New York. February 27, 1917. "Examining naval volunteers." View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. Library of Congress.

"Rasch dancing." The Viennese ballerina and choreographer Albertina Rasch circa 1915. View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection glass negative.

New York, July 22, 1918. "B.V.D. Valentine." The family at an American Red Cross event. George Grantham Bain Collection glass negative. View full size.

Proof positive that my brother and I both fell victim to a similar strange mania at the age of 18. Here, in 1955, a senior in high school and fooling around with his newly-acquired Lordox 35mm camera, he snapped this Kodachrome self-portrait at his desk in our bedroom. Nine years later when I was 18, I shot my records, including the same Shostakovich album, spread out in our living room, as seen here. By that time, "I Like Jazz," a Columbia Records sampler, was no longer around. Posted with my brother's kind acquiescence. View full size.

California, 1943. "Calisthenics at Manzanar War Relocation Center." Medium format nitrate negative by Ansel Adams. Library of Congress. View full size.

This is me on a swing at a motel in either Maryland or Delaware sometime in the mid-1970s. It was likely taken by my father, whose shadow appears in the photo, too. I really like this photo -- the sun, the motel architecture (is that an oxymoron?), the photographer's shadow, and especially the red and white pool umbrella. Doesn't it all just scream 1970s? View full size.

Method 1: Make use of your poise, balance and coordination.
Method 2: Lacking any of those, make use of your big sister.
A pair of Kodachromes shot by my brother on our lawn in 1955. View full size.

The Atwater Kent radio factory in Philadelphia in 1928 or 1929. View full size. National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress.