Photonews Summer 2016

Photonews Summer 2016

Little Egret Š Tom Coulson

Spring 2016

The journal of the Postal Photographic Club Welcome to the Summer issue of Photonews, the journal of the Postal Photographic Club.

As always, I would like to extend my very grateful thanks to everyone who has helped with this issue.

One of our contributors asked recently if there had been any feedback on his article and I had to tell him there had been none. He subsequently asked if I’d consider a Letters Page which of course I would love to feature but previous mention of such a feature has fallen on deaf ears.

However, I repeat it here … if any member would like to respond to any of the articles here or indeed get anything off their chest I’d love to hear from you. Preferably by email but snail mail would be very welcome too. The ball, to quote a cliche, is in your court!

A lot of work goes in to producing each issue of Photonews and with a minimum of four issues a year it can become a major undertaking. I would not want to waste time producing something that members do not like so please make yourselves heard.

I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together with the help of all our contributors.

Chain Male © Graham Snowden

Featured Articles 8 - Simulating Polaroid Transfer in the Digital Age David Ridley LRPS 16 - Starting with film - part two Bill Martindale 21 - Using Colour Efex Pro to enhance black and white images Dave Whenham 22 - Have camera - will travel Brian Viercant 26 - 20 QUESTIONS (or less!)

Mike Atkinson

Regulars Club Matters - p4, 32, 44 Noted from the Gulf - p5 PPC Website - p34 PPC Forum - p36 Classic Cameras - p38 Erics Corner - p48

Photonews is published four times a year.

All rights reserved. All materials copyright without exception to the Postal Photographic Club and/or the authors. Any opinion or statement expressed by the author of any article published in this magazine does not necessarily reflect the views of The Postal Photographic Club, the editor, or its members.

OPENING SHOT While out looking for snow IC3 member Peter Henry, he of long-exposure notoriety, came across these horses who appeared to be oblivious to the bitterly cold conditions at Matterdale End. The early morning light was excellent for photography and unsurprisingly this image topped the February folio in IC3 so here it is for those of us who are not members of IC3.

Image Š Peter Henry

Club Matters

John Kay, General Secretary

A few weeks ago I watched a DVD film called ‘Finding Vivian Maier’ it is the intriguing story of an amateur photographer in the USA who died in 2009 and had worked for about 40 years as a live-in children’s nanny. Vivian left some 100,000 photographs, in a genre that we now call Street Photography; most of which had never been seen by anyone else (even her; as many undeveloped films were in the collection). A chap called John Maloof bought a box of Maier’s negatives in an estate sale and embarked on a path of detective work to uncover the story of her largely solitary existence, from her birth in New York, via visits to relatives in a village in the French alps and interviews with families for whom she had worked for periods as a nanny and the children - now adults - who she supervised.

Her work has now been exhibited to great acclaim in galleries around the world and is recognised as of great merit. A part of the intrigue is that her talent was such that she could have been a successful photographer, had her reclusive nature not driven her to conceal her work from the world during her lifetime.

On a rather different scale, an elderly ex-member of my local camera club left all of his photographic equipment to the club in his will and I had the task of selling it. He had been a keen portrait photographer using Bronica and Mamiya cameras, with a good number of accessories. As you would expect we didn’t have too much trouble finding new homes for them but the darkroom gear and 35mm stuff has been a different matter. When we were collecting everything from the family they mentioned that there were stacks of prints, negatives and slides to sort – probably taken over a period of 60 years. I doubt that they are filed in a way that family pictures could easily be extracted from the portraits of glamour models, steam trains and holiday landscapes, so it will be a marathon task that I don’t envy.

Of course it is less of a problem in these digital photography days, as we are all sorting our images using Lightroom keywords - aren’t we???

Welcome to new members A warm welcome is extended to: Allan Bate (IC2 & IC7), Jane Clark (IC5), Nigel Clark (IC1), Les Davidson (IC1), John Histed (IC2), John Hunt (DSO), Bill Stace (IC1), Roger Thomas (C19) and Mike Walker (IC8). It is also good to welcome Arnold Hague back as a member of C8; good to hear you are fit and well again Arnold.

Committee news and update Membership of IC3, our first Monochrome Image Internet Circle, reached the point where it was decided that it would be best to open a second mono circle. Several members of IC3 have moved over to IC8, together with Circle Secretary, Eric Ladbury. Mike Atkinson has taken over as IC3 Circle Secretary. Both circles can now accept new members if you would like to add a mono only group to your membership.

An updated committee contact list will be sent out shortly after this issue of Photonews is published.

Cover image: “Little Egret” by IC7 member Tom Coulson which took top spot in the February 2016 folio.

Colombo Thunderstorm Š John Pattison.

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Notes from the Gulf

John Pattison

Camera Gear and Weather

When one thinks of the Middle East weather it is usual that one thinks of searing temperatures and clear blue skies and for most of the year that would be true. However, as can be seen in the image opposite this is not the case for all of the year. There are storms here in the Gulf region and currently as I write this there is a downpour.

The weather forecast for today (7th March 2016) is for thunderstorms. Well we haven’t seen sign of those yet here in Doha, but no doubt there is thunder and lightning around somewhere in this small country.

This then leads me onto the thorny question of whether ones camera gear should be weather resistant. Amongst my collection of cameras I have one weather sealed camera body, a Fujifilm X-T1, but I do not have any weather sealed glass to go along with it. Fujifilm now have several weather resistant lenses in their range and perhaps at some future point in time and funds permitting I will acquire one or two of those. But my reasons for doing so will not be based on their weather resistance alone.

In my photographic journey I have worked in wind driven Rain! (Colombo) rain, snow, very low temperatures and very high temperatures, reasonable humidity and extreme © John Pattison. humidity and have not ever felt the need to acquire weather sealed glass. Here in the Gulf region with extremes of temperature and more importantly humidity I have adapted my photographic outings to the environment but dust is by far the more insidious element that gear needs to be protected from.

Dust is ever prevalent in the Gulf, with the region containing many sand deserts. Being one of the few, some say the only completely desert country in the World, Qatar suffers from dust and sand in the atmosphere all year around. Dust and sand storms occur frequently, some worse than others. But when there is a full sand storm then all one can do is put the gear away as no matter how well sealed one’s gear and for that matter one’s abode is; the sand and the ever present dust will get everywhere.

As for being outdoors and capturing the drama of the storm well … being outside in those conditions and having one’s gear and oneself sand blasted is not an option that I care to take part in by choice!

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This article has of necessity been written over a period of weeks and it is now mid-April and I am currently in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where I am working on secondment to a major construction project.

With several thunder and lightning storms across the Gulf region already rain seems to be the current phenomena for the first quarter of this year. Torrential rain has fallen in recent weeks (late March and early April 2016) in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. There has also been rain further afield in the region as my recent vacation in Sri Lanka over the Easter week also demonstrated where more thunder storms occurred and again those were unusual for this time of the year.

Does one go out?

Well if one is determined to get wet (remembering that wet weather clothing is not usual attire in the Gulf) then there have been untold opportunities to do so, with both sheet and forked lightning making spectacular light shows. However, it has been best to view these spectacles and downpours of nature from indoors.

So turning back to photography and weather, what does one do, risk one’s comparatively expensive gear or use that ever present smartphone camera. I elect to use the latter if outdoors or in the car and caught in the inclement weather and have obtained pleasing results.

Are smart phone cameras going to become so good in the future that they eventually replace our beloved DSLR’s and mirrorless cameras and all that expensive glass? They already have had a marked effect on the point-and-shoot cameras with a significant and accelerating downturn in that market sphere.

Rain Keeps Falling (Doha) © John Pattison.

Perhaps there is more truth than we realise in that old saying that the best camera is the one that you have with you at the time? Since nearly all of us now have a phone camera perhaps we should all be ditching that ‘old fashioned’ SLR and rangefinder gear whether analogue or digital …

Now there’s a thought - what do others think? “ By 2017, nearly 80% of all photos will be taken with mobile phones” http://resourcemagonline.com/2014/12/infographic-there-will-be-one-trillion-photos-taken-in-2015/45332/ Looking at the most popular cameras at the online photo-sharing site Flickr, the Top 5 cameras in terms of number of Flickr users were all smartphones, the Top 4 all iPhones. Interestingly Flickr say that they cannot always recognise a smartphone image from the EXIF data so they believe smartphones are under-represented in the sample! https://www.flickr.com/cameras [accessed 13th April 2016] 7

Blue floral tile Š David Ridley 8

Simulating Polaroid Transfer in the Digital Age

with David Ridley LRPS

The intriguing image on the previous page comes from PPC member David Ridley whose images Dream Boats (overleaf), M’Lady (right) and Boy Meets Girl caught my eye at the 2015 Rally where they were accepted into the Travelling Exhibition.

