19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Wednesday, September 9, 1914: The last of my pictures came today. Of the seven that were taken while we were at the Falls, three were no good.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Poor Grandma– It sounds like a near disaster if 3 of the 7 pictures were “no good.” Maybe the mist (or the lighting) at Niagara Falls affected the pictures.
Even though it hasn’t been all that long since I had a camera that used film, it seems like a vague memory. Some things have changed for the better!
A Hundred Years Ago 
How disappointing for Helena. So glad we don’t have to worry anymore about spoiling expensive film.
Today’s digital cameras are wonderful!
It’s like a whole different world in photography now. I am so thankful. Very disappointing for Grandma.
It’s hard to believe how much photography has changed in the last 15 or 20 years.
Grandma would have loved the age of the digital camera. Knowing right away if a photo is good and a good feeling not to mention a cost savings.
She would have loved digital cameras!
Pretty good to have 4 that were okay. My father who was mad into photography pre digital always said that it was a good day when you got one good pic. I don’t find digital all that different as photos are about so much more than the camera.
Yes, even though the percentage that were okay doesn’t seem very high by today’s standards, I’m sure that you’re right that it was good that several of them turned out all right.
I remember this kind of disappointment so well from the film days. I guess she was using one film plate per photo so 7 must have been expensive – to buy and develop. This kind of ratio doesn’t sound bad though for a beginner.
I can also remember being disappointed when the pictures on a roll of film turned out to be of very low quality when it was developed.
So disappointing. It was so frustrating to open that envelope and discover your photos were bad….no going back to retake, no second chances. I love how digital photography has taken my photography to a whole new level.
I remember that the first roll of film I developed after buying an Instamatic camera was a failure. In the process of holding the camera, I’d inadvertently put one finger over the shutter.
Even with digital, sometimes a picture that you think will be perfect, falls short. But we’re all glad you have that ONE perfect picture from Grandma’s trip!
How true! I particularly have difficulty telling if outdoor photos that I take on sunny days are okay until later when I get back into the house and the light isn’t so intense.
Oh my yes! The “old” days when we had to wait for the film to be developed. Now we know instantly which digital photos we want to delete. But we are free to shoot so many more to begin with.
It’s amazing how many more photos we are able to take now than what we could take back in the days when film was used.
I agree with many of the comments above. I’m glad for not having to wait, better more reliable equipment, ability to instantly share a picture electronically, and the chances to experiment and be creative.
Yes. it is so much easier to experiment and be creative when we don’t have to worry about ruining a picture.
I bet Helena was disappointed. I totally understand.
Diana xo
She tried so hard to carefully select things that she thought were worth photographing so it had to be disappointing when some of them didn’t turn out.
Have you found any of the photos, good or bad? My family seems to have saved both. Sometimes the bad are kind of interesting.
The only one that I’m aware of that still exists is the one she took at Niagara Falls of her sister and the other women.
I think four good ones is pretty successful.
Yes, I’m sure that getting four good ones back then was probably pretty successful.
I lose about the same number of photo tries too… fortunately they are on my phone and can be deleted instead of printed and paid for. Ah, the good old days!
It definitely doesn’t seem as disappointing to have a low-quality picture when I don’t have to pay to it developed.
In my (long) experience with photography the most common causes of “bad” pictures were camera shake (probably #1), poor focus, trying to shoot in areas of sharp contrast (sun/shadow), and movement of the subject. All but one of these problems were exacerbated by slow film speed, something that was slow in improving over the years.
I hope Helena wasn’t discouraged by the problem. Being in the habit of reading obituaries I often marvel that many people die without leaving behind a good picture of themselves. Has anyone else noticed this?
Your comment brings back memories of lots of blurry photos that I’ve taken over the years. 🙂
Well shucks. I feel sad for your Grandma. Cameras and film were so dear to come by back then. And going for a grand trip was even dearer. I can imagine how disappointed she was about her photos. Bless her heart.
Yes, it had to have been especially disappointing since the pictures were taken during the trip to Niagara Falls.