Golden Days of Radio

Splitting my professional work these days between photography and broadcasting (with a few hours doing seasonal restaurant cooking) gives me plenty of variety in my week. To combine two of those occupations is fun, too. That's what I have started to do with a new photo project. At the radio stations where I work, the station owner's family, over the years, has assembled quite a collection of vintage radios and broadcasting equipment. I thought I would begin to document these pieces of radio history a little at a time. I wanted my images of the antique radios, etc. to have the look of still being in someones home, since back in the day, the radio was the source of family information and entertainment. I wanted to also show off the warmth and craftsmanship of the wooden radios. I used a single SB flash with a snoot to highlight the radios as if late afternoon or early morning sun was filtering through the windows of the home onto the sets. I did not use any colored gels on the flash. The color that shows is from the wonderfully rich hues of the wooden sets.

Most of the radios at the station are displayed on shelves in the conference room and I didn't want to move them without permission. I have more to do and have a few more lighting ideas up my sleeve for this self-assignment. I think, so far, the results are working well and if you listen carefully, you might be able to hear one of those classic old-time radio shows crackling through the speakers!