Finding a set of startlingly beautiful vintage photographs without a studio or author name on them is like finding canvases of a brilliant anonymous painter. And seeking out the lost creators of such stunning unattributed art is a crucial part for their unveiling to the public: authorship adds authenticity, context, and a story.

Richmond, VA, US-based photographer Meagan Abell is determined to locate the author and subjects of a set of transparencies she found in her local thrift store and give credit where it’s due.

The photographs from these transparencies are of beautiful, intriguing, carefully posed and created images from the mid-century.

Meagan’s quest on social media with #FindTheGirlsOnTheNegatives has generated worldwide interest from both the photographic community and the Internet (even the BBC is interested). Through social media Meagan has gained a following of enthusiasts who have joined in to help her search, and a second set of transparencies linked to the first, have now been recovered.

With the second set of transparencies Meagan is another step closer to locating the author and subjects of those photographs. Despite the worldwide media coverage, Meagan remains focused on her original quest.

In this exclusive interview with Looks Like Film (LLF), Meagan reveals for the first time information about the second set of the transparencies, plus two new, previously unpublished, images from the set. Here’s Part 1 of our interview with Meagan.

1. When you first stumbled upon the first set of negatives, what went through your mind?

Well I had never seen what I thought were negatives in a medium format size (now known to be slide transparencies!), so initially I thought they were so intriguing just based on that. And hey, at $3 a pop, why not?

2. What did you like about the photographs when you first saw them?

Mostly the colors right off, and then looking closer I thought that the subject was very interesting. A woman full dressed walking into the waves? So odd!

3. What compeled you to investigate and find out their source?

As a fellow photographer, I wanted to give credit where it was due for these gorgeous images, and I was desperate to learn the story behind why these images were taken, and what the photographer was trying to create.

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4. Did you expect #FindTheGirlsOnTheNegatives to generate so much interest, not only in the photographic community but in the mainstream media? Why do you think this happened?

I thought hey, maybe someone will recognize these and can tell me who took them or who the women are. And if not, at least I have some beautiful images and a decoration for my apt. There was no way I thought this would go any farther than a few shares or so. But sure enough, the Internet loves a great mystery, and the whole world seems to be as intrigued as I was. Or maybe everyone still thinks it’s a hoax for a Meryl Streep movie, which I almost wish was true 😉

5. When you were notified by Elise (friends with Meagan) & Janelle via social media about the location where the photographs were taken, were you surprised? Considering they ended up in Richmond?

Yes and no. I already knew that it was more unlikely the types of rock formations/mountains in the images would be somewhere along the East Coast, plus I believed it to be dusk, not sunrise. As well, when people pass away, belongings can sometimes end up in estate or yard sales, which antique enthusiasts from all over the country will visit and buy up “lots” which are groups of items, that they find interesting. I’m sure many people have seen Storage Wars, and they know those folks will travel hundreds of miles to buy up lockers in hopes of finding treasures.

6. Can you tell me about the second set of transparencies that your local news reporter found?

The second set includes two strips of the transparencies*, one with 4 frames and the other with 3 frames. They also only have the numbers “431 6082” marked on the edges, which are more than likely to do with the emulsion batch. The images seem to have been taken AFTER the first set, because they are darker, and the sun is no longer visible on the horizon. One strip is of the woman in the blue dress sitting on the rocks and gazing in profile out to the sea, and the other looks like the silhouette of the lady in red, in which the photographer chose to focus on her reflection in a pool of water in the foreground, with herself out of focus behind it. Just to clarify-the scans that I posted online are the clearest of the batch. I straightened a couple of the frames, which cropped them slightly, but they are all square frames, all of the same size. Some of the images I didn’t post do have some color shifts, slight fogging, and some markings. When I originally posted these images, the goal was to find the women based on what they looked like, and not based on the film type. I do have folks who are taking a look at uncorrected scans and pictures of the transparencies to see if that will give us any clues. The film is actually believed to be Rexo 431 (film type), series 6082 (slides/transparencies) based on the marking numbers on the edges of the transparencies.

* discovered by Mark Holmberg at CBS6.

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Meagan Abell, a wedding photographer based in Richmond, Virginia, believes adventures mean you give part of yourself away, while at the same time, gaining new treasure from it. An avid ‘urbexer’, Meagan explores abandoned places, old houses and other out there places. A master of GIFs (a pity we can’t get that working on our website but a link to her work is included) and a double-exposure-oholic (I think that’s the word), she has a long  “photographic bucket list” – how long? I don’t dare to ask. These beautiful images of Meagan’s are a testament of her life’s adventures.

1. What is life to you? What it should be?

I think life is a series of adventures. Some are big, some are small, some are terrifying and some are exhilarating, but all of them are what make up who you are as a person. I believe with each adventure, you give a little part of yourself away, but you also acquire bits and pieces of the world around you. That’s why when you look back at who you were 10 years ago, it’s completely different than how you are now.

2. There are a lot of professions out there – why be a photographer?

I think about this often, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s just what I was born to do. As a kid, I had a bunch of different hobbies, but my absolute favorite thing to do was take a disposable camera and photograph EVERYTHING around me. Eventually, my camera and I became inseparable, and now photography is such a huge and passionate part of my life, I doubt I’d be happy doing anything else.

3.  How much is your family an influence on the way you view life, see things?

My mom is my biggest fan and greatest influence. She raised me basically on her own, and she gave me my first disposable camera. She’s always pushed me to dream big and pursue what I love, and reminds me that even if I fail, at least I had that experience and I can learn from it and improve.

4. What is your favorite non-photography pastime?

I like to go urban exploring aka “urbexing”, which is basically the seeking out and exploration of abandoned places and spaces. Lots of old houses, factories, hospitals and asylums. I actually did a road trip to Detroit with a couple friends in February just to do some urbexing up there, even though it never reached a temperature higher than 20 degrees. So. Much. Snow.

5. What do you like to eat?

Tacos. Donuts from a local place in Richmond. And more tacos.

6.  Is/Are there any project(s) you wish you could do – or might do?

I’ve got a looooooong “photographic bucket list” of shoots, projects and concepts I’d like to do before I’m too old to press a shutter. Lots of thing with cinemagraphs and GIFs! (have a browse on Meagan‘s Ello site for GIFs!)

7. Is there a big difference between your personal work and commissioned work?

My commissioned work is typically going to be a bit more bright and colorful, and with my personal work I like to shoot a little bit more dark and moody, but there’s not a super crazy big gap between the two.

8. Do you shoot with your left or right eye?

Right eye!

9. Are there any unseen experimental images in your attic you’d like to show us now? 

Right now I have an ongoing project I’m doing with instant film and double exposures, where I combine portraits of people with flora and flauna. I’m a bit of a double-exposure-oholic, and doing them on film is awesome because you can get a tangible piece of art right in your hands within 5 minutes!

10. If you were to start all over again, is there anything you would do differently? Why?

I probably would’ve tried a lot harder when I was in school, and not taken my education for granted so much. Plus, I’m really missing having free access to a darkroom and film developing materials, it can get super expensive buying it on your own!

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