In a Santa Cruz photo booth
What it is:
Photo booth photo measuring 2.5 x 3.5 inches.
What I know about it:
Written on the back in pencil is Taken at Mid Nite Amusement Gallery in Santa Cruz Calif
Comments:
One of my blog’s subscribers is an avid photo booth fan, so hopefully she’ll enjoy this. Hopefully everyone will. I love this photo, such a warm, happy, attractive couple. That sort of lighting doesn’t always flatter people, but it really lights them up. I’m not really sure if “Mid Nite” is the time of day or the name of the “Amusement Gallery” (they were written on separate lines, and I’m not sure if I got the capitalizations correct), but a brief internet search didn’t turn up any business with that name, and I think it’s romantic to imagine this couple getting their picture taken at midnight, so the latter is my preferred interpretation (subject, as always, to revision). By the way, I’m about 85% certain (as if such a thing is quantifiable) that this woman is our amateur actress friend whom we previously enjoyed playing a nurse here and wearing a nice coat here.
Pics of Then 
Before the days when people felt an obligation to make funny faces in photo booths.
Yes, indeed, what our current pundits might call our “pre-irony days” or something. I hate to say things like “those were simpler times”, because I don’t really believe that, but there is something charming about the lack of guile displayed here.
I DO love it Matt. I think you could be right about it being the same woman.
Glad you like it! I keep running across more photos that I realize are her. Her face is distinct enough that I can spot it if I have it in mind. Now I’m wondering if I’ll recognize him in any others.
Yes, there really is a relationship that builds up over time where it seems we are greeting old friends rather than anonymous sitters. I had a really weird moment of recognition and excitement when I recognised a subject from my collection in a book. If you have time. take a look at this http://photoboothjournal.wordpress.com/category/my-femme-fatale/
I wish I knew how to change the order, so that new readers might get the slow unveiling of the story. As it stands in the category you get the last instalment first.
Oh, your collection of posts about your mystery woman is wonderful! (And I hope that my subscribers who are dog lovers will check it out, too, because that looks like a fun book.) I know what you mean about starting to feel proprietary about the subjects of your photos. I’m glad I’m not the only one who has experienced that. Also, when I find I have a handful of photos of somebody, I often realize that’s probably the tip of the iceberg, that there are probably plenty of other photos of that subject floating around in the world, and I wonder if I’ll ever encounter any of them.
Yes, it is a really fun book! The chances of encountering familiar faces is not as remote as one might have thought. I also posted recently about a found photo from Brixton tube (in the 1990s) and another found photo that I found on Tumblr. I swear it is the same (litterbug) guy.( I hope you don’t mind me adding another link here. Delete it if you want! – after you’ve had a look of course!!) http://photoboothjournal.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/could-these-be-pics-of-the-same-man/
No, I certainly don’t mind the links. And yes, I saw that post. It does look like the same person. Such remarkable odds, and yet such similar faces.