How I started - part one
The first photograph I took was a selfie - with my Dad’s new camera.
(Setting off home from a trip to the beach one day, Mum asked Dad if he thought he had taken any good pictures with his little box Brownie. My Dad quickly stopped the car, jumped out, inspected the running board of the Wolsey... No camera! No-o-o-o!)
That Christmas he opened his main present and found an Instamatic. This was a Brand New Thing!
He was very pleased and took an assortment of shots as we danced about with our presents or joyfully ate our dinner.
On Boxing day that lovely new camera was sitting on the mantlepiece. I reached out my curious hand and touched the button…
…just…
there!
Flash!
(Oops!)
Blinded by the little flash thing that stuck up from the camera I tried to cover my mistake. There were a couple more bulbs in the flashcube so I turned it around to the next unused bulb. There! No-one would ever know!
My Dad’s reaction was - at the time - nothing.
Over the next few months I spent some tranquil time at the local library - as usual. But instead of reading up on scinece or ancient history I found lots of interesting information about photography. Here were pictures by Cartier-Bresson, Ansel Adams, Fox-Talbot... Here was information about diffierent sorts of cameras - "full frame", "35mm", "single lens and twin lens reflex"...
There was a strange parcel for my birthday later that year. As I opened it my Dad made a dry remark about my “apparent interest in photography…”. Yes, it was a camera; a twin lens reflex made by Halina.
The film - "120, square format" - fitted neatly in an internal box. The top of the camera opened so I could look down and see what was coming through the lens. I could adjust the size of the lens hole - "f8, f11, f16". I could set the shutter to work instantly - "1/25th sec" - or set it to "B", which meant I could hold open the shutter for as long as I liked!
The Halina stayed by my side for many years. I loved the layout and the feel.
Later, a friend of the family spent some time with me, helping me understand the basics. (He had two cameras! One of them was an exotic-looking thing with a Japanese name “Asahi”. It had one big lens and could take lots of pictures.)
More to follow.
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