Oh. My.
This is one of my absolute favorite photos of my great-grandfather. It was captured by a street photographer in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1940.
I love it so much!
In fact, it is the very first photo I uploaded on Grandpa Duval’s profile in my Ancestry tree, many years ago.
But once again… I found a negative of this photo and scanned it. I feel like I just struck gold!
(gold reference as a hat tip to great-grandpa and his parents who mined gold…)
Here is the version I used to have:
And here they are side by side:
I feel like I’m bragging or something, but seriously, I’m just soooooooo delighted by every single negative I scan. Amazing!!
Happy Thursday, I hope you find yourself an awesome negative very, very soon! xoxo
ps – I was so delighted when the anesthesiologist offered to knock me out for my cataract surgery and I totally took him up on it! My eye is healing up nicely and the best news of all – the spot they removed and biopsied (that I hadn’t mentioned before…) turned out to be completely harmless despite its aggressive persistence over the past 7 years. Phew! Once I finish healing up, it will be time to decide if/when to do the other eye. I am currently a one-contact woman. It’s a little bit weird, but awesome, to be able to see out of one eye without any type of exterior assistance. And bonus, while I’m still healing, I have a touch of a shimmer in the upper right corner of my vision. It feels like I have an angel following me everyone I go. Haha!
So glad the surgery went well. And how appropriate that you posted two photos, one more in focus than the other—perhaps that is how your vision will change once both eyes are done!
I hope so!!! <3
Loved the side-by-side comparison of the photos. Congrats! And happy to hear you’re seeing better after the surgery.
Thank you, Marian!! <3
What a dapper gentleman your great-grandfather was! The scanned negative came out great. Really does make quite a difference in the quality of the picture.
Thank you, Sue!! 🙂
Thank you so much for putting them side by side. Makes such a great difference. I’m happy to hear your surgery went well and the spot was harmless. Are you sure that’s not an angel following you everywhere you go? I’m sure you have plenty of ancestors who would jump at the chance, Amberly.
Haha, it just might be! 🙂
I am feeling this whole internal revolution when it comes to photos. I want to bring home the ENTIRE box of negatives that my mom has and scan away – it is a standard file sized box. Can you just imagine what I might find in there?! 🎉
Glad the surgery was successful (I’m not surprised, though!). Having the negative really does make a difference. Where have you been finding negatives?
Thank you, Eilene!! I have to admit that logically I knew it would be just fine, but since every other surgery I’ve ever had included a weird (or awful) complication, I just can’t help but be nervous. Sigh. Glad I was worried for nothing this time though! Maybe I’ll be a little less nervous when I do the other eye. 😉
Yes! The negatives are producing awesome results!! My mom’s grandparents were photographers. When her Grandma died, Grandpa burned a lot of photos and negatives. There was then a “let’s rescue the photos” effort and my mom has a whole file box full of negatives. She left me with a small stack one time and I’ve been scanning those. Now I totally want to bring home the box (if she’ll let me…) and scan away! Many of the negatives are not actually the original negative but rather a negative of a photo of the original photo that Grandpa took. Even still, they are MUCH better.
His face & especially his eyes are much clearer. I don’t think I have any negatives so while I am happy for you, I am very sad for my ancestors; except the ones we share. That’s Lettie Taylor Peterson’s family & beyond. I took some of that generation to be copied for cousins & was very disappointed, but they are better than none at all.
Yes, I agree, his face is much clearer. I also like that the negative is larger than the photo I previously had. There are just a few more setting details and I love that!
I’m working away through my stacks – I’ll see if I can find a few from our shared part of the tree to scan soon. <3
I’m glad your surgery went well. My spouse is waitint to hear when the other eye will be done. That’s a great photo of your great-grandfather, so many of the old photos are of people standing ot sitting.
Thank you! Yes, part of the wonder of this photo is that it’s so clear even though he was walking. I love it!
So happy your surgery went well! Love the photo. Do not see action candid photos too often.
Thank you, Ellen. Yes, action and candid – you hit the nail on the head. I think that is part of why it is so striking.