Dress Like Your Grandpa

The second photo in the series is of a few of my clothing items. Now keep in mind that I am not a 'hipster', nor am I trying intentionally to be an oddball attention seeker by dressing weird. But I do strive to have some style. I think in this age when you can show up at an upscale restaurant in torn jeans, a t-shirt with some snarky slogan and a pair of flip-flops that it shows some dignity and self-respect to dress up a little. In some cases it does bring attention, but in my experience it is invariably positive and complimentary. In fact just today I was complimented 3 times on my bowtie at church. People like it because it says that I think the people I am around are worth a little more effort than just pulling on a sweatshirt. Our grandfathers did this (mine was born in 1922). They wore hats for pragmatic as well as reasons of style. Living in So. Cal. I frequently am thankful for a brimmed hat to keep the sun out of my eyes. I have short hair, so it prevents my head from getting sunburned and when the weather cools off, I appreciate the warmth of some wool covering my cranium. Trilby, bowler, homberg, pork pie, panama, I don't care. Put it on with a bit of a nasty angle and style is yours.

Here is my grandpa on the right with his two sisters and his mom and dad. He looks maybe 17 or 18 in this picture. Look at those hats! Looking sharp Gramps!

My point here is that we don't have to be so casual all the time. It's okay to put on a nice gingham shirt, learn to tie a bowtie, polish up the brogues and top it off with a stylish lid. Make some effort. The people around you will notice and appreciate it and you will feel better in your own skin. You might even see some of your friends start to step up their style game.

The photo was taken with the following:

• Standard Cameras 4x5 1.0
• CatLabs XFilm 80 pulled to 25
• My-Tol 1:1 x 8.5 minutes

Shave Like Your Grandpa

I am starting a series of posts that center around the things that I do that are anachronistic. They belong to a previous time; that of my grandfather. These are not necessarily things he did or used personally, but are of his generation (give or take a generation). The photos will be taken on film, of course, but the posts will only have the minimum of detail around the actual photo. The content is really about the particular thing I am photographing.

I do some things in an 'old fashioned' way because I think that the world of 80 or 100 years ago was less rushed, less frantic, less worried about leaping from one instant gratification to the next. That slower pace and methodical approach to life is very appealing to me these days. Don't get the impression that I am a luddite. I work for a modern software company and spend many hours a week sitting at a computer writing code and emails and whatnot just like many many others. I don't hate technology, but I think it has its place in my life and there are other places where it does not belong. For example, shaving...

Shaving is a ritual. Whether you shave dry wih an electric shaver or use a plastic disposable with a can of shaving gel, you have a process. I think most men today use either an electric shaver or a multi-bladed cartrige with some sort of shaving foam to lubricate their skin. This is a very efficient way to get through the process with as little thought, time, effort and risk as possible. It is still a ritual, just a short one. I used to shave that way, but I was never satisfied with the quality of the shave I got, nor the feeling I had when the 'ritual' was over. I shaved once or maybe twice a week because I dreaded it an a clean shave was not required for my job. I remembered that my dad used a 'safety razor', so I decided to give that a try. A single blade... how was that going to work? As it turns out, it worked pretty well. I learned the 'grain map' of my face and started getting the closest, most comfortable shaves of my life. When I decided to add shaving soap and a brush to the ritual, it became truly enjoyable and an opportunity to 'pamper' myself. The final straw that made me go 'full grandpa' was the decision to get a straight razor and learn to shave that way. Now the ritual has expanded to stropping and occasionally sharpening the blade. My shaving ritual now takes about 35 minutes every other day. I put on some good music and take my time. My world slows waaaay down and I stop thinking about all of the external troubles. This is by choice and by necessity. Putting a razor-sharp blade to your throat requires some care and focus. So that's why I shave like my grandpa.

The first photo is of my safety razor, along with my badger brush and a bowl for lathering the soap.

Next up is my straight razor (Dovo) along with a mug that my great grandpa's sister hand painted for him. He used it for lathering his shaving soap and that's what I use it for as well. The leather strop behind belonged to another grandpa. I don't use it because it is pretty worn with lots of nicks, but I keep it hanging with my new strop.

The photo details:

• Standard Cameras 1.0 4x5 camera
• Kodak Ektar 203mm/7.7
• Cat Labs XFilm 80
• HC110b x 8.75 minutes