On behalf of Photonews I caught up with him at the Rally to find out how he constructed these fascinating images.

The genesis of these images takes us back more than twenty five years when David first experimented with polaroid transfers. Polaroid transfer, as originally conceived, is a photographic image-transfer process, or print making technique, which uses Polaroid film. This way an image can be put on textiles, cups, glass and many other surfaces. David’s process was to apply the wet negative part of the polaroid image to a watercolour-type paper and apply pressure via a heavy hand roller to make the transfer.

Like many processes from what some now call the “analogue era” the results were rather hit and miss as David readily confirms. Factors such as how far along the development of the image had progressed, how wet the negative was, how much pressure was applied and how absorbent the paper was all had an effect on the finished print. Naturally, the size of the finished item was restricted to the size of the polaroid being used as the image was basically a contact print.

Moving into the digital era however such processes were all but forgotten (although David still has the roller!) until he came across a plug-in by Nik Software aptly named Polaroid Transfer (see panel on page 13). Unsurprisingly this fired David’s imagination and he told me that “it became apparent early on that this little gem had great and infinite possibilities!”

M’Lady

What does David find so attractive about this software I asked? “This plug-in has several features for image manipulation which can be used in any combination or simply using a single feature, and I must say I never tire of it. Each creation is unique and it’s virtually impossible to re-create the exact same effect from any given original image (although I can’t think why one would really want to) but you could create something similar.” It is this element of randomness that has largely dissapeared in the transition to the digital age and it is refreshing to see someone creating images that most certainly could not be classed as homgenous.

All images © David Ridley LRPS

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Simulating Polaroid Transfer in the Digital Age

with David Ridley LRPS

The plug-in is readily available at https://www.google.com/nikcollection/ and I asked David for a few hints and tips based on his own workflow. First of all though it is worth thinking about subject matter. As David points out not all subjects will lend themselves well to this treatment.

“Mostly I find that individual objects work best or indeed isolated parts of larger subjects (I think the list of these subjects is almost endless) but some good results can be obtained with buildings that form only part of a landscape, however, landscapes themselves are more challenging.”

When you initially open the image in the Polaroid Transfer plug-in you will be presented with an initial preset which may or may not be to your taste. The likelihood is that you will need to have a play with the various settings to achieve the effect you want. There is no right or wrong however, it is all a matter of taste and your personal aesthetic.

Dream Boats

David does however work through the settings panel in a set order, starting with the texture slider (see screenshot left).

• In my opinion the most useless slider, texture controls the mimicked effect of a stippled paper which if used varies in effect depending on the paper the final image is printed on. Strength of this effect is preset to 70% and although variable, most of the time I set the slider to zero to remove it and later choose the effect I wish by selecting what I consider a suitable paper surface for the final image to be printed on • The next slider I consider is the border. The border is a major part of the manipulated image because it is totally dependent on the original image content and is randomly generated by the plug-in. It is not possible to alter this dramatically as the only variable that can be changed is the size of the border that has been generated but this can add to the impact of the new image • • I next consider the colours generated and again to accept there is limited control over these (although often they are pleasing and within keeping of the original) other than the density/vibrancy. Once you’ve achieved a final image there is nothing to stop you tweaking this area in in your usual programme, or indeed converting the image into monochrome with or without a tone/colour cast etcetera 10

Simulating Polaroid Transfer in the Digital Age

with David Ridley LRPS

• The Blur slider, as the name suggests, creates a softness or blur to the image, the use of which will be determined usually by the subject but I find more often then not the slider should be set to zero to remove the pre-set effect • Finally, the Tear Off slider which refers to dark patches created by the original ‘wet process’ when the Polaroid negative was torn away from the watercolour type paper. A word of caution here - it’s very easy to over do this one! Often I find the actual preset is way over the top in effect and unattractive. In fact it is usual to only require a slider setting of 4% to 8% effect.

YOU should now have the required effect although you may wish to make further adjustments in your usual programme. I recommend doing so after first saving the new image though.

Another use that David has found for the plug-in is creating borders. “Should you wish to generate a random border for an image that isn’t being manipulated you only need to set all sliders to zero except the one for the automatically generated border then simply adjust the size of border required, remembering that you don’t have control on the shape of border generated as it is randomly generated and will be dependant on image content”.

Lone Tree

Harbour Station

The Window 11

Bridge Sentry

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Weary Tommy

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Simulating Polaroid Transfer in the Digital Age

Lantern

with David Ridley LRPS

Golden Galloper

As with many plug-ins, the quality/size of the resulting digital file is not quite as important as normal because by the very nature of what is trying to be achieved any imperfections usually only add favourably to the final result.

All in all David concludes that this is a useful & interesting plug-in that other uses may yet be found for!

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Plant

Red Ensign

About NIK POLAROID TRANSFER The plug-in described by David is part of the Nik Collection, now owned by Google. It is accessed via the Colour Effects Pro filter set (see screenshot below) assuming you have purchased and installed the collection (the screenshot is from Photoshop CC running on a Mac OS).

According to the makers it:

“simulates the effect of using Polaroid peel-apart films and transferring the nascent image to paper before it has fully developed. The result is a low-contrast, low-saturation version of the image, with subtle shifts to the colours throughout the image.�

More at https://support.google.com/nikcollection/answer/3298082?hl=en 15

Starting with film - part two Film is not dead it just smells funny, but that is probably just the chemicals.

Brought up in the digital age? Or perhaps you came to photography later in life and skipped the so-called analogue days entirely? If that is so then this, the second in a short series of articles, is for you.

Tips for Shooting - filters The panchromatic film we use today gives a fairly good overall tonal rendition of the scene but there are times when you want to modify the tones for creative purposes such as enhancing the sky or differentiating between two colours that render similarly on film. Red and green, although obviously different to the eye in colour, give similar tones on black & white film for example. In these cases film users typically use coloured filters on the front of the lens to adjust the properties of the light as it is recorded on the film. Filters pass their own colour thus making it denser on the negative and lighter on the print and block the opposite colour on the colour wheel making it darker in the final print. This can be used to manipulate the tones as required.

For example yellow will block blue light so that a cloud will show better against a blue sky. An orange filter will act similarly but with a stronger effect. Care needs to be taken however as shadows contain a lot of blue light and there could be loss of shadow detail in the final print. Red will make the sky even darker as is often used for dramatic effect.

Incidentally, red and orange filters can also help to cut through slight mist.

Bill Martindale

Filter Factors.

When using colour filters with black and white film to modify contrast such as bringing out clouds or changing colour relationships the additional density of the filter needs to be taken into account. Filters will be marked with or the manufactures will supply a 'filter 'factor' table which needs to be applied to the base exposure. For example a yellow filter may have a factor of 2 meaning that the exposure must be doubled i.e. 1 extra stop given. A red factor may well have a factor of 8 meaning it needs 3 extra stops of exposure. With the advent of TTL metering it was thought that the camera would automatically compensate fr the filter but different meter cells are sensitive to differing spectrums of light and it may swell be that the filter is not fully seen by the meter leading to incorrect exposure. It is worth testing the filter by taking an unfiltered reading and then introducing the filter and see if the result agrees with the makers factor. Far easier is to take the unfiltered reading an apply the makers marked factor to that.

These are the factors quoted in the Hoya catalogue for the coloured filters.

Green will lighten green objects and darken red so giving a positive contrast between a red rose and its green leaves. A red filter will have the opposite effect. Green is also useful for landscapes as there are lots of different greens in the typical foliage or grass and a green filter will help to separate the tones.

Another useful filter is the polariser used to reduce reflections from water but it will also help to enhance the sky as well.

