Noctilucent

In 1958 when I was 12 years old, I was stuck waiting around a local hospital while a family member got better. Knowing of my budding interest in photography, my mother suggested that I visit the hospital photographer, whose facility was downstairs. Being a bored-silly teen, I drifted downstairs, and what I found in the basement was a wonderland, presided over by a wizard who set me on my life's path.

The wizard was a kindly older fellow who was proud of his work and happy to show it to interested parties of any age. I thought of him — immediately and forever more — as “The Old Photographer” and have assigned him a mythical position in the cast of characters in my life.

The Old Photographer had created a museum of his work and his tools, a fabulously cluttered space that I've been laboring to reproduce for myself ever since. The walls of his large room held a gallery of framed prints representing the daily doings of a large hospital: Black and white portraits of administrators and physicians, vivid color close-ups of gruesome medical specimens, documentation of dramatic surgeries, journalistic coverage of the emergency rooms, poetic renderings of recently deceased patients, photocopies of documents, and many other images demonstrating the versatility and ability of the hospital’s one-man staff.

The shelves and tables filling the room were covered with tools of the trade: A gigantic copy camera, a variety of roll-film and sheet film gear including colossal view camera lenses and macro gear of mysterious provenance. These mysteries were dispelled as the Old Photographer patiently explained what everything was and what it did. The tour then proceeded to the darkroom, where utility candles burning in lanterns of red glass gave just enough light to introduce me to the magic of images fading into view on blank sheets of paper sliding around in trays of smelly liquids.

Oh my! Was I hooked!

The following years found me developing (no pun) a darkroom tan. While my schoolmates were out surfing and sailing, I was establishing a lifelong affinity for gear and more gear and starting a collection that now threatens to burst the walls of my warehouse home. And when out of the darkroom I made photographs of everything that caught my eye and my fancy — a habit that continues to this day.

Fifty-eight years later I hold the memory of The Old Photographer and his shop as being a major turning point in my life. Funny how it remains intact in my memory while having disappeared without a trace.

I recall the Zen parable of a seeker being carried across the great water by a teacher in a boat. When the seeker steps onto land on the far side and turns around, the boat and the teacher are gone.

Been there — done that. In 1971 I had another, and sadder occasion to visit that hospital and thought to go downstairs and take a trip down memory lane. Thinking of youngsters to whom I might introduce this wonderland I essayed to the basement and the ground zero of my affinity with photography. To my dismay, “there was no there there.” The door and the sign were the same, but stepping inside was like visiting a moon lab in “2001, a Space Odyssey.”

It was mostly empty. Everything was white — A spotless shiny floor and gleaming blank walls. In one corner stood a white minilab, a refrigerator-sized appliance for developing film. In another corner two young technicians in crisp white lab coats conferred over their clipboards.

Very quietly, I backed out of the room…

Tracy B. Loc: Indiana

Great story, and you're a great story teller. It is obvious that writing is another one of your fine skills.

Noctilucent

Thanks very much, Tracy. That tale has been percolating in my heart for a long long time. Such a treat to share it here!
…And nice to know that there are night-owls all over to share it with. Best regards, Paul H

pfillius Loc: Hercules, East SF Bay, CA USA

I think this may be one of the very best photo stories I have ever read, thanks it really made my day.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

A lot of great stories and IM still laughing at some of them.

strobe Loc: Central Iowa

I was the photographer for the high school year book. The dark room was a converted store room over the stage which was between the two locker rooms off the gym. I was working up there one Saturday. I should have been the only one in the school, but I heard voices in the gym. Concerned that they might be up to some mischief and that I might get blamed for it I loaded up the schools "big" 120mm roll film camera, since it had the widest field of view, as well as the largest negative to print from, and hooked up the schools 'big' Strobonar flash. I'd already experimented with it in the dark gym so I knew I could get sufficient exposure if they came back through.
I stood center court and waited. The only lights in the windowless gym were the "EXIT" signs over the doors. About 15 minutes later the two gals as it turned out came out of the men's locker room and walked across the floor right in front of the stage. When I figured out where they were and pointed my camera in the right direction. I stomped my foot on the hardwood floor, figuring that they would turn toward the sound as a reflex action, and they did, and about half a second after the stomp I trigger the shutter.
They screamed bloody murder, that's when I figured out it was two girls, and they broke into a dead run across the gym. Just before they hit the double doors one of them screamed my name, but I didn't reply. They hit the panic bars on the doors hard enough that both doors slammed into the walls at full open and slammed shut against the door frame. I heard them sprint down the hall and out the emergency doors about 20 yards away. Again the doors slammed the school walls open and the door frames shut. Those doors were never unlocked so I figured I was alone in the school, or at least I hoped so.
I went up to the dark room and wound the rest of the 'expensive' roll of film through the camera and developed it to see who it was that was in the school with me. As soon as it was dry enough I put it in the enlarger and shoved it all the way up and found them in the frame. Even from the negative image I recognized them and concluded that they weren't the type to be vandals, although I had no idea what they'd been up to.
I printed an 8" X 10" image out of the frame and processed it and dried it. The photo was fantastic. They were both looking right at the camera and each had one foot up. The second one was holding a box of "Cracker Jacks" between her thumb and forefinger and it looked for all the world like the two of them had pinched it and were trying to make off with it without being caught.
I showed it to the high school year book faculty adviser and explained what had happened that morning and we had a good laugh together. He didn't even complain that I wasted a whole roll of film for one picture.

LarryFB Loc: Depends where our RV is parked

Although I don't know what this has to do with photography, this is great! Maybe it just shows what a wonderful hobby photography is! I certainly hope you understand what you did for her, yes, I think you do!

LarryFB Loc: Depends where our RV is parked

I have to thank you for starting this. It has been one of the most entertaining thread I have ever read. Again, I thank you!!

jim quist Loc: Missouri

A woman sent a picture of her husband to her son thru email to be used for his obituaray. She asked him to make sure he returned it because it was the only copy she had.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

Yes Im enjoying it also. A lot of fully stories.

picsbywayne Loc: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

When I was in High School, there wasn't an active photography club but we did set up a dark room in one of the Science Lab prep rooms. One year we were doing all of the processing for the yearbook for the "formal" team photos. The teacher advisor told one of the students to pickup chemicals to get the dark room set up. He went out and bought negative developer, stop bath and fixer but instead of bringing it in to school, he took it home and brought in chemicals that he had there - which had expired!!

Almost every shot that we developed came out washed out and totally lacking in contrast. They raced aroudn trying to re-take a bunch of the shots but that yearbook has a bunch of poor quality photos. I totally respect that teachers restraint in dealing with the 'culprit'.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

A lab we used in Oklahoma City had an interesting story to tell.
One customer brought in a negative of people on a boat to have a print made, but asked to have it flipped so she could see the people on the other side.