[CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT ★]
THE QUEST TO SOLVE A VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH MYSTERY
(P1) A US photographer has launched an internet hunt to find two mysterious women pictured on an old roll of film she discovered in a SECOND-HAND shop.
(P2) Meagan Abell was SIFTING THROUGH a box of VINTAGE photographs in Richmond, Virginia when she found four sets of “transparency slides”.
(P3) She took them home to scan them and was “shocked” at the level of detail.
(P4) “I thought ‘holy wow they are beautiful’. I’d love to find the women or the photographer who took them.”
(P5) When were they taken?
(P6) Ms Abell believes the pictures date back to the 1950s or 60s because of the way the women are dressed.
(P7) She has launched an internet campaign to track down the models – one of whom she believes could be “Hawaiian or bi-racial” – along with the owner of the film.
(P8) “I have had some pretty awesome leads,” she told the BBC.
(P9) “I think they may have been taken at Dockweiler in Playa del Rey in California. A girl who surfs near that beach emailed me with some pictures.
(P10) “When I OVERLAID them with the images I found, they were a perfect match.”
(P11) Who was behind the lens?
(P12) Ms Abell is a professional photographer and regularly spends time RAIDING boxes of old photographs.
(P13) “I’m used to seeing old scratched up negatives. I’d never seen anything like this,” she added.
(P14) The owner of the THRIFT STORE was unable to SHED ANY LIGHT ON the photographs’ origins – but that has not DETERRED Ms Abell.
(P15)”I am absolutely excited,” she said.
(P16) “Based on conversations I’ve had with film photography VETERANS, I would say it was a professional PHOTO SHOOT for fine art imagery, or for a magazine cover or spread.
(P17) “According to the vets, it’s highly unlikely an AMATEUR photographer in that time period would use this type of film and shoot these kinds of images.”
(P18) Ms Abell is URGING anyone who recognises the women or the style of photography TO GET IN TOUCH WITH her.
WORDS: 335
SOURCE: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33729714
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- These days, most people take photographs with their smartphones or tablets. Do you own an actual camera?
- Although digital photography has become popular, “real” photographers still learn to make pictures the OLD-FASHIONED way, on 35 millimeter film that is developed in a DARKROOM. Do you know how to do this?
- Fine art photography UTILIZES both color and black-and-white film. Which do you prefer?
- Have you ever found anything old and interesting in a little shop, your grandparents’ home, or someplace else?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Second-hand
- Sift through
- Thrift store
- Shed light on
- Photo shoot
- To get in touch with
- Old-fashioned
