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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Website reunites cameras, owners

City man's blog gets 3.6 million views

By: Aldo Santin

Posted: 04/18/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Matt Preprost set up his blog in February 2008 in the hope it would help restore lost cameras — and priceless photos — to their owners. (PHIL.HOSSACK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA)

Thanks to a young Winnipegger, there is now a website where people who find lost cameras can let the owners know they're just waiting to be picked up.

Matt Preprost came up with the idea for his blog, Ifoundyourcamera (http://ifoundyourcamera.blogspot.com/), in February of 2008 and since then has helped 25 people find their lost cameras and photos.

"It's a waiting game," Preprost, 22, said. "It's six degrees of separation -- someone sees a post and recognizes someone and then passes that information along."

The rules for Preprost's blog are simple: If you've found a camera, post four photos from its memory card or film and any relevant information about where and when it was found.

Preprost said there are posts for 400 found cameras on the website now and the site has had over 3.6 million views since it was created.

The posts are from all over the world: Iceland, Japan, Australia, Ireland, Mexico, Canada and the United States.

"At the time it was an interesting idea, creating a place where people could go," Preprost said, adding he never realized the reach the site would have and its impact.

"You can see from the comments that people are enthusiastic and grateful to have their cameras and photos returned to them," Preprost said. "It's kind of cool."

Adrienne Yeung recently posted four photos from the film she found inside a camera she bought in December from a local thrift shop.

"I was looking for a prop for a school play and I found this black Minolta for $5," said Yeung, a 17-year-old Grant Park High School student.

She had the roll of film developed and found it contained pictures from the 2004 Teulon Collegiate graduation ceremonies.

"They were photos of a guy with his mother and grandparents and the guy with his cat," Yeung said, adding other photos were of the student with classmates.

Yeung said she heard about the ifoundyourcamera blog and decided to post the photos to see if she could return them to their owner.

So, far the owner hasn't claimed them.

Preprost said the blog seems to fill a need, adding he plans to keep updating it as long as people are using it.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca

It's a snap

Have you lost a camera? Found a camera? Get back in the picture at:

http://ifoundyourcamera.blogspot.com/

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 18, 2010 A10

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