He was looking for the perfect gift and instead stumbled upon quite an adventure. As his hands shook with excitement, he slowly unwound the reel in the darkroom to see if the vintage film he had just discovered was still good after so many decades. What he didn’t know was that the shapes that were slowly forming before his eyes would send him on a very strange quest. What did he discover after developing the antique film?
Discovering a New Camera
Although professional photographer Martijn van Oers uses state of the art equipment, he is always impressed by old cameras, which is why when he laid his eyes on an old Zeiss camera, he knew he had to buy it. But he bought more than just a camera!
An Amazing Artist
Photographers are not just skilled at using the perfect angles and proper lens when taking a photo. They are artists, sending messages to the world through their work. A single photo can say more than what words can convey. Martijn is one of those artists…
Just a Hobby
Photography may start as a hobby, but Martijn’s obsession with cameras and photographs has taken over and now, this is his job. His Instagram account is filled with photos and mixed media. What made his name so popular online though, was his rather peculiar discovery.
The Old Camera
Martijn saw an old camera in an Antique store during one of his walks around his hometown Breda. His goal for that day was to capture some of his town’s beauty, but as he stopped to look inside the store, his initial plan had to be delayed.
The Antique Store Discovery
The photographer entered the Antique store and thought he would take some photos of old artifacts, but as he moved around the store, he saw the old camera. There, on a lower shelf, an old Zeiss camera was displayed, among other old items…
A Walk In The Town
What started with a walk on the streets of Breda, ended up with a great find. Martijn was happy to have found such an old camera and thought it would make for a great present for his wife. Plus, he would get to tinker with it for a bit and see if it works. So he went home, but he had no idea that the camera also hid a film roll inside!
His Wife Was Excited
In a post he wrote on Bored Panda, Martijn revealed a few more details about his purchase. “I recently purchased an original Zeiss Ikon 520/2, a folding medium-format vintage camera,” he said, adding that “she was over the moon” when she received it as a gift.
Taking a Look At The Camera
The couple left the camera on a shelf and forgot about it until after having dinner. Then, Martijn decided to check out the old Zeiss, clean it and see if it still worked. That’s when he realized that the camera still had a film roll inside!
He Was Stunned
“After dinner I told her I was considering using the camera to take pictures with since all the mechanics from the camera seemed to be in pristine condition,” recalled Martijn. And as he opened it, he saw that film. Was it still good after all those years?
It Would Be Fun
“I normally shoot all my photos with high-end gear. So working with an old-school piece of equipment seemed like a lot of fun,” said Martijn. And when he discovered the film, he realized his fun project was now becoming a mystery!
The Film Roll
Martijn recalls that while he was checking to see if the “camera still worked, if everything opened and if the wheels were still turning,” he was surprised to discover the film roll. What he didn’t know was that this roll would take him on a journey back in time and also abroad!
The Beginning of a Strange Story
One of the many beauties photographs offer is that they can tell us a story from the past. Martijn was now looking at the film which had the work “EXPOSÉ” written on it and wondered what was the story behind the photos in that roll. But first, he had to learn whether they could still be developed or not…
Doing Some Research
Before solving the mystery, Martijn looked for more information about the camera and the film roll. He learned that the camera had been built in 1924. Meanwhile, the film dated back to the 1940-1970 period, meaning this roll could have been over 50 years old! But was it still good?
Time and Degradation
Over time, film rolls may suffer degradation, so Martjin didn’t have high hopes when he decided to see if he could develop the photos. He called a friend that was experienced in developing film rolls and together, they ended up look sharing a unique experience!
Slim Chances to Recover Photos
“He warned me the chances to recover the vintage photos were very slim, considering the guesstimated age of the film,” recalled Martjin. However, his friend Johan Holleman would do his best. Meanwhile, the photographer documented the developing process.
What Could Be On That Roll?
I found myself in Johan’s kitchen documenting him working his magic on an, what later turned out to be, almost 70-year-old film. Setting up their tools in the kitchen, the two would soon learn what was this mystery old roll hiding.
Opening Pandora’s Box
The process required “knowledge, timing, patience, and accuracy,” said Martijn. It took them a long time until they discovered what was on those photos. The two men wondered what could possibly be on some decades-old photos, hoping they would discover something exciting.
