Rich & Anne Lavigne Photography Blog

We drove to Evelyn and Matt’s beautiful home in Pennsylvania to take their engagement portraits. The photos were shot outdoors in their yard and indoors in their newly finished game room. They were a super fun couple with great chemistry (and great shoes)! Their wedding will take place in a really awesome location in Pennsylvania, but you’ll have to stay tuned ’til August to find out more!

Good evening everyone, this is Rich.  Yesterday, April 24th, was my birthday… my 30th birthday.  There were no elaborate plans, no surprise parties, no convertible to avert the impending mid-life crisis.  The only plans were a good meal with my family at a nice, local Italian restaurant.  I got some great cards, some iTunes gift certificates and cash, and then it happened.  My mom threw down one of the coolest birthday presents ever….  an antique Kodak Vest Pocket Camera from 1913.

Check it out. It even came with a genuine leather belt pouch. I’m sure the quality of the leather was much nicer in 1913.

Here is it with the bellows extended and the handy portrait stand unfolded.

Check out the lens… I think it needs a cleaning. Notice the little slide lever on the bottom that controls the aperture. It has settings for f/8, f/16, and f/32… but it is completely adjustable. You can set it to anything in between. I think the slide lever up top controls shutter speed. The Eastman Kodak logo is pretty sweet too.

Look at the genuine, metal aperture blades… they still work!

This is the detailing on the lock to open the bellows.

Here is the winder to roll the film. It took 127 roll film and supposedly you could get 8 shots per roll.

This is the back of the camera. The little box at the top that says “use autographic film” is actually a door. It hinges open and allows you to etch a tiny notation onto the film about what the picture is. The equivalent to our modern image properties. Apparently the tiny metal scribe is rarely found with the camera nowadays, but sure enough mine has it.

This camera had the nickname of the “soldier’s camera” because they sold a lot of them to World War I soldiers before they traveled off to Europe. This one was obviously owned by someone with the initals E.H.P. I wonder where its been and what its seen.

We tried scheduling outdoor portrait sessions with Sean & family last year, but we’ve been forced to cancel our plans not once, but twice, due to heavy rain! So we crossed our fingers for a warm, clear day on April 18 and Mother Nature delivered– it was the most beautiful Saturday we’ve had all year, and we spent it photographing a beautiful family!

Here’s Melissa, Patrick, Sean, and their new baby boy, Brennan!