AA-2026-60DCD5
On the image
The inherent desire to document something visually often clashed with the practicalities of 1970s photography, particularly when involving moving objects or, in this case, moving photographers. This collection of autumn colours, captured at what appears to be a decent clip, suggests someone made an effort to record a moment.
The resulting blur was a common outcome, sometimes considered an artistic choice, more often a consequence of not really understanding shutter speeds. It represented a good-faith attempt to remember a beautiful vista, even if the vista itself seems to have moved on before the shutter closed.
Humans have always felt compelled to create a permanent record of things they enjoy, even if that record consists largely of an abstract impression. The feeling of 'I took a picture of that' was often more important than what the picture actually showed.
The historian's note
This photograph from the 1970s captures a landscape of trees exhibiting autumn foliage. The significant motion blur indicates the image was likely taken from a moving vehicle or during a quick pan.
Consumer photography saw widespread adoption during this decade, with increasingly portable cameras making it common for individuals to document travel and everyday experiences. The technical limitations of these cameras, combined with casual photographic practices, often resulted in images characterised by varying degrees of blur or soft focus, particularly when subjects were in motion or light conditions were suboptimal.
Such images represent a typical example of amateur nature photography from the period, reflecting both the popularity of scenic travel and the accessible technology available to the general public.
Subjects & keywords — each links to a search
Visually related — by likeness
Autumn Trees in Motion Blur, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-60DCD5. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/autumn-trees-in-motion-blur-1970s.
@misc{aaAA202660DCD5,
title = {Autumn Trees in Motion Blur, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-60DCD5},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/autumn-trees-in-motion-blur-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - Autumn Trees in Motion Blur, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-60DCD5 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/autumn-trees-in-motion-blur-1970s ER -
From the community
Identifications, corrections, and discussion from readers — reviewed by a librarian before appearing here.
Sign in to add an identification, correction, or comment.
No notes yet — be the first to add what you know about this image.