Bill Wittman's Photos

After 23 years of disuse, I decided to reopen my basement darkroom. 

During the cleaning I found a roll of undeveloped Kodak  B&W film.  I had no idea what would be on it - or if it would have survived its extended expiry date.  So with a sense of possibilities - I mixed up developer and ran it through the process. 

Voila! There were images.  An opened Time Capsule.  The photographs were made in 1998 - on Toronto Streets.  

They include: a subway scene; pick-up Chess games (maybe preparing for ‘Queen’s Gambit’); a Busker and others earning their living; a couple kissing; people going about. 

  The photographs may not be exceptional - but I find their context interesting.  Who won the ‘egalitarian’ chess games, does the musician still play; is the couple still together? And of course - no cell phones....Many latent stories...

Here is a selection of 16 photographs - offered for enjoyment and perhaps imagination. 

At the end of the ‘Street’ photographs I have included a couple of photographs I just made of our youngest granddaughter - Jolie (3 ½).   I used an outdated roll of film  - also 23 years old.   The result was no fog or extra grain.