Belfry Bulletin Number 160

June 1961 Vol XV No.6

Number 160

Page 1

June 1961 – No 160

_______________________________________________________________________________________ Club Membership.

The committee have recently been examining the methods whereby new members are introduced to, and join the club and have concluded that some improvements could well be made. The details have not yet been fully worked out, but the main new proposals include allowing a reasonable time for the prospective new member to make himself known generally in the club and, after he becomes a member, arranging matters so that his membership is not automatically renewable until, a reasonable time has elapsed.

The idea behind these proposals is to ensure that the interest of a new member in the club’s activities is sufficiently long lasting to make it worthwhile offering him permanent membership. By this means it is hoped that we will attract serious cavers and climbers whose interest is great enough for them to remain active in club affairs for a number of years.

It will be some time before the results of such a tightening of membership conditions can be seen, but meanwhile it is worth noting that more stringent entry conditions do not necessarily lead to a decrease in membership.

Archaeological Section.

Keith Gardner regrets that he has been too busy moving into his new country residence to be able to produce Archaeological notes this month, but meanwhile, any members with any queries of an archaeological nature, or who want more information about the proposed activities of this section should contact him at his new address which isK.S. Gardner, Telephone No. Keedwell Cottage, Long Ashton 3048 Providence Lane, Nat. Grid Ref. Long Ashton, Somerset.

ST 537 709 _______________________________________________________________________________________

NOTICES DON'T FORGET the annual Midsummer Barbeque. Names should be given to Sett stating whether Belfry accommodation and/or Binder are wanted for that evening. Latest time for inclusion will be MIDDAY on the day of the Barbecue; SATURDAY JUNE 24TH. The fire will be lit at 11 pm.

FOR SALE Len Dawes' Austin Healey Sprite is now for sale. It is June 1959 and coloured Red. Extras include Michelin X all round; heater; washers; tonneau cover; reversing light; front bumper; rev. counter; laminated windscreen; luggage rack and workshop manual. Offers around £470 will be considered.

Climbing Section.

There will be a visit to North Wales leaving Bristol at 6.30 pm 6th June and returning on Sunday evening.

Camping in the Llanberis area. Anyone wanting to join the party get in touch with Tony Dunn. Phone Evenings Bristol 627621. _______________________________________________________________________________________

Personal Congratulations to our Climbing Secretary Tony Dunn and Fay Walker on their engagement, announced on May 6th.

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Number 160

June 1961

We have now received details from the organiser, of the PHOTOGRAPHIC and SONG competitions which are to form part of the Annual Dinner festivities this year. Members are reminded that the Annual Dinner normally falls on the FIRST SATURDAY IN OCTOBER. The date, place, etc., will be announced later, but we print this now to avoid the date taking any members by surprise later.

PHOTOGRAPH1C

COMPETITION

There are to be four classes. Caving, monochrome print. Caving, 5.5mm colour transparency.

Climbing, monochrome print. Climbing, 35mm colour transparency. Competitors may submit maximum of two pictures to each class. Prizes will be awarded to the winner and runner up in each class.

In order to give a better chance to all competing, a competitor may win only in one class. Runners up will not be subjected to this rule. The prizes will be announced at a later date.

Entry forms will appear in next month's B.B. The entries will be judged by three non-competing first class photographers using an elimination system similar to that employed by the Bradford Pothole Club.

THE CLOSING DATE IS SEPTEMBER 15TH. RULES. 1. Monochrome prints shall be postcard size or larger.

2. Competitors may submit two photos to each class as a maximum entry, making a maximum of eight in all.

3. No professional photographer may take part.

4. All film used must be obtainable from any retail photographic dealer in the British Isles (excluding Eire and the Channel Islands.)

5. A picture entered in one class shall not be entered as a print or transparency in another.

6. No responsibility for loss, damage or destruction is to be borne by the organiser of the competition; his assistants or the Bristol Exploration Club.

7. The competition is open only to fully paid up members of the B.E.C. (This will be checked!)

8. The decision of the judging panel is final.

9. The members of the judging panel may not compote.

10. Processing must be done either by the competitor without aid or by a retail photographic dealer in the U.K. 11. The entries must have been taken by the competitor.

SONG COMPETITION In order to brighten up the dinner, and subsequent nights at the Hunters, a song competition is being arranged. The entries should be connected with caving and/of climbing and should be humorous, up to date and original without being vulgar. The competition is open to all, but the prize will go to the best B.E.C. entry. It is hoped that this will not deter others from entering. We don't mind if you can’t sing or are shy of performing in public, as the B.E.C. choir can always be laid on (Otherwise known as the Bar Room Ballad Bashers) hindered if necessary by Alfie Collins and his Haphazard Harmony If you can write your own tune as well, so much the bettor, but this is not necessary. Only the words need be your own work.

The method of judging, and instructions of how to enter will be announced shortly. THE CLOSING DATE WILL BE SEPTEMBER 15TH.

June 1961

Number 160

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CAVE PHOTOGRAPHY

by John Attwood & John Eatough.

Part Two - Technique Preparation.

Having suitable equipment and having decided to make a caving photography trip, the first action should be to tick off the gear against a cheek list, and this should be followed by a ‘dummy run’ to see that everything works satisfactorily. A flash bulb and an exposure of film will not be wasted if it saves finding unserviceable gear during what may be a long and difficult trip. If possible, a fresh film should be loaded into the camera as reloading in caves can cause dirt and damp to enter the camera with disastrous results to camera and film. In addition, fresh batteries should be put in flash guns.

