Wednesday 12 December 2007

"Sometimes I get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter" - Ansel Adams

Yesterday, I found myself standing at the top of a short slope, just above the spot where an Airstream 684 was pitched. She was on loan to Mark Walton, a journalist from CAR magazine, who had her for the weekend to research an article. With my camera in hand, it struck me how odd it was for me to be taking photographs of somebody else taking photographs of an Airstream.
It got me thinking. Surely the Airstream must be one of the most photogenic feats of engineering ever created.

Wally Byam, the founder of Airstream, produced his first aluminium clad travel trailer in the tail end of 1936. And curiously, by some strange synergy, Exakta produced the worlds first 35mm SLR camera and Eastman Kodak introduced Kodachrome in 35mm cartridges that same year. It seems that Airstream and photography were made for each other.
As if that wasn't enough, 1936 also saw the first issue of the new look LIFE magazine- the first all-photography news periodical.
There's more. Since there will always be a need to tow your Airstream somewhere, the worlds first production passenger car to run on deisel was introduced in 1936 as well (It was a Mercedes-Benz). And finally, I should say a very big thank you to the person without whom none of me would have been possible; It was the year my mum was born. Thanks Mum!

So there I was, 71 years later, watching an enduring icon in its 21st century guise, having its photograph taken with a 21 megapixel camera for a new generation of magazine.

Some things are just made to have their picture taken

1 comment:

Stikki said...

And by sheer coincidence, there is also a Mercedes-Benz in the picture as well!