Life (Magazine) on Midway -- Stunning WWII color photos

[Russ Matthews]

Someone on another online forum spotted this link to a Time, Inc. website where you can view (and purchase) a collection of gorgeous full color images shot by Life magazine photographer Frank Scherschel on Midway island sometime in 1942. There are several great views of an early war P-40, PBY, and a whole squadron of SBDs.

Check it out here...

http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?q=midway+source:life&imgurl=b3fc40e6d9f58600#

[Holedigger]

Some very nice color pics
Thanks

[SPANNERmkV]

LONE STAR EXPRESS appears to be a Dauntless.
That's judging by the cowling shape, the color and the aerial on the left side.

I didn't think the Navy was keen on naming airplanes.
And that pilot looks like a character!

Those formation shots are a thing of beauty!

[Mgawa]

Best color images I have ever seen!!! Codak color slides?

[k5083]

Brilliant pics. Yes, almost certainly Kodachrome.

Notice the limited depth of field; how in a picture like the one directly linked to by TBDude, the aircraft 50 feet away is in focus, yet the wing of the camera aircraft and the aircraft farther away are out of focus, giving a 3D quality to the image. That can only be done with large format, probably at least a 4x5" sheet film, more likely 8x10". You just cannot do that with 35mm or modern digital.

This is almost like aviation p-o-r-n.

August

[John Dupre]

I notice that the star insignia is on both upper and lower wing surfaces. Whe did they switch to upper left and lower right or was that and Army thing?

[DB2]

Brilliant pics. Yes, almost certainly Kodachrome.

Notice the limited depth of field; how in a picture like the one directly linked to by TBDude, the aircraft 50 feet away is in focus, yet the wing of the camera aircraft and the aircraft farther away are out of focus, giving a 3D quality to the image. That can only be done with large format, probably at least a 4x5" sheet film, more likely 8x10". You just cannot do that with 35mm or modern digital.

I would guess he was using a 4 x 5 Speed Graphic with Kodachrome 25.

Very interesting photos. Wonder what mission the SBD photos are? They look loaded with bombs. Wonder how many made it back to either Midway or their carrier? Those clear, color photos give a very different view of the early days of the war for the US Navy. Nice stuff.

[Jack Cook]

Mark,
These are post Battle of Midway late 42 early mid 43.

[Holedigger]

Anyone know what is on the rack on the Starboard wing? It appears all the SBS's have the same load, a 500 in the middle, a 250 to port, and weird, skinny little thing with no fins on starboard?

Very interesting photos. Wonder what mission the SBD photos are? They look loaded with bombs. Wonder how many made it back to either Midway or their carrier?

The directly-linked photo shows a practice bomb carrier under the wing of SBD side number two -- so I'd say that particular shot is not actual combat.

[Russ Matthews]

These are post Battle of Midway late 42 early mid 43.

A quick Google search shows that some of the photos ran in the November 23, 1942 issue as part of an article entitled, appropriately enough, "Life on Midway Island."

[Django]

Simply stunning...

[Rob Mears]

Hey photogs! Are there any boutique photography communities that still utilize these cameras, and this film format? Is there any chance this type of Kodachrom film is still produced, or if new old stock could still be utilized if it could be sourced somewhere?

How magnificent would it be to do a modern photo shoot of the likes of "Happy Jacks Go Buggy", or any other number of modern perfecto restorations and publish it as a kind of retro collection?

There's got to be some photography enthusiasts out there who've done this, or tried to make it happen. It would be the one perfect way to truly capture the essence of the mid-20th Century in modern photography.

[Holedigger]

Here is a link to an interesting site with info on scanning and cleaning your old Kodachrome slides

http://www.historicphotoarchive.com/f2/kodachrome.html