Kodak Duaflex II | Vintage Exploration

“the more things change, the more they stay the same” Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, Les Guepes, January 1849

Recently my mom made an incredible discovery – a box of antique cameras buried in a closet in my grandmother’s house! One of these gems is a Kodak Duaflex II. This camera was originally available from 1950-1954. The one my mom found is in pristine condition – in the original box including the price tag, manual and a leather case that 60+ years later still looks brand new.

If you’ve followed my photography for a while you know that I have a fascination with just about anything vintage, especially vintage cameras. (see last year’s series on the Argus Rangefinder). Of course I had to photograph these gems. Over the next several weeks I will present my new collections, but here is a quick preview:

an excerpt from the Kodak Duaflex II camera manual…

Suggestions for taking better pictures

Make them interesting – They should tell a story at a glance. For natural, unposed effects give your subject something to do.
Check the background – Look beyond the subject and exclude distracting and uninteresting objects. You can often use the sky as a background by choosing a low point of view.
Hold the camera level – Straight lines in buildings should be parallel to the sides of the view finder to prevent a distorted effect.
Moving Objects can be photographed if the subject’s path of travel is toward or away from the camera.
Come in Close for a larger image of your subject – but no closer than 5 feet without a Close-Up attachment.

The more things change, the more things stay the same. Sixty-plus years later these suggestions for taking better photos still ring true. Even with all of our technology the basics of photography remain the same. With everything else in the world constantly changing I find a strange sort of comfort in this.