If you follow me on Facebook you might have noticed that I like to go to antique stores and find vintage cameras. I love old cameras, they are just cool! I take them home and display them but I’m always looking for one I can use. I was checking out some local antique store in Dumfries, Va today looking for farmers market type stuff like wooden crates and an old ladder and walked into a room with a table full of old cameras! It is like stumbling onto a pot of gold for me! So I passed over the ones that I already have like the cool brownie camera and noticed the seller had three Ansco Shur Shots. I picked the cleanest one and was delighted to find the shutter still worked on it! It also takes 120 film which I happen to have in my fridge, double score!! I’ve been dying to play around with an old camera since I started collecting them but I always find they are not in working order. I’m so excited to play around with this one. When I got it home I opened it up to find out how to load the film and to make sure all the parts were there. I should have done that at the shop but was too caught up in my excitement! When I pulled out the film loader I found this!!!!
Yes that is an exposed roll of vintage film!!!! Yes it is in my fridge at the moment 😉 It is like a treasure chest and I’m super excited to get it developed to see what is on it. Now there is a very good chance it is trashed but when I found it in the camera it was already rolled up and ready to seal. I’m crossing my fingers that it has been sitting there just waiting to be found and nothing is wrong. I love that right now it is a mystery, anything could be on it!! Maybe it is old family photos or some amazing event! I can’t wait to run my own roll of film through it just to see what it looks like now. I’ll have to check out what these cameras used to produce quality wise just to see what I should expect. So out of the dozen or so old cameras I have this is the first with a mystery roll of film and the first that still works. I can’t wait!!! Below is a collage of the other old cameras in my life and how I display them at home. These are all ones I’ve rescued from antique shops. Today was awesome because I was not even on the hunt for another vintage camera but one found me and I hope that the roll turns out and I can share it’s story here on the blog!
Melissa Arlena is an award winning lifestyle newborn photographer in Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia who has earned her Master Photographer Certification from NAPCP in maternity, newborn and family photography. Her natural and simple work has been featured in magazines and online blogs worldwide. She has been named Best Maternity and Newborn Photographer in Richmond and Charlottesville, VA in 2024.
OH COOOL! I have lots of old film and even tried to shoot some things with my 35mm film. I can’t find a single working film camera in my house anymore. They are only 10-20 years old, man they don’t make them like they use to. Hope yours holds up well and we get to see some interesting shots!
I love taking film photos but I’m awful about getting them developed!! New goal – get all my film developed and see what is on those ol rolls 🙂
Oooo!!! Did you ever find out what was on this??I am so curious!
Not yet but my hubby is tired of looking at it in the fridge so I need to hurry up!