Fall Back in Time

the green machine :: Brooklyn Restoration Supply :: © Nancy Szostak Wright

Say what?

No, it's not time to "fall back" and adjust your clocks for daylight savings.

That's November 1st.

Phew!

I'm asking you to hop in this antique car with me and take a ride back in time with a few pix from a photo adventure at Brooklyn Restoration Supply in Brooklyn, CT. This was a new type of photo trek for me.

Several of my camera club friends and I visited with Rudy, the owner, who gave us permission to photograph all of his rustically beautiful vintage wares. At 90 years young, Rudy Rzeznikiewicz keeps his dairy farmer days in the rearview mirror, as he humbly runs his nationally known restoration supply business.

We had a blast culling through all the wood, metal, porcelain, concrete. Yes, there was a lot of dust and dirt. And wowza, so much peeling paint. The textures, patterns, tubs, and toys were this photographer's dream come true. And yes, we might have had some fun posing in empty 18th-century oversized wood frames and centuries-old claw-foot tubs.

photo credit: Mary Newth

I made my way through the obstacle course of has-been sinks and toilets. All I could think of were all the stories. They say if walls could talk. What if these beams and bricks could share what they’ve seen. We were among 20,000 square-feet of old fireplace mantels, hardware, doors, window sashes, corner cupboards, thick wooden planks.

And guess what? These architectural treasures transported us back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Who knocked on these doors? Who threw open these windows to allow the thick farm aroma of soil, grass, and feed filter in?  

Who was carried by the wheels? Whose keys opened these doors? So many stories!

PHOTO TIP

From a photography standpoint, here’s what I learned: life is in the details. When you’re making images of objects and you want to be artsy, get close and find a new perspective. Keep your mind and options open. You might have a vision, but turn that vision upside down and try a new angle, depth of field, or shutter speed.

On this particular day, I brought my monopod instead of my tripod by mistake. Oops! So these are all handheld, many in really low light. I was using my Nikon D850 with a 24-120mm lens. The f/stop only dropped to 4; a 2.8 would have been better. (REMEMBER: smaller f/stop number = more light and less depth of field). I just had fun and tried to capture the way I felt. Honored. Grateful. Nostalgic. Curious. I felt like I was truly back in the old days. We walked through the building with the shutters and doors, then explored the wrought-iron furniture out in the open.

My biggest wow moment was when I turned the corner to go to the next building and I was greeted by the gorgeous green antique car. And I’m not even a “car” person. I stood in wonder. When we asked Rudy the price of the car, he said, “I don’t know. There is no price because I’m not selling it. You only need to know a price if you’re buying or selling.”

After the green machine welcomed us in, we were greeted by an antique Tolland County Rescue Service emergency vehicle. When I saw it, the first thing I thought of was Mater from the Cars movie. I looked him up and wouldn’t you know, he was based on an International brand tow truck, the same brand of rescue vehicle I had the honor of photographing.

This outing was another lesson in noticing all the little details. As we waited to get a photo with Rudy, then hit the road, my friend looked down and noticed the mat we were standing on was a glorious metal floor covering made from adjoining hearts. We had no idea. Of course, we cleared the leaves and debris and took a few shots. Wow!

Please be sure to visit the wrightpix Facebook page to see all of the pix from this trip.