Under the heading of Nostalgia

[Michael Fraley]

Under the heading of Nostalgia, I visited my alma mater today for a photo exhibit, at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Celebrating 60 Years of Photography at SFAI, Sept 25 - 30

Exhibition
The First Decade: 1946–1956, Alumni Photography from SFAI

It was thirty years ago that I graduated from the Art Institute. Every five years or so I've been stopping by to see how it's doing. Today I went to see the exhibit. One of my former teachers, also an alum, had two pictures hanging -- Pirkle Jones, a student of Ansel Adams and a very kind teacher. I got to talk with one of the exhibit organizers whose father was represented by two photos also, and she's putting a book together of this period. There was a reception with lunch for alumni, more photography talk at the table I joined, very enjoyable. A San Francisco character, lifelong member of the Dolphin Club who has swum to Alcatraz was at our table and was entertaining. Afterwards, I wandered around and soaked up the atmosphere. Something fascinating about returning to the scene of your youth. All in all a good visit.

[GeneW]

Michael, it sounds like you had a fine time. Did you study art or photography there, or both?

Gene

[Michael Fraley]

Hi Gene,

I was a photo major. After college I did commercial photography, of a sort -- souvenir photos at The Fairmont Hotel, Finnochio's, and another San Francisco hotel. We had 'camera girls' in black skirts and white blouses, carrying press cameras straight out of 1940's era movies -- vintage gear, sheet film. I developed the sheet film and printed out sets of souvenir photos which the girls would go back and deliver to the customers. Usually they would work the dining room and the lobby. A lot of the camera girls were also photo students. It was my only paying job in photography. Mostly it was a 9pm to 1am job. I remember one member of the band at The Fairmont, and a veteran camera girl. It was a different world and I was in on the tail end of it.

[nikonbob]

At least you had the priviledge of catching a glimpse of that different world. I think that was kind of a classy way of doing things. I have never seen that myself except in movies. I think you were pretty lucky.

Bob

[GeneW]

Michael, that's a fond memory indeed. End of an era.

I'll bet if someone rigged up and concealed a decent digital in a press camera, it would be a novelty that might still work. Take the big cam to the back and run off a digital print to take back to the customer... just daydreaming ...

Gene

[herron]

...or perhaps get a sensor large enough to fit inside the back of one of those press cameras? Talk about MEGApixels!

Some time back, there was discussion rattling around the Internet about making sensors to fit old film cameras...it was just too expensive to pull it off...........would have been nice, though! IMHO