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A New Project


twaffle

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I had a brain wave yesterday that I would go through my father's old slides (some of which you have seen in my old trip report) looking for images with a wider historical and photographic interest which I could re process and or re interpret with a view to making a book or exhibiting them. Some may lend themselves to composites with old letters of my father (if I can find any suitable ones) or other memorabilia and some will stand on their own.

 

So to begin with, because I have no real idea where the images will take me, I am going to slowly post the photos as and when I can. Some I may repost when I think of something better to do with them, but any comments will be happily received because I know that I will make mistakes along the way. I have to start with the ones I've scanned already, then I hope to go back into the boxes of slides.

 

It will be a little tedious to begin with because you'll have seen the photos but it is a good exercise for me. :D

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Image 1 - Loading dhows at Mombasa, January 1965

 

gallery_5545_630_4969.jpg

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Excellent idea! I love old photos and would be really, REALLY interested to see any of savanna habitats in TZ if he ever got here where we can use the topography to pinpoint the location and see what it looks like now. A colleage and I have been doing it a bit with old hunting photos and we're really seeing some amazing changes that have largely gone unremarked upon. There's a nice example of 1944 Mara we've got here: http://safari-ecology.blogspot.com/2011/12/serengeti-story-part-1-history.html, but we're gradually building up a nice set. I'm trying to pin down Hemmingway's old pics too, but the museum isn't playing ball yet. If anyone else knows of suitable old images, let's see what we can find!

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Yes, excellent idea. My first comment (although only that - just an instant idea without real thought) is to wonder whether you need to go as far with the aged look- it is 1965 and not 1925.

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Game Warden

Tz Birder, have you not read my Martin and Osa Johnson article yet? I still have to document expeditions 2,3,4 and 5. Time is the problem. But they will be added...

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Super LEEDS

Hi Twaffle

 

Do you take requests? :D If you come across any that show anything to do with the Sikh community I'm ensure your father encountered at some time or other, it would be enormously appreciated if you would take the time to process those slides too.

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Game Warden

I'm just thinking, as well as the images, can you scan your dad's old journals, to get his handwriting, and then age each page with a similar process and upload as jpegs? You could then put together an old aged fascimile book type of thing.

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Atravelynn

Some more treasures!

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Thanks for all the responses and I'll try to reply in a sensible manner.

 

TZ - My father's great hobbies at that time were sports cars and gemmology. The first is not of much interest but the second did mean that he went on many collecting trips both in Kenya and Tanzania. I haven't looked much at the Tanzanian field trips as I wasn't on many of them but I will look through the boxes and see if there are some that would fit the bill. He did used to make notes in his book regarding the whereabouts of the images so hopefully there will be enough detail to make sense to you. However, he didn't go into traditional 'safari' areas, not that it matters much in this context. I have to fire up the old computer and scanner … yuk, what have I taken on? I really enjoyed the link to the before and after photos as well, thanks. I don't know why I don't spend more time reading your blog as it is one of the more interesting ones I've come across. I'll have to book mark it. Or perhaps the real reason is jealousy and the feeling that I'm missing out. :rolleyes:

 

Pault - I know what you mean but I work best when I forget about logic and go with the heart. For my children's generation these photos are in the dark ages of history and when you look at how life, for us at least, was back in the 1960s compared to how it is now, the photos could very well have been taken a century ago. The world has moved on so quickly in those 50 odd years. Perhaps it has to do with how far away my life then feels to my current life and it is part of how I want to portray it. As I mentioned, I'm still not sure how it will all evolve and consequently images will appear very sporadically and may reappear as I change my mind. But I take your point, whilst probably ignoring it! :lol:

 

Super Leeds - I will keep my eyes open for Sikh photos but knowing my father I doubt there will be much with any people in apart from work photos and ones with local villagers. Dad was, like me, less interested in humans than in other photographic subjects although he did take a smattering of local villagers doing 'stuff' as they would have seemed very exotic. For us, having come from living in SE Asia and having many Indian friends both there and in East Africa, Sikhs probably weren't considered exotic as such, just normal like us.

 

I may have that same book as it sounds familiar and the photos are very familiar apart from Squack's antecedents as I don't know what they were called. Some of those photos were supplied by friends of ours … it is a small world.

 

Game Warden - your thinking matches mine but the challenge is to find anything. Some serious shed cleaning in order I think. I have his letters to me at boarding school and there may be little bits and pieces which I can use and I have his old stamp collection which may have some interesting things I can include. Some beautiful stamps. My father was a magpie.

 

Atravelynn - thanks, I have to do something to keep the 'Safari Blues' at bay.

Edited by wilddog
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Super LEEDS

Thanks, Twaffle.

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Looking forward to it! GW, I did see the thread there and found some that would certainly work up in Isiolo (I have a feeling I drove past that hill about 15 years ago...), and I think I might be able to place one of the more open shots for the Athi plains. My guess is that armchair would do a better job for those. If there are any TZ ones within a few hours of me I promise to post an up to date shot...

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Just an update … happily looking through slides. Finding that quite fun.

 

Looking through anything with Dad's handwriting is a little difficult. Actually much harder than I ever imagined so we will go with photos for now and get to other memorabilia when my sensibilities are dulled. :mellow:

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