A Minor Treasure: Slides from Vietnam, 1967-1968

[cenelsonfoto]

(Also posted in the Street/Photojournalism forum. Relevant here in Classics as a

Found-Film topic, and having been shot, no doubt, with a [now]classic camera kit.)

<p />

I lucked into a small cache of slides, which appear to have been part of the

estate of an area man, deceased. Not certain about him or his status, but he was

a pretty good photographer by the slides he left behind.

<p />

Just finished scanning the Kodachrome and Ektachrome slides, and a <a

href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34432914@N00/sets/72157602836645443/show/">slideshow</a>

is available.

<p />

Enjoy.<p />

Craig<p />

<center><img

src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2279/1821584232_9faa8346e4.jpg"></center>

[michaelging]

Craig, Great photos that brings back memories for me. I am glad you were able to save them for all of us to see.

[evan_dong1]

Craig,

 

Fantastic photos! It brings back memories of the photos that my late friend shot while he was there in 1967 - 1971, part of the 101st Airborne. Photos number 8 and 13 are flopped. I am basing it on the Chinese characters in the background and on the table. (Girl and fortune teller)

[russ_britt3]

They were great....thanks for posting them. He was a really good photographer.The equipment avaible back then, was a little more, may we say less automatic. He was no snap shot user.....but a photographer.

[ellis_vener_photography]

These are terrific! Based on some of the Western style clothes looks like he was there in the early to mid 1960s.

[minhnguyen9113]

I've never forgot what happened in the Quang-tri citadel battle and the lives of people and soldiers after that. After the fall of the South-Vietnam all pictures I took in Quang-tri with my Olympus Pen half-fame were destroyed, the camera was been melted in a fire. Just memories left. Thanks for sharing

[garyowen]

Brings back a lot of memories after three tours in Nam. But they aren't all bad!

[tony_lockerbie]

They are a treasure indeed, glad that you were able to save and share them with us.

 

Tony

[donnie_strickland]

Truly outstanding. He had a fine eye for both composition and exposure.

[minhnguyen9113]

Picture of the motor-cycles showed the time was in late 60's. South-Vietnam imported those in 1966 and some pictures are in the wrong side, really is a treasure.

[cenelsonfoto]

Glad you all are enjoying them.

 

Minh, I've gone through and flipped the ones I thought were needing it. Which ones do you see that still need to be flipped horizontally?

[cenelsonfoto]

OK, Motorcycle Park shot needed to be flipped. Got it. Any others?

[luis triguez]

C,

 

Nice to see the other side of a war. Everybody looks happy and smiling (except the old man). Lots of meal and normal life all around. Obviously the photographer didn`t show as the reality behind. At least not the one I remember.

 

My favourite is the sitting down little child.

 

Great found. Thanks indeed to share it with us.

[Andrew in Austin]

Whoah! This is a rare find. Not every US serviceman had the where with all to focus in on the local culture in Vietnam. I was 18 to 21 when wearing a uniform and way too ignorant to take photos of this caliber.

 

To tell you the truth, I hope that these find an exhibition or at the very least archived for future generations.

[cenelsonfoto]

Andrew, I have several ideas in mind. Need to locate family first and get backstory, blessing, etc.

 

Glad you enjoyed them.

 

Craig

[minhnguyen9113]

I'm not sure if we're wearing watches and rings on the left hand, but the smiling couple should be flipped to the other side, the building in the background was in the right hand

side. It was because another new building take its place now. Minh

[patrick j dempsey]

Great images CE. You really should try to put together an exhibition of these photos. Or find a museum who would be willing to turn them into part of a rotating collection. The Smithsonian has rotating exhibits and art shows that they send to satellite museums and galleries all over the country.

[alan_rockwood]

My mother in law is French and grew up in Saigon. Though she is French, her first language was Cantonese, and I believe Vietnamese was next. She learned French last. She was married in the Saigon cathedral to a French Navy man, and when the family returned to France after World War II it was like moving to a Foreign country for her.

[crajos]

It's great being able to see a piece of history like that. Thanks for sharing these photos. They're just another reason I believe film is more valuable than digital images. I have a hard time believing that forty years from now a long lost hard drive with photos on it is going to be rescued.

[Robert_Lai]

Wow, what an incredible documentary! I wonder if we'll see something like these from the GIs now in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[summitar]

Thanks, Craig, for posting these wonderful photos. They brought back a lot of memories. I served in vietnam jun 66-jun 67. Thanks to various additional allowances, I could afford to buy my first 35 mm camera, a new Konica auto S2, at the PX for $35. It was easier, quicker, and cheaper to get B&W processed, so mostly I used plus-x. The month before I left vietnam, the PX had a sale on Canon FTs with f1.8 50 mm lens. New for $65. They were marked down because they were thought to be defective-turns out the mirrors were all in the locked up position. Both cameras still work fine, but they have been augmented by about 100 more over the last few years. I have visited a lot of other foreign countries, but vietnam was the only place I felt comfortable taking fairly closeup street photos of people. It was not yankee imperialism; when you pulled out your camera, people would either smile or jump up and pose. The Vietnamese are a very attractive people. After retiring from the military, I worked for Boeing for 24 years. While there, I worked with many Vietnamese who were either boat people or the children of boat people, and who were brilliant at software and math. I wish Vietnam well. They are now a Boeing customer, I believe. War makes strange bedfellows. Thanks again for the photos.