Found Film

[Brian Moore]

I bought a Yashica 635 yesterday. It's a TLR that shoots 120 film. I discovered some exposed film inside. Kodak VPS 160. I had no idea, of course, whether any images were on the film. But I took it to the camera shop and got it developed.

The fellow I bought the camera from said the film wasn't his. He had got the camera "from the East Coast."

Perhaps he was telling me the truth. One of the images has a couple of hotels in it and signage for "Lake Placid," which is in New York.

I don't know when Kodak stopped making VPS 160, but whenever it was this film I found was old. I'm guessing these images were taken in the late 70's or early 80's.

I have not tried to correct the massive color shifts the emulsion has suffered over the years.

 

[Beth Carter]

i believe that is the olympic ski jump at lake placid in shots 6-10 and probably the view from the top of the ski jump in the last two.

just did a quick google search and the lake placid olympics were in 1980. so sometime after 1980 and judging by the empty parking lot...

 

[Dan Cattermole]

WOOOOOW!!!! I'd love to find some film and develop it to find that there are some epic shots on there!
Brilliant!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Wonderful. I'm sure that whoever took them would have been right at home here at RPF. Good find, Brian.

 

[Brian Moore]

i believe that is the olympic ski jump at lake placid in shots 6-10 and probably the view from the top of the ski jump in the last two.

just did a quick google search and the lake placid olympics were in 1980. so sometime after 1980 and judging by the empty parking lot...

Thanks, Beth. I think you're right about the ski jump. I'd love to know where 1 and 2 were shot.

 

[David Mitchell]

I am looking forward to seeing what a whole roll of shot 35mm comes up with - hopefully it survived when I have to manually reroll it in the dark!

 

[Brian Moore]

WOOOOOW!!!! I'd love to find some film and develop it to find that there are some epic shots on there!
Brilliant!

This is the 3 or or 4th time I've come across found film, Dan. One time I found a roll of 35mm slide film inside a camera. I cross -processed it in Rodinal and found that all the pictures had been taken inside a fire station,...all were close up pictures of the valves and gauges on a fire truck. Another time some color print film was left inside a camera a friend gave me. I asked him if he wanted the film back and quite inexplicably he wasn't interested. So I had it devved and sent him the images. Boy was he surprised to find the images were of his kids at Xmas many years ago. Another time I bought an old Polaroid and found it had several images of some little kids tucked inside the case. Another roll I found had family images: kids making snow angels in the snow, a close up of a lady whose head was like a football, etc. Its an interesting pursuit,...found film.

Thanks, Dan.

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Wonderful. I'm sure that whoever took them would have been right at home here at RPF. Good find, Brian.

I think you're right, Rob. The photographer seemed to have put some thought into a few of those images.

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I am looking forward to seeing what a whole roll of shot 35mm comes up with - hopefully it survived when I have to manually reroll it in the dark!

Film is inherently full of suspense.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

that's just brilliant Brian - what a find

 

[Brian Moore]

that's just brilliant Brian - what a find

Thanks, Chris.

 

[Larry Bolch]

Vericolor film was a professional emulsion that was refrigerated at its peak of accuracy. Recommendation was to thaw it out two hours before exposure and process it immediately. Evidently they missed the latter instruction.

 

[Brian Moore]

Thanks for that, Larry. (When did they discontue it,...any idea?)

Evidently they missed the latter instruction.

I concur with your conclusion.

 

[Larry Bolch]

Thanks for that, Larry. (When did they discontue it,...any idea?)

Google was remarkably short on answers. Checking ads in old photo magazines, it appears that it was replaced by Portra 160 in late 1999 or early 2000.

 

[Beth Carter]

brian - i'm just guessing, but the buildings in #1 look like something you'd find in new jersey or possible new york's beaches.

 

[Brian Moore]

Google was remarkably short on answers. Checking ads in old photo magazines, it appears that it was replaced by Portra 160 in late 1999 or early 2000.

Google was remarkably short on answers.

Yeah,...I wanted to mention the last year of it just by way of helping identify the approximate era so I looked and looked during the time between posting the images and finishing my shpiel but I found nothing. Finally I got fed up and just posted the images and shpiel I had. Thanks for looking, Larry, and thanks for tracing the magazine adds.

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brian - i'm just guessing, but the buildings in #1 look like something you'd find in new jersey or possible new york's beaches.

For whatever reason, Atlantic City popped into my mind when I saw the image of the people in the pedal cars. I don't know why it should because I've never been to Atlantic City. Anyway, I would also guess New York/New Jersey. Thanks, Beth!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

The building in the mid left has a name on it - looks like something & something

The building far right has THE COLON visible on the side, so could be the COLONY o COLONIAL perhaps?

 

[Pete Askew]

What an interesting find find Brian. It really does pique the curiosity doesn't it?!

 

[Brian Moore]

What an interesting find find Brian. It really does pique the curiosity doesn't it?!

Thanks, Pete. Yes, it makes you wonder on several levels.