Historic Close-ups

Museums are great places to take your camera, if they let you … not all museums do. So when an exclusive opportunity arose for a photo club trip to the local, ‘Museum of the Mountain West’ I was in. Because it was in the middle of a bright, sunny day I decided ahead of time that I would concentrate on details inside, starting out with my 100mm macro lens. Having arranged tours to a farmstead museum Back East I was familiar with this kind of shooting. The shear number of artifacts can be overwhelming, the lighting can be difficult and you must isolate yet reserve the urge to move anything! Here are a few detail shots from the fun outing.

‘On A Shoestring’ © Denise Bush
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‘Corona Keys’ © Denise Bush
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‘You’ve Got Mail’ © Denise Bush
‘Latched & Locked’ © Denise Bush
‘Doctor’s Glasses’ © Denise Bush
‘She Spoke To Me’ © Denise Bush
‘Up On A Shelf’ © Denise Bush
‘Old-fashioned Radiator’ © Denise Bush

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denisebushphoto

My passion for photography has rewarded me with the opportunity to examine the world carefully. My approach is intuitive and I choose to impose no constraints – leaving myself open only to possibilities. As a professional designer I am drawn to images that offer a strong composition, pattern and rhythm. Creating images with a unique perspective while sometimes pushing the limits of traditional composition 'rules' excites me. Landscapes, nature subjects and things from the past are common themes in my work.

44 thoughts on “Historic Close-ups”

  1. Hi Denise, Love this collection of museum artifacts, especially the kinda creepy (but probably much loved) dolly. Your choice of black & white is perfect!

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  4. Yes, I, too, was pleased to see some non-landscape work. Reminded me of stuff you did back here in the east, and I enjoyed it. Really liked the “Doctor’s Glasses” and “Old Fashioned Radiator” particularly as it “fuzzied” towards the back.

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    1. While there is a lot to photograph at this museum … it was challenging to pick out the subjects that would make an interesting image. Thanks for your visit and comment!

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    1. I have seen and photographed these mailboxes at other museums too. Sometimes the boxes were wood, glass and brass. It makes me sad that much of our modern ways have lost a desire for making things beautiful.

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    1. Thanks so much! Nice to hear from you CS! What does the CS stand for? I think I looked on your blog at one time and couldn’t figure it out. Or, do people call you CS? 🙂

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      1. Howdy, I’m a Charles Samuel, grew up as Sam, even though my grandmother said “old men and dogs are called Sam”. My photo friends came me either or. (o;

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  9. Hi Denise. Love these photos! The radiator is exactly like the ones I grew up with in my parents’ colonial house in Mt Laurel. The newer part of the house was built in 1824 and the original part of the house was built in the 1760s. The Corona typewriter is like the first one that I bought for myself to take to college. Very nostalgic for me. Beautifully composed images. Thanks for sharing them.

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    1. Hello Dear Lady! Of course these radiators are not that old then! I remember them too in friends’ and relatives’ homes. And I know the house you grew up in too. The Corona was very light and portable. So nice to hear from you … keep in touch!

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  12. These are awesome Denise, brings back great memories of other shooting locations! Always love these kind of “trip back in time” photo’s!

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    1. Yes … similar to the farmstead museum in Lambertville. In general we don’t have as much subject variety here so having something different to shoot was a nice change. XO

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  13. Nice departure from nature, I like this collection of images. The doll had me thinking along lines of Bride of Chucky, especially with your caption! And at first glance, I thought radiator was object between parallel mirrors….until I scrolled down to read caption.

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  15. These are great – I’ve tried many times to photograph artifacts inside small museums, and rarely succeed. The lighting, the cramming…! One place that did yield a few better results was a similar trip (organized by a photography club) to a university greenhouse where lots of unusual plants are grown. But of course, we had some good light. I love the first image, the 3rd, 6th and 7th stand out for me as well. And the processing is perfect in every one. Fun!

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    1. Looking and thinking about what will make a pleasing still-life in addition to getting the camera and tripod in the right position can seem like work! There were several others that I chose not to show for one reason or another but mostly because I didn’t feel anything from them. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!

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