A fairly new range of filters are the 6 and 10 stop Neutral density filters used to prolong exposure. These can be used to give the misty effect on running water or remove people from the scene by making the exposure so long that if moving they do not register. This can make a busy place look empty or can give the effect of street scenes seen in the early days of photography with static people recorded or maybe blurred if they are there for part of the exposure.

Of course other filters such and ND and polarising can also be used with black and white and colour films. It is possible to use coloured filters with colour film for special effects but if you get your films processed by a typical high street lab you may not get back the result you expected due to the automatic nature of the processing equipment which may well “correct� any colour casts you’ve so carefully introduced for example..

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Differences to Digital * Reciprocity Law Failure.

In my view film has a higher dynamic range than a digital sensor but a lot will depend on ambient light, exposure and development of the film. Film is slower to use in that the results will not be seen until the film has been developed whereas an instant check can be made on the rear screen of a digital camera.

A more contentious one is cost. People often comment that film is more expensive but if you only take the set up costs of a camera, film, developing equipment and chemicals then it probably is. But when you produce prints and consider the software needed plus the regular updates, the cost of a decent printer and its paper and inks then there is possibly not too big a gap.

Film reacts differently to very short and long exposures than it does to “normal” exposure mainly by losing film speed. By short we mean less than say 1/4000 th of a second and long means more than 1 second. To compensate for this manufacturers produce tabular information for correcting the problems. For example in most films a meter indicated speed of 4 seconds would require 8 – 10 seconds of actual exposure.

Note we said most films. Fuji Acros 100 is said to need no correction up to 2 minutes while Fomapan 100 requires much more correction than other films. In the example above Fomapan would need 25 – 30 seconds rather than the 8 – 10. The table below shows typical corrections although they do vary slightly depending on the film in use.

Film Choices Black and White Black and white films are common and new ones are still being created and sold. There are 3 basic types, the older 'conventional' emulsions, the newer T grain emulsions said to give smaller grain for a similar speed and chromogenic films based on colour technology.

There are a number of makers some of which are listed below.

Ilford are based in the UK at Mobberley in Cheshire. They offer the biggest range of films from Pan F Plus at 50 ISO to Delta 3200 nominally rated at 1000 ISO but it can be pushed to 3200 ISO using the right developer. Ilford offer their XP400 chromogenic film and an extended red film SFX200 which with the right filter can give the IR effect. Ilford also produce a range of films 100 and 400 ISO under their Kentmere brand.

Based in the US Kodak is probably the most famous name in film, they still make Tri-X 400 ISO film as well as the T Max range of 100 and 400 ISO films.

Foma on the other hand are a firm from the Czech Republic who make films of 100, 200 and 400 ISO as well as a Reversal film.

Produced under licence by Agfa Gevaert in Belgium the Rollei range comprises 80 and 400 ISO films as well as an IR film. Fuji are well known in the digital market and they continue to make Acros 100 film as well as a 400 ISO chromogenic film. Finally, Agfa sell APX 100 and APX 400 which appear to be the same as the more recently available Kentmere films.

Rollei kit with selection of filters. © Bill Martindale.

* An interesting discussion on the subject can be found at http://petapixel.com/2015/05/26/film-vs-digital-a-comparison-of-the-advantages-and-disadvantages/

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Arches. Š Bill Martindale.

It was taken at Kirby Hall near to Corby at the back of the Rockingham Raceway. Mamiya 7 tripod mounted with the standard lens using FP4 Plus processed in PMK Pyro Scan of darkroom print.

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Abandoned Shelter. Š Bill Martindale.

Tripod mounted Bronica ETR-Si using mirror lock up and an Orange filter. The film was Ilford FP 4 Plus processed in PMK Pyro.

These are the remains of the slate quarry at Hodge Close near to Coniston.

Scan of darkroom print.

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Colour Colour negative film is used to produce negatives for later production of prints. Until the rise of digital it was probably the most common film.

Kodak make a range of 3 films in 35 mm, 120 220 and sheet film sizes. They are Portra, Ektar 100 and Colour Plus. Fuji still produce colour films too; Fujicolour Pro in 160, 400 and 800 ISO and Fujicolour Superia. Depending on the film they are available in 35 mm 120 and sheet sizes. Agfa also sell 35 mm colour print film under the name Agfa Vista.

Colour slides, also known as transparencies occupy a niche in an already niche (but growing) market. There are 3 suppliers that I have identified. Fuji have Velvia 50 and 100 and Provia 100F in various sizes depending on film. Agfa make Precisas in 35 mm size whilst Rollei make CR 200 in 35 mm and 120 sizes.

There are also ranges of specialist films around including Rollei Infra Red in 35 mm 120 and 4 “ x 5” size. Foma make a reversal film for monochrome slides sold as Fomapan R in 35 mm.

A team called The Impossible Lab make Polaroid film for the Polaroid 600 series cameras and the SX-70. The Impossible Lab also have a device enabling the user to make traditional Polaroid images from a smart phone. Fuji makes instant film that will fit the Polaroid backs on Medium Format cameras as well as Instax film for their range of cameras under the same name.

Suppliers There are still a reasonable number of suppliers of film and chemicals and a few are listed below.

Ag Photographic in Birmingham http://www.agphotographic.co.uk Silverprint in London http://www.silverprint.co.uk Process Supplies in London http://www.processuk.net Sharif Photographic in Annan, Southern Scotland https://www.sharifphotographic.co.uk Maco in Germany will sell to the UK https://www.macodirect.de/en

Manufacturers The main manufacturer in the UK is Ilford and there is a wealth of information on their web site including all the technical data sheets for their products as well as tutorial sheets on developing films and processing prints. http://www.ilfordphoto.com/home.asp

Ilford make ORTHO+ which is an ISO80, medium speed, specialist technical film that is not sensitive to certain red safe lighting. Ideal for studio and copy work along with various medical and forensic applications it can also be used for general photography to give a different look. It may be developed at normal contrast in ID11 or, for higher contrast, using Ilford PQ Universal.

Finally, Ferrania are also rumoured to be returning to the film making arena. The film scene may be niche but it is gaining in strength which is good news both for diehard film fans as well as those wanting to try the medium for themselves.

To quote the final paragraph of the PetaPixel article referenced at the start of these notes: “The digital revolution has caught up to film in many regards, killing many of the arguments for film being better than its technological counterpart. However, the most notable reason to shoot analog may be the resolution obtained from medium format cameras. Not all explanations can be laid within technical comparisons though.

Many will argue that shooting analog is a more personal and enjoyable experience – that decision, is completely up to you.”

For me that is an easy decision!

The final part of Bill’s series, all about processing your first film, will appear in the Autumn issue alongside part 1 of “Into the Darkroom” with Tony Marlow.

Spring at Furness Abbey © Bill Martindale.

Tripod mounted at a low level to get the flowers to fill the foreground. Bronica ETR-Si using a 40 mm lens. Ilford Delta 100 processed in Perceptol 1+2.

Scan of darkroom print.

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Using Colour Efex Pro to enhance black and white images The original scene (left) was rendered rather flat at the taking stage as I had no graduated filters to balance the scene. Instead I concentrated on capturing as much detail as possible using the age-old concept of “shooting to the right”.

I was out that day with a former PPC member, Steve Watson, who commented that he used Color Efex Pro to bring detail back into skies such as these.

Seeing the file on the computer back home I remembered his comments so decided to give it a try.

I was not after an “in-your-face” effect, where the processing itself becomes the subject, but something more subtle and fitting to the scene.

Dave Whenham LRPS

1. Convert RAW file and take into Photoshop Having brought the RAW file into Photoshop via Adobe Camera Raw I immediately ran Colour Efex Pro, choosing the Detail Extractor (DE) preset and tweaking the slider (top right of the screen shot) to give me a noticeable yet not overthe-top improvement in the sky. Care is needed here not to push the sliders too far as this can create haloing, especially around trees, and other nasty artefacts.

Pushing too hard on the sliders can also exaggerate any noise in the image which will necessitate the need to apply some noise reduction which can in turn spoil some of the finer detail, such as the almost filigree patterns in the trees on the skyline.

There are four presets for this filter and I have found that tweaking the default option the most satisfactory choice.

