Claude "Pop" Laval took more than 100,000 photos that captured every aspect of life in the central San Joaquin Valley during the first half of the 20th century. It would take weeks -- even months -- to look at all of the noted photographer's work, but KVPT (Channel 18.1) is providing a way to see a small sampling.

"As Pop Saw It: Valley Stories as Photographed by Claude C. "Pop" Laval" debuts Monday on the local public television station. The 45-minute documentary -- narrated by local news veteran Nancy Osborne -- is a collection of more than 400 of Laval's pictures, which look at everything from harvests to holidays.

There's been an interest in making such a documentary for years, but it wasn't until Elizabeth Laval, the photographer's great-granddaughter, began working at KVPT that the project finally took shape. Elizabeth Laval also heads the Pop Laval Foundation that is trying to digitize all of Laval's work before the negatives are no longer usable and the photos fade.

"It was the support of donors, local businesses and the Bonner Family Foundation that helped us raise the funding to concentrate on producing the documentary," says KVPT chief executive officer Paula Castadio during a reception at the Pop Laval Gallery Wednesday night where the documentary was shown to supporters.

Six weeks ago, Elizabeth Laval began to juggle her duties as KVPT's chief development officer and putting together the documentary. The script she wrote includes Laval's own words, taken from the numerous articles he wrote for the Fresno Guide newspaper.

Laval's photos cover so much material that the biggest decision was the format to use to tell the story. Instead of focusing on specific areas like agriculture or people, the documentary looks at events that would have happened during a year.

"We thought, 'What's the best way to do an overview of Pop's collection?' We start out with fall, with things like football, the fair -- big things that are still relevant today," says Elizabeth Laval.

The documentary then shifts to winter, with Christmas through the years, followed by spring, with a focus on fashion and Easter Egg hunts. It ends with a look at summer, with a look at recreation and night life.

None of the photographs are marked with the dates when Laval captured the images, but when the documentary is released on DVD, it will include liner notes with that information. The DVD can be ordered immediately after the screening and should be available for delivery in about six weeks.

If the response to this initial effort is good, more documentaries will be produced. One goal is to have Laval's photographs incorporated into local history curriculums.

Elizabeth Laval hopes the documentary will generate financial support for the foundation, which is waging a battle with time. There are still more than 75,000 photographs that need to be transferred to a digital format and each day that passes means the quality of the negatives and photos diminishes.

"Some are still in good shape but others are really bad. That's why it takes an average of $100 for each picture to be saved," Elizabeth Laval says.

The foundation has had some grants in the past, but that money has dried up. Without donations, the images that so thoroughly capture the history of the Valley will be lost forever. For more information on the foundation, go to poplavalfoundation.org.

Show info

"As Pop Saw It: Valley Stories as Photographed by Claude C. "Pop" Laval," 7 p.m. March 4, KVPT (Channel 18.1)