(no subject)

[bluesilverkdg]

You must go here: http://listoftheday.blogspot.com/2007/09/great-olan-mills-photos.html (Yes, it's totally safe for work, unless your office does not allow laughter.) Thanks to exposit for the awesome link.

If you have ever had portraits made at Olan Mills, Sears or any other photography studio (particularly during the '70s and/or '80s) then you will appreciate it even more.

For the record, my senior picture was taken along the Oregon Trail. I am leaning up on a split rail fence in a couple of the poses, like the pioneer chick I was. When I was about 12, my family and I were photographed in The Library, AND we were yellowy-orange to boot! I'm pretty sure that Camaro Boy asked me to my junior prom. And my mother (still to this day) has me captured in a wine glass in their living room, circa 1989. I don't think that my family personally has any of the other poses/backdrops, but I'm pretty confident that some of yours do! If you'd like to share any of them with me, feel free. We could have a contest: Worst Olan Mills Photographic Experience or something. If any of you have the floating head/full view picture like the second one, I'd be especially interested to see those. My cousins had portraits made like that when I was little, and I was *so* jealous. I wanted one of my very own!

I must go dig up some of my old (bad) photos. I actually worked for a portrait studio just out of high school. I set appointments for them, and by doing so, got free family portraits. (Street value of $199.99!) Fortunately, most of those were just set in front of a plain gray backdrop, except for the one of my mother gazing into a mirror, holding a bouquet of (obviously) fake flowers. Ahhh, the memories..

Comments

[adventuregirly.livejournal.com]

My senior picture was leaning up on a split rail fence, too, lol. I'll have to dig that out after work.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

That was apparently a popular pose in that era. I'd love to see it, if you can find it!

We had two, the "casual" pose, which involved the split rail fence, and the "serious/glamourous" pose where I was swathed in white faux fur. Puuuuurrrrrowwrrrr.

[adventuregirly.livejournal.com]

I will try to find/post it tomorrow. I'm having a "friendivorce" this weekend & am a little scattered. (Parting of the ways with a friend, "irreconcilable differences," he's coming over tomorrow to get some boxes I'd been storing for him.)

[exposit.livejournal.com]

One of my favorite Wilco songs.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah? It's a favorite of mine, too (which is, I guess why I was listening to it..?)

[exposit.livejournal.com]

Wait, you listen to songs that you actually like? I'll have to try that.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Well Buttmunch, I do sometimes listen to songs I hate, because they make me appreciate the good ones that much more. But yeah, you should try it! It's fun.

[exposit.livejournal.com]

lolz

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I thought. ;-P

[exposit.livejournal.com]

mmmm, spiffy.

[mpurple.livejournal.com]

omg these were hillarious!!

ps am i a bad person for laughing at the "last known photo of kelli and senor loco" from hiroshima?

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Of course not..that's why they're there!

[mpurple.livejournal.com]

oh good, i was worried. ;)

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I do kinda feel bad for some of the people in them. You know those are just ordinary people, minding their own business, when all of a sudden, someone calls them up to say "did you see this website you're on??"

Can you imagine??!

[mpurple.livejournal.com]

oh well, tough luck, they should have thought about that before [getting that hairdo/wearing that shirt/etc].

suckahs. :P

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

So, I guess your "office" is one of the ones that does not allow laughter. Sorry. ;-P

[angelsmom.livejournal.com]

Do you remember Jeff Labar from Cinderella? There's an Olan Mills picture...somewhere...of me and my sister and the big hair makes me look just like him. Oy. And to think at the time I really proud of just how big it was... :-P

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I don't know that I remember him specifically, but pretty much all of those hair metal fellas looked about the same to me.

Do you still have this picture? Because if you do, I'd LOVE to see it. And yeah, I was totally proud of my gravity-defying hair!

[angelsmom.livejournal.com]

I'm sure my Mom has it stuck in a box somewhere. If I remember the next time I'm up there I'll try and find it.

[darcyzero.livejournal.com]

ohhhhhhhhh this made me laugh so hard!

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you could probably use a good laugh. ;-)

[darcyzero.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I could! :)

I actually have some old baby pictures where there's a floating head. My friend and coworker Amie has one of the most horrific floating head pictures I've ever seen. She gave it to me as a gag gift for christmas. It's sitting on my desk and it's HILARIOUS.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Those things are just fascinating. And it begs the question "exactly what were the people who came up with that smoking?"

[cogenthoughts.livejournal.com]

That is great! And I remember in elementary school, there was still a backdrop of a "library" for class pictures. I have a few pics from the late 80s where the class pictures were taken in front of that backdrop that had the neon squares. Awful, awful, awful.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

My cousin (I think the same one who had the floating head picture) had The Library for his elementary school backdrop, and I was SO jealous. We just had a plain bluish-gray cloudy-looking setup.

I don't think I've ever seen the neon squares! That must have been after my time!

[saladbar.livejournal.com]

That link was hilarious.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it!

[nirol.livejournal.com]

Did you guys have the white ladder prop with the school name stenciled on the side? I'll have to find some of those and borrow a scanner, lol.

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Nooooooooo...we weren't that fancy. I'd love to see that picture if you can find it!

But I remember my cousin was in middle school in the '90s (1994, I want to say), and they had the coolest thing. It was big white block numbers that said "94" and she was sitting on them. That actually still holds up over time and doesn't look anywhere near as dorky as some of these do.

[bogartbabe78.livejournal.com]

lol good photos, only got to look at a few, going save the rest for work (yay for stuff I can see at work!) but a few of those, we have pictures as a family with similar background LOL...esp the split fence:-p

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Yes, these are all totally safe for work. Enjoy!

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

I don't think I realized how bad it was at the time, but looking back on some of those now...woah.

My family usually went to JC Penneys' portrait studio. They typically just used the kind of brushy-looking gray background.

Did they put your whole family outdoor with the flowers? :-P

[ugotogal.livejournal.com]

Those are fantastic! Sometimes I love the Internet. LOL

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, yes.

And I thought of you this morning (I'll post about it later.) Maybe I DO need a guardian.

re: olan mills

[alcesalces.livejournal.com]

That was a great link! Oh I so can relate-- and since you are the same age an an only child I bet some of our family portraits have similar poses. In one of course I am standing and have my hand on each parent's shoulder- I'm maybe 12 or so. And they got worse!

Re: olan mills

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Yep, I was standing behind my parents, with my hands on their shoulders in every. single. portrait. we ever had made. That must be the Only Child Pose or something.

Re: olan mills

[alcesalces.livejournal.com]

Only Child Pose!
HAHAHA
Thank goodness I was not drinking or eating when I read that!
I haven't laughed this hard in weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: olan mills

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's like we're in exile or something, forever relegated to stand behind our parents. With hands on shoulders.

Oh, come to think of it, there IS one shot of me sitting down, but my parents are still on either side of me. I guess they have to do that to balance it out, kind like the Holy Trinity, huh?

Re: olan mills

[alcesalces.livejournal.com]

Yes- I am ALWAYS between my parents in every shot! Like a human barrier!

Re: Wine glass

[bluesilverkdg.livejournal.com]

Y'know, there WAS a guy in the picture with me! Do you know him? :-P That is entirely too ironic.