2. Convert to black & white Once it has completed it’s machinations the filter creates a new layer above the original one, labelled Detail Extractor. We are still in colour at this point and from here you could use whatever conversion method suits you best.

One way I’ve been experimenting with recently is to create a new Gradient Map layer above the DE layer which gives a basic idea of how the image looks in black and white. I then create a Black & White layer between the DE layer and the Gradient Map (see screen shot). I use this layer to tweak the different colour channels which can make a huge difference to the look of the image.

A final Curves or Levels adjustment can be applied to taste but as in all these things my approach is not to overdo the adjustments nor to push the sliders too hard.

One final thought, be careful with sharpening as the CE filter adds a degree of sharpness and therefore your usual sharpening regime may need thing down.

I hope this brief article has given you some food for thought and for those unfamiliar with Colour Efex Pro a starting point for your own experiments. A colour plug-in wouldn’t be the obvious black & white tool but it works!

The final result

© Dave Whenham

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Have camera - will travel

Brian Viercant

Since I took on the role of editing and producing Photonews I have leant to pick up on even the smallest half-chance for good copy which is how this, the first of three articles from Brian Viercant came about. Brian entered a couple of travel-related entries for the Christmas competition run in conjunction with the forum and a chance remark in his covering email led to me contacting him about a travel-related item for Photonews. Long story short, after exchanging various ideas via email this series of articles was born and we both hope that you will find something of interest within these pages. Brian has also kindly offered to answer any questions that may arise from these articles so if you have anything to ask you can contact him ℅ editor@postalphotoclub.org.uk.

I reached the ripe old age of seventy-two years on April 2nd this year … thankfully I missed the first of April by about 6 hours. I guess at some stage I will need to grow up but until that day comes I shall carry on as I’ve always done I suppose I would say I have had a very interesting and wonderful existence on this Planet so far. I was fortunate enough to win a scholarship at the age of eleven to study Art & Music. On the music front, I studied classic guitar, with a wonderful lady tutor by the name of Madame Paula de Smoka but sadly I became infected with a virus called “The Blues & Rock” at the age of thirteen. I did do some session work in my later teens for quite a while, but it wasn’t what I wanted to achieve full time. Music however is still a major passion in my life and my favourite toy a Plus Linn Active system … but I digress.

I was very fortunate to marry Joyce, the women I loved, heart and soul, and proud to say that we celebrate our 50th this year. We have two kids and one hurricane in the form of a grand-daughter Millie all of whom bring a lot of joy to our lives. I should add that we are owned by “Willow”, a cat that doesn’t know she is a cat.

I have been in the art side of existence as it would seem forever, and that was always something that yearned inside and I needed to fulfil. My father was an immensely keen photographer, and so the seed was sown. However, I didn’t fancy the “Starving Artist” bit as I was always hungry, and fed up with living on Mars Bars and cold tea as a session musician. So after many years of wandering in what was a self inflicted wilderness, my better half, also known as the “Minister of Finance” told me to go and be a photographer. I of course did as I was told and with Joyce’s help and endless encouragement, we eventually had our own studios, processing labs and darkrooms, plus the responsibility of our own staff.

Pagoda, with water feature behind, difficult lighting but I just like the way it recedes in the image Marrakech - YSL Gardens

We specialised in portraiture and commercial work and enjoyed reasonable success. We did lots of work for London agencies; clothing catalogues, food producers, wine houses, Le Couturier Houses, car manufacturers and also Blue Chip companies. We were also really lucky to get a chance to photograph lots of well know celebrities, some Foreign Royals, Politicians from various countries and Diplomatic members. We 22

Top left: Pots. (Marrakech - YSL Gardens)

Top right: Marrakech After Dark

Right: Night Glow: I took this as the faithful were being called to prayer.

The whole scene glowed and it was another very difficult shot, but again rescued via RAW editing.

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were also very proud to be involved with projects that were endorsed by our Royal Family.

During this time I gained two Associate professional qualifications, became a member of the very famous London Portrait group, with the likes of Christine Murray, Paul Kay, Gilbert Cox, Bryan Long, Frances Dumbleton and guests who included Paul Yaffe, and the late, great Eric Law, who I still miss a lot. I was also fortunate enough to gain many awards in this time but these are not really what this is about to my mind.

Agreeable as they are they are just bits of paper after all and people are far more important to my mind.

So from all of this you will be able to surmise that the passions in my life are my family, my music and my friends. Oh, and vinyl. I collect vinyl, hate CDs, and have a largish collection of vinyl. Best guesstimate would be around 4,000 albums. I also have an even larger Master Digital Collection of somewhere around 240,000 Master recordings - everything imaginable from AC/DC to Yehudi Menuhin and beyond ‌ they all get played, and lots get played every day.

I love music and always will.

I also love to travel and first went to Morocco some 35+ years ago, really on the spur of the moment. We went to Agadir, for the whole month of January I seem to recall, following some friends who had gone out a week or so before us to Marrakech.

Marrakech is a real mixing pot of cultures and tribal peoples, from all walks of life and backgrounds, all of which we found friendly and helpful. It is also a very cosmopolitan life style and people simply seem to get along with others. It has a large Jewish community, a large Muslim community and a large Christian community, and they have been getting along nicely together for over 200 years, a local told me. It also has a large European Population that enjoy the life style that it affords them and having been myself so often, I can see clearly why they enjoy it so much.

Over this series of articles I aim to introduce you to not only Marrakech but also other places we have been lucky enough to visit over the years. Along the way I will share my thoughts on the essential items of kit, some tips on approaching photography whilst on your travels and of course some pictures from these places to hopefully inspire you to add them to your bucket list of future destinations.

To whet your appetite I hope you will enjoy the small portfolio of images on these pages.

Little Girl from Senegal: I shot this for a local charity to highlight how some of these poor people actually live, and how lucky we are not to have to live like it.

She was a sweet little girl and most of the village was on the breadline.

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Top left: Carpet Seller Marrakech - very low light and although it needed 1/20th sec hand held at f4, I chose not to use flash as it would have spoilt the whole effect of the image. He was a lovely chap and I sent him a print when I got home.

Top right: The Morning Discussion - Senegal.

Left: Souk Street Musician - we got chatting and he was a really great guy. The notice on the wall behind him is telling people about his talent. He swung his head around making the tassle swing as he sang.

Next month: In the second part of Brian’s article we are going to take a look at the kit that he typically uses on his travels and discuss the reasons why he favours this kit and eschews other choices.

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20 QUESTIONS (or less!)

with Mike Atkinson

Tell us a little about yourself: I am 60 years old and have been married to my wife Sue for 35 years. We have three sons the youngest being 28. I spent the bulk of my adult life working for the local mental health service, as did my wife; we are both retired now and live on the outskirts of Lancaster. I have several interests including, photography, cycling pretty much anything involving the outdoors. I also enjoy listening to music and the occassional glass of Real Ale. I don’t indulge in them all at once mind you!

How long have you been a photographer?

I became interested in photography in my late teens, in a way it was quite by chance.

Me and my girlfriend of that time thought it would be fun to buy a camera to take on one of our many walk. We of course bought the cheapest we could find, a Kodak instamatic. I remember our disappointment at the quality of the little prints, which had a peculiar hexagonal texture on the surface. I still have one that she took of me sat on some rocks; it was so bad (please don’t print it Dave) that it became pivotal in me making the decision to get a better camera, leading to my photographic journey.

Two weeks later I was the proud owner of a second hand Zorki rangefinder (a Russian copy of an early Leica). It was a steep learning curve, the camera came with no manual and I knew absolutely nothing about photography or the function of all the dials on the body and lens, I didn’t even know what size film to put in or where it went! After several book’s from the local library It all started to make a little sense, greatly helped when I bought a second hand Leningrad hand held light meter which made life much easier. I continued along the self-taught route and found that using a totally manual camera was a great foundation to my photographic journey. At the time I often got frustrated by my lack of skill, I made lots of silly mistakes and wasted lots of film.

The image that started it all [sorry Mike! Ed]

I have owned many cameras since but all have been used fully manual for 95 percent of my photography, the rest of the time in aperture priority mode.

Forgotten.

