Man Develops Film Inside Old Camera and Discovers Trove of Family Christmas Photos

Nov 15, 2024

Matt Growcoot

A man who purchased a $5 film camera from a bargain bin and developed the ancient film inside is now trying to find the people on the roll.

Seth Boles went to Moler’s Camera in Witchita, Kansas, which was closing down after 80 years, to hunt for a deal. He noticed the $5 Pentax camera he picked up from the bargain bin still had film in it.

“When I was checking it out, I saw that it still had film in it,” Boles tells KSN TV. “I was like, ‘Is that going to work’, and the guy was like, ‘I have no idea, I can’t tell you that’.”

Boles decided to get the film developed, no cheap task nowadays, and says he was astonished when the negatives came back showing a family Christmas.

A child hugs an elderly person sitting on a sofa in a dimly lit room. Several other people are seated nearby, with curtains and dim light in the background.

A man and a young child are sitting on the floor, opening a colorful toy box together. Several people are seated in the background on a couch. The room has a cozy atmosphere with warm lighting.

Boles researched the toy that the young girl is receiving and estimates that the pictures were taken in December 2000.

“For being at least 20 years old and a camera that’s been sitting in the back of a bargain bin at this store, very much not stored properly, I’m amazed those photos came out like they did,” says Boles.

Bob Moler, proprietor of Moler’s Camera, doesn’t hold out much hope that Boles will track down the family.

A group of people gathered in a cozy living room with dim lighting. An elderly person is sitting on a chair, a young child is leaning over to hug another seated adult. Others are seated nearby; curtains and a television are visible in the background.

A woman and a young child sit on the floor. The woman holds a picture book open, showing it to the child. The setting appears to be indoors, with a warm, nostalgic ambiance. The child watches intently, both focused on the book.

Regardless, Boles is hoping that the family might see media coverage about the photos and he can give them back to their rightful owner.

“They’re new perspectives and unique views of people that mean so much to this family out there that they’ve never seen them in this way; these are memories that they’ve missed out on,” adds Boles.

Moler’s Camera

The store that Boles bought the camera from, Moler’s Camera, shut down in the summer. Bob Moler’s Dad opened the store in 1946 and Bob took over the shop after his Dad died.

“In those days, there were seven or eight camera shops in town, and everybody was happy-go-lucky. We made a decent profit,” Bob told KSN of his time running Moler’s in the 1980s.

Image credits: Seth Boles/KSN TV

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