DANGEROUS OLD FILMS

The images in this gallery were taken by my great-great uncle, Heinrich Schildknecht, an Austrian "alpine" photographer.



The 4"x5.75" negatives were given to me by his grandson when I met him in Europe several years ago. It's difficult to date them because the date that the photographer wrote on the envelope looks like it could either be 1919 or 1929. Now that I have a flatbed scanner with a transparency unit, I thought it was time to preserve them.

I remember asking his grandson whether or not he had his grandfather's complete collection of negatives. He replied "No, my grandfather's studio burned down". I'm not surprised.

To the best of my knowledge, the items he gave me are made with a cellulose nitrate base. Most articles you read about this type of film give dire warnings that they are extremely flammable. The typical advice is to copy them, then dispose of them properly.

Two of the many signs that films are made of cellulose nitrate are the tendency to curl and turn amber as they age. Have a look at the picture of my negs. They definitely exhibit these characteristics. The ones that curl the most seem to have a thicker base, while the flat ones are almost as thin as paper.

In some cases, the experts warn, the emulsion becomes sticky and gives off a toxic gas. Luckily, mine do not have this problem, although the emulsion is flaking in places.

There are several ways to test these films to determine whether or not they are cellulose nitrate, as outlined in this excellent article: http://bit.ly/aAKaQi. I decided to try the burn test with a strip of each of the thin and thick bases.

With the fire department on speed dial, I headed outside in the snow, far from the house and lit 'em up. Yup -the thick base burned very quickly and crackled a bit like a sparkler. The thin base was a bit more sluggish, but also burned fairly quickly.

The safe assumption is that these are cellulose nitrate bases, so I'll be doing the right thing and disposing after copying. I may even wait for a fireworks celebration and have my own backyard spectacle. If a reader more knowledgeable than I has more insight into these negs, I would appreciate a comment.

Amazingly, from the timeline in this document (http://bit.ly/d4ysrt), Kodak introduced an acetate safety film in 1908, but continued to produce cellulose nitrates until 1951. I can't speak for other manufacturers, though, but this seems to defy common sense!


Historical Images - Images by Gordon Wood

NEW TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY AGENCY

I have collaborated with a number of other photographers to form a web site called Circle Stock Images. "Circle" alludes to the fact that we're from all around the globe, and hence circle it. Here is our recent press release:

Stock Travel Photography Agency Launched by International Photographers

Circle Stock Images is proud to announce the launch of its stock photography web site, circlestockimages.com, featuring stunning travel-centric images from around the globe.

The site was created by a small team of photographers to provide photo buyers with better access to the photographers and their images. On large stock photography web sites, photo buyers are often overwhelmed by inappropriate results from online keyword searches when seeking a specific travel image. Circle Stock Images’ tightly-edited collection, however, means searches are quicker and more relevant.

The photographer-managed agency differs from traditional photo agencies by offering commission-free competitive pricing and the ability to contact and negotiate with member photographers individually. All the features found on other stock photography sites, including themed galleries, lightboxes and keyword searching are provided. Low resolution watermarked comps are also provided at no charge.

Through the site’s e-commerce facility, buyers can instantly download high resolution files and pay using PayPal™ or major credit card. Other payment methods and terms may be negotiated with individual member photographers as appropriate. This flexibility is one benefit of the photographer-managed agency versus more traditional ones.

Member photographers are located in Estonia, Germany, England, Thailand, Canada and the United States. Between them, they have captured over 45,000 beautiful images of the people, culture, scenery, food and environment of every continent.
The collection is constantly growing as members continue to travel to new locations. Upcoming destinations are China, South America, Australia, Hong Kong and Europe, as well as specific U.S. and Canadian regions. Contact Circle Stock Images to determine approximate dates and times.

About Circle Stock Images:
Circle Stock Images is a web-based collaboration between photographers from various countries, offering competitively-priced stock photography for travel and related markets. The web site, circlestockimages.com, features individual galleries submitted by member photographers. Keyword search capability is provided on the home page and accesses all galleries. Pricing is set by each photographer, but a common pricing model is used as a guideline. Contact information for members is also available on the site.