Toned infrared 26

20 QUESTIONS (or less!)

Nuthatch in garden

with Mike Atkinson

How long have you been a member of the PCC? I only got involved in the PPC about eight years ago after being introduced by Graham Harvey, though introduce is perhaps not the right term, press-ganged seems more appropriate. I was originally in C1 Mono postal Circle, however I am now in IC1 open, IC3 mono, IC4 natural history, and IC6 infrared. I no longer do the postal C1, preferring the immediacy and convenience of the internet circles. I am also an active member of Lancaster Photographic Society and have been a member for twenty something years, I am currently the club’s President.

Do you specialise in any genres of photography?

Although I prefer certain genres, I have had a go at most things over the years. I am particularly fond of Infrared and Monochrome and I also like natural history, particularly macro work. I have an interest in our distant history and enjoy photographing Neolithic sites.

I don’t do much portrait work and consider myself quite weak in this genre. I do get asked to do weddings occasionally but I always politely decline explaining I prefer to photograph bugs not people. I did photograph my eldest son’s wedding, I suppose I could not really say no. I found it very stressful even though I did it digitally, hats off to the guys who earned a living doing it on film, not even being able to check what they had until they got the proof’s back after the event!

Bluebottle

The Kelpies 27

Hercules over Wast Water, Cumbria.

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20 QUESTIONS (or less!)

with Mike Atkinson Are there any fads or fashions you like or dislike?

I do indeed have likes and dislikes, show me a photographer who doesn’t. I hated some of the special effects filters that where so popular in the 70’s and 80’s - a certain French company has a lot to answer for, I hated the endless tobacco sky’s in the photo mag’s of that time.

I think photographers have been polarised by digital, some are enthusiastic about the full potential of Photoshop and other software to create images that have little resemblance to the original file. Others take a far more purist stance hating the heavily manipulated. I guess I Night Drive stand in the central ground. I like to get my images as good as I can in camera, as I don’t particularly enjoy spending hours sat in front of the computer. I do enjoy some of the more creative manipulated images especially ones that have a visual narrative. I have to say though that I have seen more than my fair share of contrived nonsense that boils down to manipulation for the sake of it!

Film or Digital?

Leander

As with the majority of PPC members, my only option was film for the bulk of time I’ve been interested in photograph and I only turning to digital about eight years ago. Most of my natural history was shot on slide material as were my colour landscapes which I then had printed as Cibachrome prints for club print competitions.

My mono was shot on mainly Ilford films developed in ID11 or a fairly well diluted Perceptol though it did make for long development times. I also used Kodak HIE Infrared and later the much finer medium format Rollei infrared film. I still miss the Kodak HIE and whilst I have tried to recreate it digitally it never quite looks right.

I did run film and digital side by side for about four years but it all got a bit much; should I take out a film or digital camera?

What should I do tonight - darkroom or computer? In the end my photography began to suffer and I decided to let go of film based photography and fully embrace digital. All my medium format cameras and my darkroom equipment went on eBay and the money went towards some decent new lenses. Do I regret the choice? Not a bit, though I have to admit I do miss the satisfaction of using a well-engineered, fully mechanical, medium format camera.

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20 QUESTIONS (or less!)

with Mike Atkinson

In the Bag.

What has been your favourite camera over the years?

I use the Canon EOS camera system, currently a 6D full frame body , a 7D Mk II and a 50D that’s been converted to shoot IR. I usually use a battery grip with all of them.

I’ve had lots, both medium format and 35mm so it’s so hard to pick one. There was something wonderful about the build quality and feel of the two Hasselblad’s; I had an old C with polished alloy lenses, and a slightly newer CM. I also loved my Fuji 645 rangefinder with fixed 60 mm Lens. I have kept my Pentax Spotmatic although in truth it’s just a nostalgic paper weight now and whilst it does still work, I would not like to put a wager on the accuracy of the shutter speeds. I do actually like my current Canon kit, it will do all I need it too.

I have both prime and zoom lenses - 12-24mm, 17-40mm, 20mm, 24mm, 24-105mm, 28mm, 28-135mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70-200m, 85mm, 135mm soft focus, 150-600mm and a 300mm For macro work there are three prime macro lenses 50mm, 100mm and 180mm I also use a little EOS M with 11-22mm, 18-55mm, and 55-200mm EOS M zoom lenses; it will also take any of my other Canon EOS lenses with an adapter, though I tend to stick to the M lenses for their compactness. I can carry the entire M series kit in a small shoulder bag and If I want to go even lighter I have a Fuji X10 with a fixed zoom I can just fit in a jacket pocket.

I most definitely don’t carry all my EOS kit at once, nor do I have a bag big enough!

Best photographic Achievement?

For me it’s usually the latest image I’m pleased with or a new technique I’ve mastered. I like to look and move forward. It is of course nice to see your work published in books and magazines but the buzz soon goes and it’s on to the next thing. I’ve never really chased photographic qualifications, though I did do a number of City and Guilds courses and digital imaging courses after retiring just to wind down from working.

Below, left to right: Green pepper, Lindisfarne boathouse, Grey seal pup

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20 QUESTIONS (or less!)

Three Standing Stones, Avebury

with Mike Atkinson What is your favourite aspect of the hobby?

I guess it gets me out in the fresh air and it ties in well with some of my other interests such as wildlife and the natural world.

If I am out with the camera Sue can’t tie me down with the next DIY project! [I don’t think he’s joking! Dave] Photography fulfils that need to create something visual; I am by nature a visually orientated person and most definitely a visual learner. I loved art classes at school and I have recently done an art course at the local adult college to try and get back into doing a little painting that does not involve rollers and ceilings!

If you could go anywhere in the world to take pictures where would you go?

I can’t really describe myself as well travelled, though I have travelled extensively within the UK and there are still many sites and places on my hit list.

If I had to make a choice of a distant destination I guess New Zealand would

be up there along with the Amazon for its insect and other wildlife.

If you could pass on just one tip about photography to a newcomer what would it be??

Spend time getting to know the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO and how it affects the look of an image and depth of field. It will allow you to work manually and take control of your photography.

What are your plans for the next five years?

I would like to invest more time in actually getting out and taking more pictures and just continue to enjoy my hobby. I would at some point like to put a body of work together based on Neolithic Sites within the UK.

!

Thank you

31

Club Matters

John Kay, General Secretary

Founders Cup Competition An email giving details of the top prints and projected images in this year’s Founders Cup Competition was sent out to all club members at the beginning of this month. Larger size reproductions of some of the most successful photographs in the competition are included in this magazine starting on the following page. Dave Whenham receives the best print award & Bob Rawlinson won the best PI award.

CP1 were the winners of The Ellis Martin Cup - for being the top print circle in the competition & IC1 took top circle honours in the DPI competition.

Our thanks are offered to Adrian Hendley CPAGB & Daryl Giles CPAGB for taking on the task of judging the competition this year. Congratulations to everyone that featured in the awards and to all those of you whose images were included by virtue of finishing in the Top Three of a monthly folio.

Travelling Exhibition David James our Print Exhibition Secretary is the club contact for The Travelling Exhibition (TE). It is well worth seeing if you cannot make it to the Annual Rally. The 2015/16 TE has just completed its tour of the UK; does your Camera Club take the TE? Why don’t you ask the Programme Secretary at your club to get in touch with David?

2016 Annual (TE) Competition (Prints and Projected Images) As most of you know, last year we changed the rules for the maximum number of entries that you can enter into the TE; it is now 4 prints and 4 projected images for each circle that you participate in. The submission period will be in July; the dates will be advised when the entry forms and competition rules are emailed to all circle members during June.

Please do not send in your entries before then.

Jon Allanson looks after all of our competitions and it is a big job, particularly compiling the entries. Once again we are asking everyone to send their entry forms (print and PI) via the Internet. All entries for the Projected Image Competition should also be submitted by e-mail. A dedicated competitions e-mail address has been set up and there will be a folder system for each circle you belong to. It worked well last year, with only a few people having problems. It is quite straight forward and full instructions will be given in the e-mail message that will be sent out.

32

Red Grouse Bob Rawlinson (IC1) Salver for the best image overall (DPI)

“A stunning quality image“ DG

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The Postal Photographic Club Website

Graham Dean

Your website needs you!