They Even Used a Hair Dryer
They even had to use the bathroom to dry the roll, said Martijn: “At the end I even convinced [Holleman] to dry the roll with a hair dryer.” Hours later, they would get their answers, but Martijn had no idea that these photos will send him over the ocean!
A Dangerous Process
Talking about the hairdryer trick, Martijn agree that it was “actually very dangerous, but I had to have those things under the scanner. Fortunately, it had no impact on quality.” So all they had to do was wait and see what images could be saved. Four photographs were still clear!
Scanning the Negatives
“We scanned the negatives and found four images had enough detail in them to tell that the last time this camera was used,” wrote Martijn on Bored Panda. The two men stared at the decades-old photos, and were left speechless. Let’s check out the photos.
A Woman Staring At Them
In the first photo, there was a woman looking at the camera. She was standing close to a cement pathway, close to the side of a mountain. The second photo was of the same woman, but in a different scenery.
By The Ocean
This time, the same woman was standing beside the ocean, posing with her back at a bridge. On the other side, there were other people walking on the boulevard. The next two photos helped the photographers learn more about the mysterious film roll.
The Steep Cliff
The woman was now posing on a steep cliff, in mid-walk. Martijn and Johan were puzzled about these photos that seemed to be just regular snaps taken when visiting new places. How did they not get developed and ended up in a shop? Soon enough, Martijn would learn everything about these photos and more!
The Fourth Photograph
In the last photograph that could still be saved, the two men were looking at the owner of the camera. It was a man, holding the camera case and posing with his back at a mountain. Here’s how his discovery went viral…
Social Media Responded
Martijn was wondering exactly where these photos were done, so he posted them on social media, looking for some help from the public. The story went instantly viral once people found the exact locations.
Google Street View Photos
People sent Martijn photos from Google Street View with the places that could be seen in those photos. It turned out that the photo were taken in Biarritz, France. Then, a woman sent him a private message, asking about those photos!
A Small Treasure Chest
“Looking at the images, I feel I stumbled across a small treasure-chest—or time capsule—giving us a tiny glimpse into the past. It really makes me want to find out who the people in the pictures are,” wrote Martijn. He soon found out about the people in the photos…
Finding the Owner
Martijn was hoping that one day he could “to hand over these negatives to the descendants of this mystery photographer.” He had no idea that a Dutch woman called Marion Jurrjens would contact him and asked about the photos!
Her Grandparents Were In Those Photos
Marion told Martijn that those people in the photos were of her grandparents. Together, her grandfather and grandmother visited Biarritz with their daughter, Marion’s aunt. The woman saw the photos three days after Martijn’s story went viral, so she had to tell him about the photograph’s origin.
Who Was Marion?
Although the descendant of the people in the antique photos was Dutch, she had moved to Canada in 2004. Actually, she first learned about the photos from a Dutch newspaper and recognized her relatives! Her grandfather was Theo J. Lammers, her grandmother was Elisabeth Lammers-Berveling and her aunt was Thea Lammers.
Contacting Martijn
Marion looked after the photographer on Facebook and gave him the news, explaining that her grandfather had been an architect and he used the camera to document their trip in France. She told Daily Mail that “when I saw the pictures in the paper I felt that it was really special that the pictures were of them.”
Her Aunt Had More Photos
“My aunt was a hoarder and normally refused to get rid of things. When [she] died in 2003 I emptied her apartment and collected 10 photo albums that belonged to my grandparents and took them to Canada with me. So I instantly recognized them,” explained Marion. It was very easy to recognize them in the time-worn photographs from the Zeiss camera.
A House Filled With Memories
Although Marion has plenty of photos to see and remember her relatives, she always has a place for a few more. “My house is already rather full, since my grandfather was also a painter.”
Traveling to Canada
Martijn set up a crowdfunding page to gather enough money for a trip to Canada, where he visited Marion and handed her the camera and the photos. She was very happy to hear the photographer traveled all the way to Canada for her!
A Memorable Moment
When Marion found out Martijn was coming to bring her the camera and the photos in person, she was very happy. “I can find a spot to put them on the wall so I can remember this whole event,” she added. As for Martijn, he said he’ll keep on buying antique cameras from now on…
The Missing Present
“I will be sure to check the inside of any vintage camera I come across from now on. If I find one that’s holding a film, I’ll definitely buy it,” he said. Meanwhile, his wife was left without a present. Martijn joked, saying that he wasn’t “sure how she’ll react when I tell her I’m giving away her present.”