Scanning using Cell Phine and a Light Box

I found a box of negatives that were in our storeroom. Going through them I found a bunch that i remembered loving. I do have a flatbed scanner, but it is a bear to use. I saw an advertisement on Facebook for software to scan. I then found an inexpensive light box on Amazon. It took a few tries to figure out how to get a decent scan.

Thes images were taken somewhere between 1967 and 1970. They were taken on my Nikkormat and with a 50 mm f/1.4 lens. One is the skyline of lower Manhattan with the Brooklyn docks in the foreground. The other was in a barn in the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

They held up nicely to the new technology.

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Barefooter25 · 46-50, M

You can easily see some construction in the background. Possibly the WTC twin towers.

samueltyler2 · 80-89, M

@Barefooter25 I asked CoPilot AI:

The construction on the far left of the image appears to be the early stages of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan — specifically, one of the Twin Towers under construction.

Here’s how we can tell:

The photo shows the Manhattan skyline from across the East River, likely taken from Brooklyn’s waterfront near the Port Authority piers.

The unfinished steel framework rising on the left matches the distinctive appearance of the North Tower (WTC 1) during its construction phase in the late 1960s.

The rest of the skyline includes recognizable landmarks like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, confirming the era and location.

So, this image captures a fascinating moment in history — New York City’s skyline in transition, as the World Trade Center began to reshape it..

I then asked if it could estimate when it was taken:

Based on the visible stage of construction of the World Trade Center tower on the far left, this photo was likely taken around 1968 or early 1969.

Here’s the reasoning:

The North Tower (WTC 1) began rising above street level in 1967, and by 1968–69, its steel frame had reached several stories high — matching the skeletal structure seen here.

The South Tower (WTC 2) started later, so only one tower’s framework is visible.

The rest of the Manhattan skyline still shows the pre–World Trade Center era, with the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building dominating the view.

So this image captures a transitional moment — New York Harbor and Lower Manhattan just before the Twin Towers began to redefine the skyline.

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