I was first bitten by the photography bug at the age of 7, during a road trip through South Dakota with my parents. For the first time, I had my very own camera and was free to record my vision of the world however and whenever I wanted; it was nothing short of thrilling. I don’t know how many pictures I took on that trip, but I do remember making frequent stops at gift shops and gas stations to stock up on more film cartridges and flashcubes (remember flashcubes??). I remember wanting to snap photos of everything I saw and, at the same time, feeling the need to ration my precious frames. Years later, I was reminded of that feeling when a high-school Graphics Art teacher put a loaded Pentax K-1000 into my hands and set me loose with just a few simple instructions. I took to it like a duck to water and my first photo-essay officially marked the start of my life-long love of, or perhaps obsession with, photography (and vintage manual cameras).
From the ancient Camera Obscuras to modern digital equipment, people have long been fascinated by the ability to capture an image. It wasn’t until the early-1800s, however, that those images could be permanently fixed onto paper. From that point, advances in photography came at a rapid-fire pace. Just 70 years after that first permanent image, Kodak put the magic into the hands of the public with their film-roll box camera, the iconic Brownie. Chiara of Celeste Frittata has Gocco-printed an image of her own vintage Brownie camera onto the journal pictured above, which contains 70 hand-torn recycled pages that have been handbound with a textured, recycled kraft paper cover.
Cameras have obviously changed quite a bit in the 110 years since the release of the Brownie, and not just in their appearance. Although the basic principal is the same – exposing light to photo-sensitive film to capture an image – new technology has made it possible for nearly everyone to create near-professional results; with a little practice, of course. As it is human nature to have the latest and greatest, the cameras that we once thought were state-of-the-art are now considered clunky and outmoded. Unlike most modern pieces of equipment that are essentially disposable, the cameras of yesterday were built to last. (In my own collection, the 50 year-old cameras are in far better condition than the 5, or even 2 year old cameras!) Rather than allow them to collect dust or (gasp!) be discarded, Ashley of Ariel Telsa has salvaged non-functioning light meters from these beautiful vintage devices to create her clever necklaces (above); while the artisan and hobby-photographer behind Focal Length Designs {previously featured} has used the focusing rings from broken camera lenses to create his fabulous upcycled cuff bracelets, like the one pictured below.
I can’t imagine a world without photographs, nor can I even begin to imagine how many have been taken in the century-plus since the invention of roll-film. Now that digital photography is the norm, we no longer have to worry about those pesky negatives*, but what about the ones that are already out there? For years, I used old negatives as bookmarks, but that can’t really be considered “upcycling”, especially when you see what Hypho has done with hers. Inspired by a trip to the seaside, she took her extra negatives and transformed them into this stunning, one-of-a-kind mixed-media necklace (pictured below).
*Even if you do use “real” film, most photofinishers will scan your photos onto a disc for you, either for free or for a very nominal fee.
The awesome upcycled postcard at the top was made from a damaged/discarded book and is available in the Bamboo Village shop.
