Looking Back: June 2009 | a change of plans
This post was originally published in June 2009 on my former former blog, āI Think I Saw a Dragonfly.ā Iām resharing it here as part of an archive series called Looking Back.
I realized I still had posts from the blog I did even BEFORE my last blog, Bettye Rainwater Photography. That blog was called “I Think I Saw a Dragonfly.” It was sort of connected to my vintage shop on ebay…and some posts would be clothes that were currently listed, and some would just be pretty pictures. I was in my “dreamy photography” era. It was the height of Tumblr and *everybody* was in their dreamy photography era.
And filters. Ha ha, which (in my mind) added to the dreaminess.
I was also in my anti-capital letters era.
A little backstory to the post below…back in the day, I sold vintage clothing online – on ebay. And through selling vintage clothing, and photographing items on live models…and then creating photo shoots that were really just about having fun photographing girls in pretty dresses…all that led me to my real love of photography. I’ve always had a camera. I’ve always been the one who takes all the pictures. But I never took it seriously. I always had point’n’shoot and instamatic type cameras. I’d shoot…and I’d get what I’d get. But now I wanted the pictures to be beautiful.
This is from that era, when I would hit probably a dozen thrift stores each week looking for wonderful pieces to resell.
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a change of plans
so, today’s model rescheduled and the shoot didn’t happen. so i did a little extra thrifting this afternoon.
leaving the first thrift store, got in my car, was just putting on the seat belt, turning on the radio, and a guy comes out from the store, walking quickly towards my car. comes to the driver’s side window. tells me i left my child’s sneakers on the counter. “thank you, but they’re not my sneakers.” they’re not, he asks? then he goes on to tell me who i am, and that he knows me – aren’t you linda, married to max the mechanic in wantagh and you used to go to my gym, don’t you remember me?? Uhm, no, no, no, and no. He’s pretty insistent that I *do* know him and that he definitely recognizes me. asks where I work, where i live, where i hang out…he’s pleasant enough, doesn’t speak english all that well, but he doesn’t seem scary, so i’m content enough to chat for a few minutes…but then, “so give me your phone number and we’ll be friends.” yeah, i don’t think so. “you’re SURE they’re not your sneakers??” yeah, no, gotta go, see ya later, bye.
who knows, maybe that was my prince charming, and i just blew him off. a diamond in the rough that i was too blind to see. we certainly apparently have a history and a lot in common.
oh well. here’s what my backyard looks like this week…
Penny
Really nice to hear about past happenings and your photography, how you sold stuff on eBay. But ooh errrr, warning bells went off load and clear when I read about the guy and the sneakers. Thank goodness you didn’t give him your phone number!
bettyewp
I guess I shouldn’t share the story of the time I picked up a hitchhiker when I had Katie in the car (an event for which she has never forgiven me).
Sometimes I wonder who said it would be okay for me to leave the house alone.
Lisa Elliott
My co-worker and I were talking about thrift stores this morning. He is a retired minister and he has on this really cool shirt with parrots on it! It looks brand new. He bought it at a thrift store. I said that someone bought that shirt to wear to either a Jimmy Buffet concert, a Black Jacket Symphone Jimmy Buffet concert, or a themed party. After the party and one wear . . .they donated it. I’ve never been a big thrift store shopper. I think it is a great idea but sometimes the smell in the store really bothers me.
bettyewp
Yeah, you need to be comfortable with dirt, smells, and mystery stickiness š