In April the Ordnance Survey trig points celebrated their 80th birthday. Although no longer used to calculate the height of land (nowadays it’s done more accurately and speedily using satellite technology) these are much loved landmarks, especially the ones which mark the summits of our highest peaks. A news item about this birthday reminded me that PPC member Steve Terry (I’m not sure which circles he’s a member of – though he is much missed by members of the Digital Print Circle) had posted some dramatic landscapes featuring trig points on Facebook.

I emailed Steve, asking if he would allow us to feature a dozen of his images on the club website – to which he agreed.

Hopefully all those reading this will have seen these images by now (if not – you missed a real teat – but it’s not too late to visit the website, follow the Gallery link and click on the image to open up May’s Gallery.

Although Steve’s images weren’t all of trig points – I am interested in featuring galleries where the authors have shot a collection of images on a theme (a dozen is a good number to feature in a monthly gallery). I would rather have volunteers than me pressing members – the latter course would almost inevitably see me over-relying on members that I am in contact with (either in Circle DP, via Facebook, or through meeting them at clubs within the L&CPU in the north west of England). The stats show that the gallery index is consistently one of the most popular pages on the website, with the current month’s gallery always being fairly high up in the top ten of pages visited.

So come on – don’t be shy – let me be inundated with volunteers to provide images for future monthly galleries (ps, they don’t have to be on a theme)!

Featured images © Steve Terry

Pastel Sunrise Dave Whenham (CP1) The Founders’ Cup for the best print over all.

The Floyd Landscape Trophy for the best landscape print “There are several really good landscapes within the entry, but this is the image I kept returning to. The pastel colours work extremely well, conveying an atmosphere of early morning. There is a good sense of depth to the picture, helped by the posts standing out from the slightly blurred waves. The composition is very good – I think that the position of the rock in the bottom right helps to provide an entry point into the picture. There is a “timeless” feel to the image, and it also gives a sense of the scale of the natural world. This is, in my opinion, a very satisfying image.” AH

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Clive Piggott

The Postal Photographic Club Forum - the "Virtual Clubhouse of the PPC" http://forum.postalphotoclub.org.uk

The PPC Forum has two main sections:

I'm always amazed at how quickly a new issue of Photonews comes around. I guess it is some compensation for the rapid rate at which each year seems to evaporate. The rate of expansion of the universe is said to be accelerating, perhaps that explains it? Time and tide wait for no photographer. Where have I heard something like that before? The good news is that, in the last six months alone, we have welcomed 17 new members into the club and onto the forum.

And as the seasons move rapidly along in their unstoppable way, we often find ourselves tempted to splash the cash on some shiny new gear, perhaps to replace or augment lenses or to upgrade to the latest newimproved camera body which beckons temptingly for our dosh. I must admit that I am prone to a condition known as 'Gear Aquisition Syndrome'. They call it 'GAS' for short. In my defence, however, the recent splurge of expenditure on my change-over from Nikon DX to Olympus OMD was justified to myself on the grounds of considerably reduced weight to heft around on my sagging, ageing shoulders. But in any case, what light-struck photographer would fail to be entranced by, for example, the Nikon D7200 in comparison to the D7000? Just one example of the many gleaming new models enticingly displayed in the local photo shop window or Internet store-front.

Occasionally however, as if by magic, the declutter bug takes hold and we may decide to rationalise our collection and sell off or otherwise dispose of items we no longer need or want. Amazon or ebay are the usual outlets, but don't forget that if you have photographic equipment (of any kind) that you no longer want or use there is a 'Small Ads' section on the forum where you may advertise your unwanted items, free of charge, to around 50 fellow enthusiasts.

It's also worth pointing out that we have noticed lately that there is a growing contingent of our members who are 'going back' to the darkroom (or who never left it) and they may well be interested in any items of darkroom equipment that is no longer being utilised. Conversely, if there is an elusive item that you need, then of course you could post a Wanted ad in the 'Small Ads' and you never know you might strike lucky!

Photography is all about the light, and there's more of it about, and for longer, during the summer season, so happy hunting and happy holidays. See you (all too soon!) in the autumn.

The Forum Community area comprises a number of memberoriented discussions.These are spaces which offer members unlimited opportunity to share questions and thoughts about the hobby, share their photographs for appraisal or simply to show their work to other members. There are also general non-photography conversations and Forum news updates.

The PPC area contains discussions and news items relating to the club Circles and their operation for example. There is news and updates about the club's Website, Photonews. Annual Rally, Committee members, annual competitions etc.

The forum is completely private and the only way to join is by emailing your details to us at: forum@postalphotoclub.org.uk

Best Wishes Clive 36

Lost Peter Henry (IC3) Salver for the best landscape image (DPI)

“Atmospheric and moody, very simple but effective “ DG

37

Classic Cameras -

The Brits part 2

Geoff Leah

It is impossible to cover every British camera maker (excellent books are available) so the choice of what to include in this series has been dictated by the models I own. I hope you will enjoy the selection. Some of these I have used, and some are capable of impressive results, even by today’s standards. All are simple mechanical devices with no electronics to go wrong. The vast majority are strongly made from metal, and have stood the test of time. Will my modern digital cameras last as long?

Somehow I doubt it.

Geoff

ENSIGN: The “E29” illustrated here (far right) was made

by Houghton. This Company dates back to 1834 when they started making Daguerreotype requisites. Cameras were made from 1890, including the famous Sanderson plate cameras. In 1940 Johnsons (chemists) took the firm over and greatly expanded the range of products.

In1954 the Ross Ensign Company was founded. The E29 dates from the early 1930s, and uses a strange E29 size film (one of the many weird sizes available at this time), producing 3”x 2” negs. It has one fixed shutter speed, plus “T”, and a strange clear glass filter which can be swung across the lens. The use of this is unknown. This model is finished in an attractive blue leatherette, making it rarer than the usual black finish.

The Ross Ensign “Clubman” (right) was the first camera owned by me. It features an all-metal body finished in grey crackle paint. It has an eye-level finder and shutter release on the body. A flash synchronised 4 speed Epsilon shutter and a 105mm. Ross “Rosstar” f4.5 coated lens produce 6x9cms. negs. on 120 film. It was made in the early 1950s, and owned by me from 1953. I made high quality monochrome negs, and colour slides using this camera, and it is still useable today.

The “Ranger” (far left) is a cheaper version of the Clubman, and dates from 1953. This has an all-metal body finished in black crackle. It has a 3 speed Trikon shutter and a 105mm. f6.3 un-coated Ross Ensar lens. This also produces 6x9cm. negs. on 120 film.

The “Commando” (left) dates from 1945 and is reputed to have been made for that branch of the British Services. It has an 8 speed Epsilon shutter and a 75mm. f3.5 coated Ross Ensar lens giving either 6x6 or 6x9cms. negs via a removable mask. It has a coupled rangefinder which focuses the image by moving the film plane, rather than the lens. It has a body mounted shutter release and double exposure prevention, and is very solidly built and heavy.

38

The “Selfix 820 Special” dates from the 1950s. This has an 8-speed Epsilon shutter, and the famous Ross Xpres f3.6 coated lens. It has an un-coupled rangefinder and produces 6x9cm negatives on 120 film. This camera, as with all Selfix models, is of high quality. It remains very useable today because the large negs. are easily scanned, giving results equal to the best full-frame digital cameras.

The “Selfix 16-20” is the gem amongst the Ross Ensign folding cameras. It is very small and compact, easily fitting into a pocket. It has a 9-speed Epsilon shutter and a f3.5 Ross Ensign Express coated lens. A coupled rangefinder is fitted along with a body mounted shutter release.

The shutter release button incorporates a small pin in the top which sticks up into your finger if the film has not been wound on. After winding on, the pin disappears!

The camera produces 6x4.5cm negatives on 120 film. It measures only 5”x4”x1.5” and is beautifully made.

They remain rare and expensive, but worth the cost.

A more common cheaper version is fitted with an Ensar lens.

Talacre Lighthous © Geoff Leah Camera: Selfix Special.

39

Gwrtheryn Š Geoff Leah Camera: Selfix Special.

