Photo Odyssey

2006-09-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Coolpix 5400
All pictures taken with a Coolpix 5400.

Reflection in Brothers Water Lake District 2003

Kentmere Lake District 2003

Sunset over Ambleside Lake District 2003

Ray of Sunshine Rainy Day at Lakes 2003

2006-09-01T13:38:00.000-07:00

Old Fujichrome Slides Part I
All pictures in Lakes 1995
Nikon F90X Sigma Wide Zoom

2006-09-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

Old Kodachrome Pictures Part II

Glass Blower 1981
Probably a Pentax SLR

French Wall 1982
Probably a Pentax SLR

Unknown French Bust 1982
Probably a Pentax SLR
Interesting Camera Shake!

Fairground 1984
Possibly a Nikon F2

2006-09-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

Old Kodachrome Pictures Part I

Storm brewing over St Mawes Cornwall 1979.
Probably a Pentax SLR.

Jeanne with Rachel and Laurence 1979 in the south of France.
Probably a Pentax SLR.

Stones in a quiet stream, Lymme Park (1991)
Nikon F2 and 55mm f3.5 Micro-Nikkor lens.

Reeds in Bramhall Park (1991)
Nikon F2 and 105mm f2.5 Nikkor lens.

2006-09-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

RAC Rally Shot

Shot with a Nikon F2 camera and a 105mm f2.5 lens. Prefocused on road and panned as this mini passed by. This was the basis of my first sale of a photograph. I had a 16"x12" print in my room at work and a computer rep took a liking to it and offer me some money for it! Probably undersold it.

2006-08-30T00:50:00.000-07:00

Marking the Day

The day Jeanne took early retirement 10th August 2006
Leicaflex SL2 60mm Macro-Elmarit-R

Technically speaking this is not a great photograph, but it marks an important day in our lives. My wife Jeanne had just decided to take early retirement. The NHS had just lost a fine nurse and I had just regained my wife. The smile says it all. The job was killing her. She will dearly miss her many patients but Blair's "reforms" mistake box ticking for patient care.

2006-08-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

Photo Odyssey

Evening over Grasmere July 2006 Nikon D200 20mm f4 Nikkor

My aim here is to display some of my photographs and say a few words about my photography as well as discuss my experience with various photographic kit.

Since I was a teen - and I am now 59 - I have been interested in photography. My father, who was also interested in photography, bought me a Kodak Retinette. Later I used my inheritance from his father to buy a Leica IIIc with a battered Sonnar lens (with adapter). My dad was not well pleased with my choice, but it was my only camera for a good while. I have recently scanned some of my photographs with this camera. I was pleasntly surprised.

Gower Pennisula circa 1980 Leica IIIc Sonnar Lens

Subsequently I played with Pentax SLRs but soon settled on a Nikon F2 Photomic as my principal camera. I joined my local photo club and entered competitions. I did some wedding photography with a Hasselblad 500cm and a Rollieflex 2.8F Planar. After that pressure of work put my photography on hold. I vainly tried to revive my photography several times with fleeting success - with a Nikon 90X and then a F5 - until I played with digital photography. Initially this was with a Nikon Coolpix 5000 and a basic HP printer (970cxi). The work flow advantages and ability to experiment was a delight. After a Coolpix 5400 (passed onto my daughter) I used a Fuji S2Pro and a D70 which have now been replaced by D200.

My photography was rekindled just at a time when digital was becoming a sweeping success and film cameras, which I once felt out of reach, suddenly became economically possible. I sold my Nikon F5 and in quick succession I got my hands on a mint Nikon F3HP and a mint Nikon F100 and then a mint Leica M6TTL and 50mm Summicorn ASPH lens. It was back to basics with some great kit. More specifically I was smitten with the Leica bug. There followed a Leica IIIa - with a strong sense of nostalgia - with 21mm, 25mm and 28mm Voigtlander lenses and a Leitz Elmar 2.8/50mm combined with handheld meters. Next a black Leica M6TTL with a 0.58 finder and a f2/35mm summicron ASPH lens. Most recently I bought a Leica SL2 reflex with 60mm Macro and 35mm lenses. Not had time to really test that kit yet.

Canal at Higher Poynton April 2006 Leica IIIa Voigtlander 21mm

Oh yes I still have the darkroom kit - most of my competitive photography was in monochrome - but I have to say I am sufficiently content with dry printing that my recent attempt to rebuild my darkroom was soon abandoned.