Monday, October 5, 2020

Analog Pictures


The other day, I was browsing through my old, analog (non- digital) pictures, focusing on the bad ones (blurred, failed contrast - too dark, too bright etc..).  I wanted to try and improve quality, if possible, by using the editing software on my rather old,  computer.

Most of these pictures  are dear to me, mementos of my visit to some famous landmarks, such as that of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In order to successfully capture both the landmark and myself in the same picture, I needed a much better camera than the one I had, and certainly better photographic skills, but I had neither (sigh).


Eiffel  Tower

It was getting dark outside, I was sitting on the stairs, feeling tired. In the above Eiffel Tower picture I looked almost  deleted, so I tried hard to recover some of my body shape.

 

                                                      At The Colloseum in Rome

The ancient structure of the Colloseum looks o.k. ;  my face, on the other hand, looks blurred. One can improve things, but touching face could turn disastrous; not recommended.

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                                           Mozart's monument & birth place in Salzburg

 I felt music in the air, Mozart's music. It was a lovely, sunny day, perfectly appropriate for a visit to the great composer's birthplace.

                                                        Fontana di Trevi - Rome

This stunning , famous fountain, where people throw coins in its water, makes you forget everything. I just stood there overwhelmed by the sight of it.

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I've got quite a few pictures with Me sitting on stairs , on rocks, on a bench , on a fountain edge or on the grass  by some famous attraction .  Not surprising, though.  I was a tourist, and as such, often  tired from much walking and exploring. I needed to rest, and that was also a good opportunity for a picture.

                                                Urquat Castle at Lockness  lake, Scotland
 
 I like the greyish color tone in this picture; it somehow matches the atmosphere created by an old castle and a lake where a monster is believed to live.
 
on the edge of the fountain at Buckingam palace
 
It was raining on the day of my visit; a light rain, still, not a very suitable day for taking outdoor pictures

                                               sitting  on a bench in the center of Frankfurt
 
The red, cotton cardigan was bought in the city on that very day, and it was my first 'inauguration' of it, on that bench, watching the passers by.

                                         on the grass, by a monument in Sterling, England
 
The 'on the grass' picture reminds me of my big issue with photography. I've convinced myself that I 'm not photogenic, so I keep it distant, until it's... too distant.
 
Apollo Temple  in Ancient Corinth, Greece

This is a rather rare picture of me,  as my head is seen here from profile, from the side.

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While browsing (apparently, not a bad lock down occupation), I came upon two pictures relevant to our times: social distancing in one, crowding in the other. Both were taken in Athens, Greece.


distancing on Likavitos Hill (made me smile)

                                                     crowds  on the Acropolis , Athens

 I also came upon a picture I was glad to forget about .

On the route Dover-Calais , I felt like I was going to die of sea sickness. Very traumatic experience!  (Several days earlier, wearing the same outfit , I had my photo taken close to a wax figure at the Wax Museum in London, and visited Buckingam palace too.).

                                                            seasick in the boat cabin 

                                                                  at the Wax Museum


The weather at the time of the sailing from Dover to Calais was very rough. In calm weather I usually don't get sea sick.  Here's a photo of me on the deck of the greek Saronic Star vessel. I was full of energy and glad to be on that cruise.

 

on the Saronic Star deck  

              *                

This kind of browsing brings back to me nice memories,  so I'll go on with it till the end of the lock down.

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Jeanie from the Marmelade Gypsy blog - has kindly offered to restore most of the above pictures. The result is incredible!









Amazing! Thanks Jeanie.


46 comments:

  1. I think you are photogenic. You have visited a lot of places! I think going down memory lane like this with your pictures is a great way to spend your time during this lockdown. To think of happier times and travel adventures is more delightful than thinking of all that is going on in this crazy year 2020.

    betty

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Browsing through the old pictures with their memories, is indeed a pleasant way to spend the time during lockdown. It distracts me from thinking about the virus and its ravages.

      Delete
  2. You have been to so many fabulous places and even if some pictures are not perfect, I'm sure they evoke memories as you look at them.

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    1. They sure do, Inger, evoke memories... Even the blurred photos have a pleasant, calming effect on me under the lockdown circumstances.

      Delete
  3. Great memories Duta. Your photos have a charm about them.

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    1. Thank you, Sue.
      Yes,those Kodak (camera and film) photos had, no doubt, a certain quality and charm about them.

      Delete
  4. I love looking back on travel photos!

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    1. I guess we all love that. What's not to love? places, people, customs, languages, cultures, events. Travels enrich our life, expand our horizons.

      Delete
  5. Oh what fun, I really enjoyed the trip down memory lane with you. Thanks for taking me along. Yes, older pictures can be foggy-looking, blurry, and so forth. But the pics brings back some wonderful memories.

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    1. Looking back can be great fun, but it also makes one see things differently. For example, I wanted curly hair as I thought it would suit my face nicely. Now my thought on that: not worth the effort.
      Thanks for going along with my picture trip.

      Delete
  6. DUTA, you are stunning in these photos! And such a fashionable dresser, love seeing what you are wearing. Beautiful photos and memories, it's wonderful that you've been able to travel to such famous places!

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    1. Well,thank you Alicia.
      About the clothes - that's interesting. I used to buy them at markets and discount stores; so I was very flattered when sometimes,I got approached by women on the street asking me where I bought the dress I was wearing.

