My photography

When I was working in East Africa in 1967 I bought a Canon FX for about twenty pounds. Given that environment, it was not difficult for even a complete beginner to produce a good shot every now and again and, thus encouraged, a life long passion for photography was born.

My FX, with a few extra lenses, served as my main camera for another twenty years until a Canon A1 with a range of FD lenses replaced it. Later, feeling betrayed by Canon when they discontinued the FD lenses; I switched to the excellent Nikon F90X.

As retirement approached I made a major investment and bought a Mamiya RB67 and three superb lenses. By this time a room of the house had been converted into a studio and darkroom and stands, lighting systems, backdrops etc filled all available space.

Alas! About this time the new technology, about which I had long been very scathing –“It will never be as good as film…!”, was beginning to have advantages I could no longer ignore. I held out for a while but the first digital camera, a Canon G5, to be followed by a Canon 20D changed things forever. The speed, the flexibility, the versatility of the computer software in producing images, which could then be printed at home, was unanswerable. There is a box of 120 film at the back of the fridge, which has been there for ten years. One day I must face up to the new reality and chuck it out!

I still miss mucking about in the darkroom though.

The images on display here go back over fifty years. Many have been produced here via scanner from a negative as a small file. The quality is not as good as some of the later digital images.

PS. Anyone want to buy a Mamiya RB67?