At the sale there were boxes stacked high of old, unlabeled black-and-white family pictures. I must have spent over two hours going through the photographs, picking out the ones I found to be the most interesting.
These pictures represent a certain quality that I am striving to capture in my own photography:
While exhibiting a real amateur feel (looks to be shot on a fixed-focus, fixed-aperture camera [probably Brownie Six-20 or similar]; horizon line is nearly at the subject's head; composition is dull; shot from the hip; the photographer's shadow is visible in the bottom-right corner), this picture is successful in that it really captures the visceral experience of playing in a snowy field.
I like entertaining the idea of a father deciding to bring his Brownie camera along while he takes his child out to play in a nearby prairie after a fresh snowfall. Maybe this was the only picture he shot before tossing the camera back in his bag. Maybe he took this right after picking up his child from school (the bright, direct sunlight leads me to think the picture was taken midday). Whatever the situation, I can practically hear the crunch of snow under boots and taste the crisp air while looking at this picture.
100% crop of above image (click for full size).
Both this picture and the next one look like they could be professionally done (exposure is spot-on), but I'm really interested in the candid, impromptu nature they have.
The date at the bottom reads, "August 1936." I'd like to think that this was taken somewhere in Chicago, but I really have no idea where it's from.
This looks like it could be a throwaway shot in a series of attempts to get a "perfect" family portrait. To me, this "in-between" picture is much more interesting than what I imagine the final posed picture ended up being.
This picture captures its subjects in their moment of struggle as they compose themselves for the photographer. As a result the subjects' true human natures are revealed instead of an image of their ideal selves. The children are fussy, the grandparents are doting on the children, and the woman on the right looks entirely familiar with her family's behavior.
I have to wonder if this picture is the result of an accidental press of the shutter or if the photographer made a conscious, intentional decision to capture this exact moment.