40

MICRO PRECISION PRODUCTS (M.P.P): Formed between 1940 & 1941 in London, and existing until the very late 60s, MPP was formed by Patrick Laszlo, who then owned Celestion loudspeakers. MPP made a huge range of photographic products, including cameras, film projectors and enlargers. Their twin lens reflex cameras were un-ashamedly based on Rolleiflexes. All of their products are beautifully engineered, and built to last. Production ceased in the late 60s. I thoroughly recommend that you read Basil Skinner’s book “Micro Precision Products: The MPP Story and the Products” (* see link at foot of page) . It’s a fascinating book.

MICROCORD: Series 1 started life in 1952, with Series 2 following soon after. Illustrated is a Series 1. They were made from 1952 to 1959.

The Microcord is a Rolleicord copy, having a 75mm. f3.5 Ross Xpres lens taking lens in a 6 7 speed shutter, and f3.2 77.5mm. Ross viewing lens. It produces 6x6cms. negs, and is still very useable today, and not too expensive.

MICROFLEX: These are rare and expensive, as few were made. Starting in 1959, the production run was short, only one batch being made, due to the Company being disbanded. This is a Rolleiflex copy, having the lever film wind/shutter cocking, rather than a knob. The taking lens is a 77.5 mm Taylor Taylor Hobson f3.5 “Micronar” in a 10-speed shutter. A myth exists that the lenses were specially selected Ross Xpres, but this is not true. The camera produces 6x6cm. negs. and remains capable of superb results today.

MICROPRESS: A camera using 5x4 film or cut film or plates, made especially for press usage. The body is mainly hard wood, to reduce weight, and incorporates a rangefinder coupled to the lens by a dedicated cam. A range of focal lengths was available, but each lens has its own cam, and the serial numbers on lens & cam MUST match. There are two shutters, a focal plane, and a leaf shutter which is in the lenses.

It has most of a view camera’s movements, and has a dedicated bulb flashgun. It weighs nearly 7 lbs, so pressmen needed strong arms! Like all MPP products, it is beautifully engineered, and still useable.

* https://www.amazon.co.uk/Micro-Precision-Products-MPP-Story/dp/0954607015?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Caernarfon © Geoff Leah Camera: Microflex.

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MARION: Established in 1850, this Company was based in Southgate, London. They made view and single lens reflex cameras that used plates in a variety of sizes.

The “Reflex” illustrated (top left) is a large & heavy camera that has reflex viewing via a frosted screen on top of the camera, or direct focussing on another frosted glass screen where the film plane is situated. A simple rising front is a feature, and focussing is by means of moving the lens back and forth on a rack extension. Bellows fill the gap between lens & film. The lens is interchangeable with the standard glass being an f4.5 4” un-coated Zeiss “Tessar”. The focal plane shutter offers a full range of speeds.

The “Soho” (bottom left) is a much more advanced version of the Reflex, made by the Marion Company, which itself now was called Soho. It dates from the 1920s, and is bigger & heavier than the Reflex. It too has interchangeable lenses with the standard being a 5.5” f3.5 Ross “Xpres”. Focussing is by the same two systems as the Reflex. The front lens standard is capable of left & right swing, plus rise. The plate holder can be twisted through 360 degrees to enable portrait-format images, or landscape, without removing the back. The mirror has a patented movement system which allows it to pivot upwards and then move backwards until it is under the frosted glass viewing screen. It was a very advanced camera for its time.

ILFORD: Founded in 1879, this Company as founded by Alfred Harman (a name recently adopted by Ilford Co.) in the town of Ilford. Initially the firm made dry plates, but in 1902 became Ilford Ltd., with an expanded range of products. The first box camera was produced in 1902, followed by a large range of cheap cameras made by other makers & re-badged by Ilford. This re-badging continued to the end of camera manufacturing. The most famous & expensive camera was the “Witness”, still rare and very expensive, along with a 5x4” Monobar studio camera. Film sizes still made include 35mm, 120, 5x4” and single-use cameras. Ilford, under the Harman banner, still make a large range of b/w film and darkroom printing paper and chemicals.

In 2005 the management effected a Company buy-out, running the firm until 2015, when Pemberstone Ventures took over. This is believed to be American owned company.

The “Advocate” dates from 1953, and is a 35mm. camera with a cast metal body, finished in ivory paint. It has a fixed 35mm f4.5 Dallmeyer lens in a 5-speed shutter. It is a basic camera whose sales appeal rested on the ivory paint finish.

The “Sportsman” dates from 1967 and is one of many cameras made for Ilford by Dacora. It is a simple 35mm camera with a 45mm f2.8 Dignar lens in a Pronto shutter. In spite of its simple specification, the camera is capable of remarkable results.

Top: Marion Reflex Above: Soho Far left: Ilford Sportsman Left: Ilford Advocate

Geoff 42

Face at the Window Bob Rawlinson (IC3) Salver for the best portrait image (DPI)

“The raport with the photographer ensured a great portrait.� DG 43

Club Matters

John Kay, General Secretary

Adding another circle There is no increase in subscription if you belong to more than one PPC circle - postal, internet or both. Print circle members receive a pack of folders when they pay their subscription, so it does mean that an extra pack of print folders needs to be purchased if a second print circle is added, and of course there is the cost of postage. Of course, if you live near enough to another member of the circle you can pass the folios on by hand.

All Internet Circles operate completely on the web, the folios are opened on an agreed date each month and all circle members have a ten day period in which to deal with them. The online Notebook is always open. We now have nine Internet Circles. Five of them are open subject (colour and mono images permitted) and the other four are specialist circles: IC3 & IC8 – Mono only, IC4 – Natural History, IC6 - Infra Red Imaging. Please contact me if you (or a friend) would like to join one of them.

Print Folders If you are in more than one print circle you will need to order some extra folders at some stage in the year. Additional packs of twelve folders cost £4.50; including second-class postage. If you prefer to send a cheque then make it payable to POSTAL PHOTOGRAPHIC CLUB and then post it to the Treasurer, Stuart Carr, or to John Kay. Alternatively you can save the cost of a stamp by paying for them via the club’s PayPal facility, (access it from our website).

Annual Rally 2016 The bookings for this year’s annual rally, over the weekend 7th to 9th October, have gone well. The venue is the Mayfield House Hotel in Crudwell, which is near to Malmesbury in the Cotswolds; it is where we held the successful rally in 2014.

Details of the venue and nearby places to visit can be seen on their website http://www.mayfieldhousehotel.co.uk At the moment there are still some rooms available, the cost for the weekend with an en-suite room, including meals from Friday evening to Sunday lunch (Saturday lunch NOT included) is £160 per person. In recent years, quite a number of members have extended their stay at the rally venue by a couple of nights, a very favourable rate of £60.00 per person per night, for dinner, bed and breakfast has been negotiated for those wishing to add Thursday night and / or Sunday night to their visit. Deposits of £25 per person are required. Email me or phone if you would like to attend.

The hotel also has a limited number of upgraded Garden side and Courtyard rooms available at an additional cost of £20.00 per room per night i.e. £40.00 more for the weekend. These rooms are larger than standard and their extra features include a flat screen TV with satellite freeview, luxury mattress toppers and Cotton Oxford pillows. Complimentary mineral waters and filter coffee, also ipod / phone docking stations.

Data Protection Act: Several club officials keep a membership list on computer. No list of names or other details are passed to other organisations or individuals. Individual names would only be given with permission.

Catherine Martin Hart (C1) The Norman Richards Cup for the best portrait print “This is a superb portrait, with very good detail. I do like the softening effect around the edge of the hair. Lighting is excellent. Perhaps, on very close viewing, the lighter area on the nose could be darkened slightly, but overall I think the skin tones are very well rendered. The dark background works well, partly as a result of the softening effect mentioned earlier. Very well done.� AH 45

Home truths

Who said that?

Answers below

“When Photography gets so technical as to intimidate people, the element of simple enjoyment is bound to suffer. Any man who can see what he wants to get on film will usually find some way to get it; and a man who thinks his equipment is going to see for him is not going to get much of anything.”

Hunter S Thompson - found by John Pattison http://bob-sala.tumblr.com/post/107205707931/ hunter-s-thompson-on-photography

1. “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst” 2. “Not too many more to go then!”

3. “I don’t have a philosophy, I have a camera” 4. “If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff”

What if Digital Camera Sensors Were Circular?

