When you’re ready, there’s a 35mm film slr right around the corner. Then you can really pursue the basics of film photography: setting exposure, focal lengths, depth of field, composition, and speed settings for capturing action. Film photography can be whole lot of fun, and can be part of your overall digital photography ensemble.
