Finding Joel Pahl Dardis

Month: April 2022

  • Press Negatives, Box 3, 1942

    Press Negatives, Box 3, 1942

    18 slides in a box that held originally 12. Joel is becoming predictable. This box starts with a 3D artist tool palette. To be followed by a few abstract geometric pieces Followed by some interesting statues, I’m very partial to the second one. I do like what Joel did with the lighting on the above…

  • Press Negatives, Box 2, 1942

    Press Negatives, Box 2, 1942

    Continuation of ART 1942 press size negative exploration. More Morris Chapel windows.

  • Press Format Negatives, 1942

    Press Format Negatives, 1942

    The Press format is a 3 1/4″ x 4 1.4″ format, sometimes referred to as “3×4”. This format is a size smaller than 4″ x 5″, the latter being considered the entry size to “large format film”. It’s called “Press” format as it was a very popular format for bread and butter press photographers at…

  • The Death Valley Trip

    When I wrote recently (First Color blog post) about the Kodachrome images taken on a trip through Death Valley all the way to Boulder Dam, I didn’t know what prompted this trip. And a starter image of a Sunday Service on Sunday, April 6, 1941, of Troop 225 (Camarillo) at Red Rock, didn’t help much…

  • SJC, Art Project, 1941, Box 4

    SJC, Art Project, 1941, Box 4

    Checking out the negatives in the last box of 2 1/4″ x 3 1/4″ sheet film marked “ART” and finding a few surprises.

  • SJC, Art Project, 1941, Box 3

    SJC, Art Project, 1941, Box 3

    Third box has following written on it; DARDIS, ART, UOP, Streetcar. The expiration date of this film was set at Sept 1941, so I’m pretty sure all these negatives were shot early 1941. Some signatures of the artist equally have ’41 or 1941 attached. Although only designed for 12 negatives, Joel stashed 21 negatives in…

  • SJC, Art Project, 1941, Box 2

    SJC, Art Project, 1941, Box 2

    Today we continue with the second box of negatives in this 1941 SJC art project. Quite a few pieces from Geo. Akimoto and some beautiful 3d work.

  • SJC Art Project, 1941, Box 1

    SJC Art Project, 1941, Box 1

    The second box of 2 1/4″ x 3 1/2″ negatives has ART written on the top. Seems Joel got himself a project photographing artwork at SJC (Stockton Junior College) in 1941. Some artwork is dated “41”, so it’s safe to say that the expiration date on the box, is also the year these images were…

  • Dardis, Hands Off

    Dardis, Hands Off

    That’s written on the Eastman Film, Safety Super-XX box in pencil with a “Develop before Sept 1941” expiration date. The “safety” refers to the use of an “acetate” as a film material versus the much earlier “nitrocellulose” base. The latter being extremely flammable with spontaneous combustion being noted. Radiation or a spark could set-off an…