Nixon Kennedy TV Debate 1960

Still Movies - Nixon Kennedy Debate - 1st US Presidential TV Debate 1960

George wrote this in 2007-  edited 2020

In 1960 I did not to go to the political conventions. I had done this in 1956. I was still a political junkie. I decided to watch the Nixon-Kennedy TV debate on my black & white television.

I quickly realized this debate was a game changer for political campaigns and raced to my storage cabinet, grabbed a tripod a camera and a cable release…all the time trying to remember the correct exposure for television.. ( It was 1/15th at f2.8 with TX.)

But after shooting a few frames I decided it was a boring exercise and almost quit when I realized that the camera 1/ camera 3 crossover might produce something interesting. Of course I didn’t know if I was right until I had developed the film, but on the other hand those negatives are still fine after 52 years..take that computer!

The series of five frames has become part of my “Still Movies” series and is now in the permanent collection of Musee d’art Contemporain de Montreal and has been exhibited in museum shows in Canada, U.S., Spain & Japan.

I will not be reprinting this or any of my Still Movies. There are less than ten copies extant .

Series of 5 11/14″ Silver Gelatin Prints printed by the photographer in 1994.
Photographed from a Capehart B&W Television in Zimbel’s living room.

Nixon Kennedy debate captured on Television
Nixon Kennedy debate was the first televised presidential debate. This image Shows the transition between the two
Nixon Kennedy debate captured on Television

There is a finite inventory of museum quality silver gelatine images available for sale in various sizes, printed and signed by the photographer through these fine art galleries.

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