Nowadays, we can't even imagine our lives without photos. Many of us tend to capture each detail of our lives, from special occasions to the most ordinary moments. Cameras are used by all age groups, starting from little children who are curious about all the gadgets around them, through youth, adults, and finally, elderly people who want to keep up with technology and have the will to learn new things.
However, it wasn't always this easy in the past, and initially, cameras were available only to a very narrow group of people. Nevertheless, we can't deny that this was a wonderful invention, providing us with limited sources of information that offer a glimpse into how life looked in the past. The Facebook page 'Old Photos' curates a great collection of fascinating photographs, and as it states: "This page is to remember history by sharing historic photos and videos from around the world."
Bored Panda reached out to Krzysztof Kucharczyk, a professional photographer, and an old photos enthusiast. Apart from his professional work, Krzysztof is also an admin of an Instagram account dedicated to historical images. We wanted to gather more information about his passion and details about curating his profile. First, we asked what initially drew him to the world of old photography. Kucharczyk shared with us: “Old photos are magical. Old photographs are windows to the old world. I've always wondered about their history. I started collecting old photos to save their history from oblivion. Discovering the story of each photo is a journey into the unknown, a journey to another world, a journey to a parallel world.”
We were wondering what criteria Krzysztof uses to determine the value and significance of a vintage photograph. He said: “I am not guided by technical values. I appreciate photos that keep me lingering longer. I love photos that tell a story. You find a photo, you look at it, and you know you have to save it.”
Kucharczyk shared with us his favorite discovery and the story behind the vintage photograph: “Each photo has an amazing story. Not all stories are known. There is a photo that brought me back to my hometown. The photo was given to the grandson by his grandma. The grandson sold the photo, and it was found 450 km from home. This elderly woman was very surprised when I showed her this picture. She was very young in the photo, and I wouldn't recognize her. She confirmed it was her portrait. She gave this picture as a gift to her grandson. It had been sold, and I found it in a marketplace, 450 km from this woman's place of residence.”
Lastly, we were wondering what lessons or inspirations the photographer draws from the past that influenced his work as a photographer in the present. Krzysztof told us: “Understatements. I like when everything is not clear. I like to create blurred, natural images without Photoshop. I appreciate analog photography and its softness and depth. All of this is missing from digital photography.”
Note: this post originally had 126 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.