Photography

For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in photography. 

I cut my teeth on a Kodak Brownie, moved up to an Ilford Sportsman, followed that with a giant beast known as the Zenith E (my first experience of a Single Lens Reflex camera), bought myself a Canon FTBn, then a Canon AE1 when it was THE camera to have, and now I do it all the easy way with a Canon EOS 5000.

When the boys were young I flirted with Cine and eventually with Video but Still photography is what I really enjoy.

I played with transparencies but it seemed a lot of trouble to end up with virtually the same results as negatives.

For a period of about ten years I disappeared into the cellar each week to process my own Black and White films.

I have dabbled at most subject but my favourite, dare I say my forte, was Sports Photography and I spent every weekend out and about in the local parks, cricket grounds, etc. doing my thing. 

Through a friend I struck up a relationship with the local newspaper and over the years I have had something like 800 photographs published, which means I suppose that I must have taken over 20,000 to get the ones I wanted. The problem with sportsmen and women is that they won't stand still whilst you take an action shot, and you do get one or two out of focus.

I used Ilford HP4, and then HP5 and then that super film whose name I forget (Was it XP1?) which did everything at 1600 ASA which was a revolution for me. 400 ASA was my normal film speed, pushing to 800 and 1600 when the light went dim, particularly when taking football on Saturday afternoons in January. In emergencies I have rated HP5 at 3200 ASA and just about had to boil it in a kettle for an hour to get an image!

Rugby Union at College Grove, the home of Wakefield RUFC was my main site although I have had a go at many sports including cricket, football, tennis, bowls, horse jumping, athletics, Ladies, Gents, and Mixed hockey, weightlifting, squash, Rugby League, greyhound racing and even welly-throwing!

I did a little lecturing to Photography Clubs and when asked about equipment I always suggested that a waterproof coat and a good pair of wellingtons came first, then begin to think about cameras and lenses!

I have begun to compile a gallery of some of my photographs to bore my readers. It is not completed yet so it is not as boring as it could be! (OH YES IT IS!!!!)

I have finally succumbed to technology and bought a Canon PowerShot A40 Digital camera - and I love it!)