From Digital Camera World · · 1m 30s
Student Photographer's Detroit Negatives Resurface
A student photographer's 1972 Detroit negatives, stored for decades, now win an award and teach us about revisiting old work.
In brief
A student photographer's 1972 Detroit negatives, stored for decades, now win an award and teach us about revisiting old work. Dave Jordano's 1972 Detroit photography, stored for 40 years, won an award and shows early work can be unexpectedly good. Originally reported by Digital Camera World.
Coffee Break
In 1972, a student photographer wandered Detroit streets with a 35mm camera for a year.
Negatives Stored for Decades
Dave Jordano kept his negatives but didn't print them, putting them away for 40 years.
2013 Discovery
Jordano found his negatives in 2013, surprised by their quality and quantity.
Award-Winning Exhibition
A selection won All About Photo's Solo Exhibition competition, titled The Year I Arrived.
Detroit in 1972
Detroit was still Motor City five years after the 1967 riots, with societal changes underway.
Ordinary Life Focus
Jordano's photos show people going about their ordinary day, not the city's turmoil.
Greektown Scene
In Greektown, young women sat outside an electrical store with a hand-painted sign for 25 cents soft drinks.
Anti-War Rally
At an anti-war rally, Jane Fonda spoke while Tom Hayden chatted in the crowd with fairground rides overhead.
Suburban Child
In Sterling Heights, a child with a purse stood on a sidewalk flanked by new lawns and trees in 1973.
Direct Engagement
Jordano's subjects knew he was there, looking directly into the camera with no distance.
What matters most
Dave Jordano's 1972 Detroit photography, stored for 40 years, won an award and shows early work can be unexpectedly good.