      Delete
  7. I love every single one of these! You have visited such fascinating places, many of which I'd like to visit myself. Love that Acropolis photo. I ran a few of these through my editing software, too and got some a bit brighter or color restored. If you are interested, I'm happy to email them to you but don't have your address. Just let me know if you want them (I think my address shows up if you get email notifications of my comment).

    I feel like I've had the nicest getaway here. Thank you for that.

    And on another note, thank you so much for the very kind words on my art. They meant a great deal to me.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. To start from the end of your comment. I think you're an accomplished artist.

      I too have email notification (wonderful thing); doesn't my email address show up? I would like to get the restored photos. My software is not updated, and I'm not very good at improving things.

      Delete
  8. Wonderful photos of your travels!

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    1. Thanks a lot, Christine. It encourages me to show some more of them on my blog.

      Delete
  9. Well at least you have photos and it is very time consuming to scan and fix photos taken the old way.
    The new way, digital, we can delete and learn as we go so much better.
    However, you have wonderful memories and the photos are a reminder :)
    Take care.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Time consuming' indeed, but now with the lockdown we've got a lot of time.
      The digital way, takes us to a complete different photography world, a much better one.
      Thanks for your kind words.

      Delete
  10. My word, Duta, you have been a world traveller in your day. You have covered the highlights of Europe to be sure. i suspect that none of us will be travelling far any time soon. I am quite sure that COVID is not done with us yet.

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    1. Thank you very much.
      It may only seem I have covered a lot. I didn't have the time and money for many highlights I would have liked to see.
      As for Covid -I'm afraid you're right. The virus "is not done with us yet", and that's scary.

      Delete
  11. You must have wonderful memories, triggered by the photo!

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    1. Most of the photos do trigger great memories; not the photo with the sea sickness, for example.

      Delete
  12. Such a wonderful post! I love seeing photos from real cameras. Also the fact someone was taking your picture as well. Truly, to some in this digital age can not comprehend the epic style of taking in the surroundings. Its also wonderful that the memories these photos carry with it. Each have their own stories. Now days, random selfies are taken just because. Thanks for sharing these memories with us.

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    1. Thank you.
      Indeed, each photo carries with it memories; behind each photo there's a story. As a writer, you are able to see this better than anyone else.

      Delete
  13. Hi Duta! You are a real traveler! You visited many great historical places since long time ago and you has never changed, good looking, always pretty with nice dress, and well-groomed. I can see those because they are from analog camera.

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    1. Good to hear from you, Evi.
      Thanks for the compliments you bestow upon me. Of course, I'm changed now. I'm much older, and it shows.
      What's important these days of Covid, is that we stay safe and healthy, less the way we look

      Delete
  14. I think you have been everywhere!

    What is your favorite place?

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    1. I think you're greatly exaggerating. I've never been, for instance, in the USA.
      My favorite place is the Vesuvium volcano.It's a combination of beauty, fertility(lava soil) and danger (the volcano is active, could erupt any day, and there's smoke coming out of its crater).

      Delete
    2. Oh! You should come to US. The streets are paved in gold! 😉

      Delete
    3. ן'll tell you this:
      I managed to discover some relatives in the USA through genealogical search. I'm very proud of my research, but, sadly, those relatives stirred no wish in me to visit USA or even to meet americans.

      Delete
  15. Oh wow she did indeed a good job improving the pictures I have many analog pictures lying around as well, most in books. You have been to many great places. Cool to see all these photos. I have been to some of them like Paris and Rome. Gorgeous cities

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    1. Good job indeed! She's an artist and an exceptionally kind person!

      Yes, Rome and Paris are amazing cities! As you are of Dutch origin I can imagine you've often visited main cities in Europe.

      Delete
  16. Wow Duta, you are a great model in front of so many classic sites, really classic photos and such a great project to organize them and and ...double Wow!! Amazing, Jeanie did an amazing job!!! What a special gift of restoring them , how exciting!!

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    1. Thanks, ShaYndel. You make me blush....
      Jeanie has kindly revealed to me the name of the software used, but it probably won't work in my old desk computer with the XP system. I'll have to buy a new one with windows10 OS. .

      Delete
  17. These are all such wonderful photographs of your travels. You've certainly visited a lot of places and must have good (I hope) memories.

    Stay safe and well.

    All the best Jan

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    1. As they say: a photo's worth a thousand words. It's also a better memento than a card as it has you, the visitor, within the picture.
      Thanks for your wishes.

      Delete
  18. That's funny ! you have been at exactly the same places then I was over the years ! I wished I could travel again !!

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    1. These are the places that are on every tourist's 'must see' list.
      I've even visited the famous Lion's Hill in your Waterloo.

      Delete
  19. Hermosas imagenes, te mando un beso

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  20. 'Restauracion' -the spanish word for restoration sounds so melodious!
    The restored photos make, indeed, quite a difference.

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  21. Thanks for sharing such wonderful memories. Hugs, RO

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  22. All wonderful mementos of happy, interesting times had.

    Every time I see photos of the Trevi Fountain, I'm reminded of a movie I loved when I was a kid...."Three Coins in a Fountain"...a joyful love story...with a happy ending, of course! :)

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    1. The Trevi Fountain has always been an inspiration for all forms of art, and setting for movies.
      This fountain is one of the great touristic attractions of Rome!

      Delete
  23. Well, spanish is a beatiful and rich language!

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