RMS Queen Mary

              I am constantly sorting through old slides and negatives, as most  photographers do from time to time. When I find something that has been overlooked, forgotten or considered not worthy of printing, in the past, it usually conjures up a few good memories. The memories and not necessarily the quality of the images, move us to put them on paper. This is how it was for me a few weeks ago when I came across a roll of black and white negatives that I shot with my father in 1998. We had taken a day trip to Long Beach California to visit the RMS Queen Mary which has been moored there since 1967 and is now a museum and hotel. As we strolled the promenade deck, music from the ship's era was playing softly through the speakers in the ceiling and you felt as though you had been taken back in time. Because of this I chose to shoot black and white film. When I got back to Michigan I developed the 35mm Kodak Tri-X but didn't see anything that moved me and filed the negatives away in sleeves for lack of interest. I never throw any negatives or slides away as I always figure they will have a purpose someday, but usually don't. These had a purpose.

                Since my father passed away in 2010 these new found, old negatives brought back all of the good time we shared that day so I had to print some of them. He is the solitary figure on the deck, in front of my camera, in the third print and the fourth print. Though these pictures may be just typical tourist shots and far from my best work, they are now extremely meaningful to me. By the way; he shot color film that day and we had both taken digital cameras, as well. All of the images were shot with a Nikon F4.

The Queen Mary in the background with the the Russian submarine " Scorpion " in the foreground

A warm welcome aboard from the crew

Checking out everything

My father searching out his own pictures

Shooting points of interest

Black and white in black and white

Action signals

The mooring

Somber places

Shuffleboard on deck

Mini theater and lunch area 

Shopping area

Starboard side of the pilothouse

Forward view of the pilothouse