How it all started.....
When I was at school my family had a box camera, like many other families at that time, however for holidays I borrowed my Uncle's cameras. They were folding 2¼ and 3¼ cameras made by Greyhound (you got 8 shots on a roll of 120). He won them with cigarette coupons!
When I was 14 years old my school started a Photography Club; I went along one evening and I became hooked! My parents helped me to obtain a Voigtlander Bessa – it came with a mask to increase the number of exposures to 16. We were shown how to develop films and make contact prints with sunlight and gaslight papers fixed in hypo. The club didn’t last long as we left school at 15.
After that I just took ‘snaps’. My father took an interest in what I was doing and with his help I got a Gnome enlarger with a Wray lens and a 35mm Paxette camera. After my apprenticeship I worked in Richmond so it made sense to join Richmond & Twickenham Camera Club. I then purchased an Exacta 35mm outfit which I still have today. I made many friends at the club, one of them was Dickey Downes who used to teach photography at Ilsworth Evening College which I attended for 3 years.
About this time my father took me to see a Great Uncle of mine for the first time and he gave me his camera, an 1894 Lancaster Instantograph ¼ plate with swing and air shutters. After getting married and moving to Carshalton I went to the Honeywell Evening School and did another photograhy course. However, I temporarily gave up photography after my daughter was born and didn’t take it seriously again until my daughter, Amanda was studying O’level photography which I’m pleased to say she passed. Amanda then joined, together with my wife and myself, Merton Camera Club now called Morden Camera Club. I also joined Carshalton Camera Club.
The late Ron Halle asked me to become a judge for the FSLPS, and after passing the course I judged for a few years. One evening I was asked to judge at Mitcham Camera Club – I liked the atmosphere so much that I joined and have since left Carshalton & Morden. I must say that you never forget making your first enlargement and seeing it appearing in the developing tray.
I’ve made many good friends inside and out of photographic clubs. Bob Smith. |