A very interesting article I found on t’web recently by Steve Gledhill a “photographer and printer of landscapes, skies, cathedrals, and whatever takes his fancy.” He is based in Worcestershire. http://petapixel.com/2016/04/07/digitalcamera-sensors-circular/

Photo essentials

Something to ponder …

How long will the film last?

"A good tripod is essential for most types of medium-format photography, and indeed could improve most 35mm photography beyond recognition."

“It is not enough to photograph the obviously picturesque”

“As we’ve been saying, we’ll continue to supply film to the market as long as there’s p r o fi t a b l e d e m a n d a n d u s a g e f r o m photographers.”

Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) Roger Hicks

Source: Audrey Jonckheer, Worldwide Communications Director for the Kodak Company.

• • •

728 million (728,891,005), 60.7 million per month on average, ~2 million per day on average.

S o u r c e : h t t p s : / / w w w. fl i c k r. c o m / p h o t o s / franckmichel/6855169886

Seeing in black & white (II)

How much rain?

Landscapes with featureless blue skies Sunsets Autumn scenes Travel Wildlife Flower beds

“Snowfall generally occurs during November and April with the Lake District valleys having around 20 days of snowfall and 200 days of rainfall per year.”

Common subjects that do NOT work so well in mono: Digital Camera Magazine

Source: http://www.worldweatheronline.com/ lake-district-weather-averages/cumbria/ gb.aspx

1. Henri Cartier-Bresson 2. Barry Roberts ARPS 3. Saul Leiter (1923-2013) 4. Jim Richardson

How many photos were uploaded to Flickr in 2015?

Callanish II Tony Marlow (C8) The Singleton Trophy for the best wet processed print “TThis is a monochrome print of excellent quality, with good detail throughout. The dark sky, coupled with the strong lighting, give a dramatic feel to the image. I thought at first that there might be a case for a small trim from the top, but on further viewing I think I prefer it “as is”. The area of darker cloud, as presented, helps to accentuate the lighting on the stones. The edge of the dark cloud seems to curve around the tallest stone, and the stone circle stands out really well from the background.” AH 47

I’ve done it!

I have decided to down-size, no I’m not moving from a house to a bungalow, no I have been experimenting with a micro 4/3rds camera system over the past couple of months.

This is not to say my DSLRs are redundant, far from it. The theory behind this “down sizing” is when I travel on public transport with my camera gear there is often a problem with space for my “baggage”. In the past I could handle a large back-pack type camera bag with ease, size and weight not being a hindrance to any other travelling public. However more recently due to age (and a couple of operations), I don’t seem to have the strength, balance or confidence to handle the heavier bag full of high tech gear.

So! After looking at other members work created with 4/3rds and Micro 4/3rds system equipment, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality achievable, and the versatility it provides. The addition of a “small” SLR system has meant I can travel on municipal transport with less worry of being over burdened with gear. A simple small back pack of the size known as a “day sac” can carry my small camera plus three lenses, ( I even envisage a further body – more later), wet weather clothing, some sandwiches, a drink and other various items such as guides and maps, with ease.

In fact I am so enamoured with the sophistication and quality of these lesser size pixel arrays and their output, plus the extended range of controls within such a minute camera, far in advance of the first digital camera I owned, a Minolta Dimage bridge camera. The improved electronics with better eye-piece and high level of controls, linking much of the essential information required in the viewfinder is just amazing.

(Top) Door Detail, Chantry Chapel of St. Mary ~ Wakefield town centre, chapel on the bridge. 14-140mm lens @ 84mm (35mm equivalent 28-280 @ 168mm) 1/40th at f8.0 ISO-400. Post processed in Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC, basic adjustments.

(Bottom) Close-up door Handle of Chantry Chapel of St. Mary. 14-140mm lens@ 84mm (35mm equivalent 28-280 @ 168mm) 1/40th at f8.0 ISO-400. Post processed in Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC, cropped from original (top) plus basic adjustments.

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I purchased a Panasonic Lumix G second-hand along with a 14-140mm Lumix zoom lens, which was shortly followed by a Samsung fish-eye lens. Being so pleased with the lightness and low requirement of bag space I added a 12-32mm wide angle zoom, a standard lens being sold separately. This latest zoom plus Lumix body are so small I can easily carry them in my jacket pocket, thus achieving a long lost ability of carrying a camera at all times without any complications, or restraints I must point out here the entire range of lens sizes are as for 4/3rds and the equivalent full frame 35mm sizes are double this, so for example a 12-32mm is equal to 24-64mm, a standard zoom for a DSLR. A further advantage came to light recently when doing some research after reading a magazine article relating to infrared work. Those who know me well will be familiar with a long passion of mine in this wonderful world of monochrome and false colour creations from an original infrared capture in digital.

Back to the research; I had read several years ago of digital cameras being converted to shoot permanently in the infrared spectrum, and did have converted an earlier DSLR myself to this internal change of anti-infrared filter, fitting a low 550nm wave length. Over the years more variation in filter transmitting wave lengths began to appear being commercially available to the amateur.

Even to clear “full spectrum” glass which allows all wave lengths to pass through the camera, from ultra-violet to the deepest infrared waves. This meant a camera converted to this “clear” glass filter would give the opportunity to place any wave length filter in front of the lens, as the old method of film cameras use to have. The big problem for me was the loss of mobility afforded by an internal filter system, for with the in-front of the lens method the exposure speed was reduced drastically often with the need to employ a tripod, stepping back to the old film camera technique days.

But the small camera systems use a different way of transmitting light through the camera, turning this problem on its head. Meaning the 4/3rds camera converted internally with a full spectrum filter acts almost as a standard system would be expected to, but when fitted with an external filter to the lens front there is little or no

Hepworth Framed by Hepworth ~ Wakefield Hepworth museum.

14-140mm lens @ 41mm (35mm equivalent 28-280 @ 82mm) 1/50th at f8.0 ISO-1600 hand held. Post processed in Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC, basic adjustments including light balance.

Panasonic GF5 - circa £100 secondhand (April 2016) • • • • • • • • •

16 MP Live MOS sensor ISO 160-12,800 3” 920k dot touch-sensitive LCD Touchpad AF control 1.44 million dots electronic viewfinder with eye sensor Full AVCHD 1080/60p video 6 frames per second continuous shooting, 3.7 fps continuous shooting with AF-tracking 14 Creative Control filter effects options 49

change to the exposure values in essence the camera is once again usable in hand held mode for infrared work, only requiring a tripod support as in the usual type of long exposure photography.

Hooray, back to the mobility of the converted internal fitted filters for IR but with the added ability of changing filter strength at will on the lens, with those spares carried in the camera bag or pocket. The only extra cost to having this freedom back is the cost of each external filter. These can vary in price from a few pounds on the internet, to Singh-Ray I-Ray filters on special order from the USA. A further advantage going along this route is a few of my “old” filters from the film days can be included in the arsenal, such as the “near infrared” filter produced by Ilford especially for their related near infrared film, mainly for use with cameras like Canon which controlled the frame numbers by an infrared beam.

I’ve yet to go down this near IR route, but if the nearer end of true IR filters results is anything to go by, the false colour response could be out of this world.

Enough of astronomical photography for the moment, that’s a subject for the future. This doesn’t mean I have mothballed the larger format cameras, but the micro 4/3rds has some advantages in several areas.

Long live photography.

Bye for now, see you round the corner soon,

(Previous page) Old Mother Hubbard Wakefield rhubarb festival street entertainer. 14-140mm lens @ 41mm (35mm equivalent of 82mm) 1/160th at f8.0 ISO-400 hand held. Post processed in Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC cropped plus background defocused to enhance Mother (Top) Yellow on Black with a Rustic Touch ~ Car park adjacent to Wakefield railway station, creating an abstract form the fascia. 14-140mm lens @ 140mm (35mm equivalent 28-280 @ 280mm) 1/80th at f8.0 ISO-400 Manfrotto tripod. Post processed in Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC, basic adjustments including modified saturation and colours.

6] Queen Victoria Oversees the Council ~ Wakefield council building in the re-development area in the centre of town. 14-140mm lens @ 14mm (35mm equivalent 28-280 @ 28mm) 1/250th at f8.0 ISO-400 hand held. Post processed in Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC, basic adjustments including a slight crop and sky enhancement and some street furniture cloned out along with a workman.

All images Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 © Eric Ladbury

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