Amateur Photography
Although personal cameras were fairly new consumer products, Johnny was becoming an avid amateur photographer. He owned a couple cameras before the war, but seems to have left them in Buffalo with his family. Although he mentions using cameras and procuring film while overseas, Johnny is never clear whether he is using his own camera or borrowing from a friend, though likely he did both. The soldiers developed their own film, which didn't always work out as planned.
Johnny wrote about his photography in numerous letters, probably because it was a topic he found interesting that wouldn't be censored. Some of his descriptions are very technical, including information about film sizes and f-stops.
April 6, 1943
I'm still trying to get a film for my camera, but so far without success. I was going to invest in a better camera last year, but now film is getting scarce I'm glad I didn't.
January 22, 1944
I haven't any small snaps taken yet. Monday I'll try to find a film for my camera. If I'm not successful, I'll purchase a cheap one which I saw advertised. I want to get some pictures of my buddies and the camp so I'll have them for my album. I'll drop you a couple as soon as I have any.
November 10, 1944
One of the fellows on the train has a camera so I may be able to send you an up-to-date snap sometime soon. We have a place where we can develop pictures so I'm hoping to get in a little darkroom work. The first developing I ever did was in Ft. Wayne and it made a big hit with me although my results weren't exactly professional.
January 14, 1945
We got our contact printer now so it shouldn't be long before we can start turning out snaps. The box isn't quite finished yet. It has to be wired for the bulb, also for a dark light. (That's a red lite—the red causes no reaction on the exposed film.)
January 20, 1945
I'm sending you a picture I had taken in the PX (post exchange). It's an untouched enlargement from a 35mm. negative so you'll see me as I am. Whether it will reach you as soon as this letter does I can't say but at least you'll know it's on the way. I hope you like it.
The supply corporal and I also spent a couple of hours after chow this evening printing pictures with the new contact printer I mentioned before. There is only one snap with my in it, and that is a group picture. I'll probably enclose one with my next epistle. You know we are rolling along as I write this so don't think I've been on a binge if you can't read my scrawl.
February 4, 1945
Saturday morning before the run I took some pictures on a roll of film I had. If we aren't too busy this week I should be able to develop it and print some snaps which I'll send along.
February 8, 1945
To-night I developed the roll of film I took last Saturday. According to the way the negatives look I'll be able to get at least two good shots out of them. You asked me in to-days letter for a picture of me with my pipe. It just happens that one picture is taken that way so if it prints well you'll soon see how I look. We're going out on a run in the morning but if we come back empty, the supply corp. and I am going to print pictures as we roll along. One thing good about printing while the train is moving is that you don't have to keep swishing the prints around in the trays; the motion of the train does that automatically. Sometimes I think the darn thing is going to jump the track.
February 11, 1945
Remember those snaps I said we were going to print. Well we tried to on our return trip Friday, however the negatives weren't clear enough for us to make a print. The fact is, all that showed up when we printed them was a black square the size of the picture. It 'kinda' exasperated me to see the image in the negative and not be able to re-produce it. The trouble was that I took the pictures on a dark day with an ordinary box camera belonging to one of the boys. It had only one shutter speed which would be equivalent to f16 on my own camera at home. They have stops from f16 to 3.5 while the shutter work up to 1/500th of a sec. on the one and 1/1000th of a sec. on my other camera. Pardon me for getting a little technical honey, although you may know more about the subject than I do. Boiled down it means I should have realized that a box camera doesn't let enough light through to the film on a dull day. With a 3.5 lens you can take a picture in the rain and have it turn out as well as one taken in sunlite, but a box camera doesn't have such a lens. Get me! Boy, this is some letter to be writing to your best girl - what say you little one!
February 23, 1945
I spent an hour this evening printing pictures, a couple of which I'll enclose in my epistle to-morrow. I have one you requested, smoking my pipe - however, we didn't develop that roll yet. The two I'm sending you are one, a group picture of some of the fellows on the train and the other a snap of my 717th buddy and I. He's the fellow who left this week to rejoin his company. The other pictures I printed were of train personnel so wouldn't be of any interest to you.
April 26, 1945
I don't know whether I'll be able to tell you much about your camera. Just what kind have you got now? You see Ger, I only know about 35mm cameras such as mine. The 35mm refers to the size of the film. I've got two of these cameras, the one taking a picture 3/4"x1 1/2" and the other about 3/4" by 1". Of course these are enlarged to regular size. The small negative makes it possible to take more pictures on a reel, either eighteen or thirty-six. I'll be glad to show you how to work both of the,. I'll have to study up a little as I want to get some good pictures of you and of us. My Unc is the one who can tell you about cameras. Say who are we going to get to take us to-gether? I'm thinking of the times we'll be off alone on picnics. It would be nice to have a picture to-gether to remember them by. Guess we'll just have to flag somebody & have them take it. I have an idea I may be able to fix my camera so we can get a snap without help. Time will tell.
May 12, 1945
You ask for criticism of the two snaps you enclosed. There's not much I can say. You look your usual pretty self, Margaret is in focus and Marj looks O.K. too. If I had taken the pictures - ahem - the one with you & Marge would have been taken holding the camera vertically and closer to the subjects. Also I don't like shots from directly in front all the time and forcing a smile is strictly out! The same applies to the other snap, although I couldn't judge it very well, cut off at your waists like it was. That beats me hon - you girls must have ridden those bikes all through town, so any Tom, Dick, or Harry could see you, yet you are too modest to send a view of yourself - which all these other guys have seen - to me, intact. I can't figure it out. It just occurred to me that maybe you aren't on bikes, but even so that doesn't make much different. Come clean little one. P.S. I think you look as sweet as ever. Oh yes, the nurse says you look very pretty and very happy - (you & Marjorie on bikes)