The checked and working equipment should then be carefully wrapped in plastic bags and packed into the recommended ammunition boxes with some plastic foam underneath. If those boxes are not completely filled, plastic foam sheets can be added so that cameras will not rattle about if the box is inverted. On top of everything, a piece of material should be placed so that it can be used to wipe the hands before removing the cameras etc.

Setting Up. On arrival at the site of the proposed activity, the tripod should be erected and then the hands wiped clean. After this, the ball and socket head placed on the tripod and the camera and flash outfit set up.

Illumination.

The placing of the flashbulbs will be dictated by the circuit stances. The position favoured by the photographic manufacturers (of the camera that is) is, generally speaking, the worst possible place for it giving a flat lighting. To give the best possible results, some modelling light should be provided, by side lighting of some degree, and this can be 45o or more from the camera axis, but wherever it is placed, care must be taken to ensure that no direct light falls on the camera lens.

The best position for the lights can be determined by having some source (i.e. electric head light) moved around while the subject is viewed from the camera position. The possibility of using back lighting should be examined as this often gives very good results when used in conjunction with "fill-in" light's. Care should be taken to conceal all wires, whatever flash position is used.

When the situation being photographed is very wet, the camera should be covered by a plastic bag until the last possible moment and if the photographer’s clothing is wet, it will steam and this steam should not be allowed to pass between the camera and the subject during exposure, as it will cause an unpleasant softening off effect. The authors have seen many photographs spoilt by this steam from wet clothing. A cable release can be very helpful in this respect as the shutter can then be released from a distance.

Focussing.

When the camera is being focussed, care should be taken to ensure that the correct distance setting is used. Due to lack of objects to use as a scale, and the lighting used by cavers, judging distances can be very tricky and the distances deceptive. If your camera is not fitted with a rangefinder, measure the range with a tape measure. This also applies to close ups using supplementary lenses.

Provided .that the camera has a “B” setting, and a cable release and tripod are available, the open flash method of illumination is by far the most satisfactory as the danger of damp or dirty shutter contacts causing early of late firing is removed. If some ‘action’ photograph is required, the open flash method can still be used if care is taken in setting up the camera and flash to cover the estimated area of activity.

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Number 160

June 1961

Exposure.

Calculation of the correct exposure is based on the output of the main lighting, the speed of the film and the distance of the main light from the subject. The Guide Numbers supplied with each carton of bulbs can be relied on to give good results if used intelligently i.e. reducing the factor by 25% or even 50% in very dark surroundings, or for a dark subject and increasing it by 25% for a light subject (e.g. Cascade in St. Cuthbert’s).

In the exposure calculation, the main light only is taken into account, "fill-ins" being ignored. Where a lot of light is required it is advisable to remember that where more than one flashbulb is used to light the same area, the guide number is increased by the square root of the number of bulbs used. This works out as, an increase in guide number of 1.4 times for two flashbulbs; 1.7 for three and 2.0 for four.

If several bulbs are used in different places to illuminate a scene, the camera shutter should be held open, but with the lens covered with a piece of black paper or similar material so that the lamps of the people arranging the lights do not record as long white lines while moving from one position to another with the flashgun.

When leaving a photographic site in a cave, great care must be taken to ensure that all the gear is packed into the boxes.

On return to the surface, all the equipment should be cleaned and dried out. If possible, remove the film from the camera and make sure that it is thoroughly dried out before putting it away.

Editor’s Note: it next month.

There is not room for the suggested check list of photographic gear in this B.B., but we will include

_______________________________________________________________________________________

September Series

by Richard Roberts This is one of the most richly decorated series in St. Cuthbert’s at the present moment. It is reached by talking the large exit out of High Chamber (on the Right Hand Side). From there, the route is very complicated through a boulder ruckle and finally by a twelve foot climb into September Chamber.

Once in the Chamber, a climb over the loose boulders to the right leads to the real masterpiece. All around, the stalactites are of the purest white. To the right again, the chamber extends for about a hundred feet. The archways above this are shrouded in stal. flow and the whole area has been vary sensibly taped off. In the wall of the chamber at this point, a glimpse can be had of a really beautiful grotto.

Down the boulder slope to the right, a passage loads off which emerges in a small chamber - Trafalgar Chamber - in which is a magnificent column some three or four feet high.

A climb down a gently inclined slope at the lowest point in September Chamber leads to a small pool and a narrow squeeze on the left. From there, the way opens into a large passage with several stalagmite columns in the floor. This is the start of Victoria Passage. Following this down, one reaches a small tunnel leading to a chamber with a crystalline floor. It is really a shame to have to walk over it. This is the Strand. The formations here are also pure white and very abundant. The Strand ends in a narrow rift running at right angles to it. The left exit soon closes up, but the right hand one loads to a largo aven in the roof which goes…? The whole series is very photogenic, and well worth a visit. _______________________________________________________________________________________ ODD ITEMS A magnificent hole is being dug at the Belfry for rubbish etc. This is the largest hole we have ever dug and is well worth a visit before opening day. Work has started on the new Cuthbert’s Entrance. Sett did a strenuous caving exploration trip sorting out the passage which we hope to connect with. John Lamb has returned to Mendip and he and Alfie celebrated by drinking a gallon each of Blue Keg. Nobody honked. Walt reckons that "they tourists" are responsible for pinching stones off his walls. A piece of modern sculpture (complete with hole) has been presented by Mike for the new hut. It has been found inadvisable to put too many onions in Binder. _______________________________________________________________________________________

The Belfry Bulletin Editor, S.J. Collins, 33, Richmond Terrace, Clifton, Bristol 8.

Secretary. R. J. Bagshaw, 699 Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol 4.

Postal Department. C.A. Marriott, 718, Muller Road, Eastville, Bristol.