Text Box: In 1948 my father developed an interest in photography. I was twelve years old and I can remember that his darkroom was a converted coalhouse at the rear of our home. He used a120 roll-film camera similar to the one shown. The film was supported and transported through the camera onto another spool by a backing paper. This early film tolerated a very dim light and we could just about see to process the film. We developed it by holding it up by both ends allowing the ’U’ bend at the bottom to travel through a dish of ‘developer’. After about fifteen minutes of alternating ones arms so that the entire film was evenly submerged in the chemical we transferred to another bath of liquid, this was called the ‘stop’ bath. Finally the film was transferred to a dish of ‘fixer’ and at last we could now turn the lights on and allow the film to wash in running water. After drying the film we would examine eight negatives pictures and cut them into single units. These ‘negatives always intrigued me as the black and whites were reversed this managed to make my mother’s hair pure white and always caused a laugh. By now it was usually time for bed and I would have to wait for another day to print out the pictures. For this we had a ‘contact printing frame’ and we used light sensitive paper called, ‘gaslight’ paper. In a very low red light we would place the negative into the frame a place a ‘paper’ next to it. The frame was then held close to ones body to prevent light spoiling the paper. Then when we were ready we held the paper in front of a dim white light and started counting, ‘Kodak one, Kodak two, kodak three, and so on for about eight seconds. Then the white light was switch out and the ’exposed’ paper was placed into the first bath, developer’ and the dish would be rocked gently. It was magic to see the image appear, when we judged the moment the picture would be placed in to Stop-bath and finally the fixer. After an hours steady washing the print was dried and ready for general viewing. This was the start of a lifelong hobby and on other pages are some of my pictures. They are not brilliant but the hobby has given me a vast family record and a great deal of pleasure. In the sixties I owned a very fine Leica camera. I had all the best colour processing equipment and managed to get some reasonable shots. But I never had that special talent for really fine photography that some possessed. I can remember a friend of mine starting the hobby. His very first pictures were un-sharp and poorly exposed, but they were art. His composition and subjects were all very good I would have traded all of my technically superior pictures for one of his artistic pictures. I bought the Amateur Photographer magazine regularly and studied the techniques and advice therein, but it seems I was doomed to be a ‘snapshot’ photographer for the rest of my life. I enjoy the hobby and I accept my limitations as the following family shots will show. Nowadays the hobby is transformed. I can take a high resolution, coloured picture with my smartphone and at the press of a button send it wirelessly to almost anywhere in the world confident that it would arrive in exactly the same condition in just a few minutes. Amazing. For some years I have be flying model radio-controlled aircraft. My latest interest is to mount a camera onto a model plane and take pictures from the air, alas, even this is now no longer a novelty as one can view almost anywhere in the world from a computer by viewing Google Earth.

 

This is a GoPro Hero camera and is 

supplied with a waterproof case and a

number of mounts.

This astounding little camera will take  about 1000  still pictures at a rate of two per second or about one hours filming.

 

This is a ‘still’ picture  extracted from a movie video.  The model is at about 600 feet  near my home    at Great Hill in Torquay.  The mist is rolling in from the sea and the entire video was accompanied by a soft Clarinet Concerto.  The air was nice and smooth and the picture evoked restfulness and peace.  When I can find out how to put video onto a web page I will let you know.

Before someone lets me know I should not be over a built-up area, I should point out that the camera is angled forward at 45 degrees.

More pictures

A  marina with motorhomes.

 
Text Box: Barrie’s Family Scrapbook and Blog. barrie4@me.com