Archaeolog No 10 August 1979

ISSN: 0143-0661 The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain

No 10

August

1979

Price

40 p

lronbridge & Wroxeter right:

John Stubbington

Photos

by Eric

" 2

Boulder

Contents 'Wroxeter 1979' by Erk Houlder, LRPS

Cover

Editorial The _197-9R~P.S. Archaeological Group Annua l Congress

I

Vertical Photography at Wroxeter

a

Redundant Churches .. ·. Equipment for Archaeological Site Photography (Part II)

4

8 10

A Lost Opportunity

12

Group Notes & Dates for the Diary

13

Cokin Filters:

14

a Review

Editorial The Editor's desk is in a state of confusion because Tony Pearce is leaving the editorial hot-seat in favour of Mike Apted (hereafter referred to as 'We'). In spite of the resulting chaos our first duty is clearly to thank Tony and his predecessor Angela Clarke for .establishing Archa~olog as a going concern with a format generally acceptable to our readers, and our second to wish Tony and his wife a happy honeymoon trip across the length and breadth of India. We have also to thank Tony's mother for her cheerful and efficient help with the production of the magazine.

Next, and on a less happy note, we have to apologise for the fact that as a result of the upheaval the August edition of Archaeolog is being circulated at the end of September and that it is not devoted, as promised, to the City of London. We hope, however, that what we have to offer instead will prove to be equally acceptable and that the City number will duly appear when we can get round to twisting the appropriate arms.

Lastly we must thank those who took the trouble to return their completed questionnaires.

These will be considered in due course, but obviously this is not the time to decide on what changes, if any, should be made to Archaeolog in the future. All that need be said pro. tem. is that the Editor cannot make bricks without straw. We believe that everyone, whether beginner or expert, has something of interest to say so please send articles, letters, reviews of books/equipment and photographs so that Archaeoiog may continue to thrive - and if the texts are typed and the photographs clearly printed to a reasonable size then, with reasonable luck, the Editor may also be expected to thrive! Contribut ions, please, to: Dr M.R. Apted, 29 Cavendish Drive, Claygate, Esher, Surrey KTl0 0QE.

ARCHAEOLOG is produced by the Royal Photographic Society Archaeological Group · Editorial Team: Michael Apted, Mary Mitchell, Jennifer Orsmond, Tony Pearce.

Subscriptions: Copyright:

" £2.50 per year (£1.50 for students, £2.00 for RPS members).

Where the article is credited to a person copyright remains with the author • .

C) ARCHAEOLOG MCMLXXIX

.3

V th Annual Congress lronbridge & Wroxeter A Report

by

John Stubbington

From the 20th to 22nd July,'the Group held its Annual Congress at Concord College within Attingham Park, a stately home near Shrewsbury. As our headquarters it proved to be an excellent choice, being a convenient distance from both the Gorge and Wroxeter.

Our programme started after an excellent dinner on Friday, the 20t h. Dr. Brian Bracegirdle, authority on industrial history and photographer, rivetted our attention with a fascinating talk on the history of iron making in the Ironbridge Gorge and Coa lbrookdale, and the way we should tackle the photography of industrial remains, all delivered with wit, humour and style.

The next morning we met Brian and his wife, Pat, at the furnace site in Coalbrookdale.

This complex incorporates the Great Warehouse, now the Museum of Iron, which houses a massive collection of useful and decorative wares in cast iron. There is also a splendid working model of an early blast furnace. Outside, Brian and Pat explained the importance of the discovery, by Abraham Darby I, of coke as a blast furnace fuel, thus freeing industry from dependence on dwindling supplies of charcoal. We saw the remarkably well preserved furnace of Abraham Darby III, which had been used ~o obtain the iron for the famous Iron Bridge. ·

-

We then visited the Wharfage building alongside the River Severn. This is also a museum but was originally used to store the raw materials and finished goods transported by river.

A slide-tape show had been prepared ·which dramatically re-created the atmosphere of intense industrial activity of the area in its heyday.

A short walk brought us to the Iron Bridge itself. This year is the Bicentenary . of its construction over the Severn to link Coalbrookdale with Broseley. Cameras were well in evidence as the sun came out to illuminate the .beautiful and historic structure.

Our next site was Maw's Tile Works, in the charge of the Telford Development Authority.

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is helping to restore the Works and preserve and catalogue the thousands of plaster moulds used to make decorative ceramic tiles of great variety and beauty. Tony Herbert of the Museum Trust told us of the scheme to start m·aking tiles once again, using the original moulds, and provided a display of tiles for us to photograph. · The Coalport China Works Museum next claimed our attention. The remaining Works cover• one-sixth of the original area, but this is sufficient to show some of the main processes and types of buildings. An excellent display unfolds the various stages of manufacture of fine porcelain, while anothe r museum display is housed in one of the remai ning bott le shaped · 'hovels', once a familiar sight at any pottery.

Not far away is another impressive industrial feature, the famous Hay Inclined Plane, used to connect the small t ub-boat canal which served the pottery with the larger Shropshire Canal at a much higher level. The tub-boats were floated onto wheeled platforms which ran on rails and were hauled up and down the incline by steam power and cables.

Blists Hill blast furnace site is not far away along the line of the Shropshire Canal. There are many fine industrial remains here including the twin steam blowing engines known as 'David . and Samsont and another blowing engine nearby of the vertical type. We were able to see a winding"engine actually in steam, raising and lowering a cage in an old mineshaft where once co~l and then clay had been extracted.

Pat and Brian were kept very busy explaining and advising on the many features of this site.

Time was now pressing, but some of us managed to stop at the old Bedlam blast furnace ·beside _the road leading back to Ironbridge. This was one of the most important furnaces bef qre its activities were moyed to Blists Hill and is still a very imposing structure.

We returned to Attingham Park for dinner. Our Gue·sts of Honour were Neil Cossons (Director of the lronbridge Gorge Museum Trust) and Mrs. Q:lssons, Tony Byrne (in charge of the Trust's Bicentenary arrangements) and Mrs. Byrne~ Geoffrey Toms (our lecturer on Wroxeter) and Brian and Pat Bracegirdle.

After dinner the Chairman of our group, Tony Pearce, welcomed the honoured guests and proposed the Loyal Toast. John Stubbington then proposed the toast to the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, on whom we so heavily depended for the success of our Congress and Neil Cossons replied on behalf of the Trust. After dinner many of us drove back to the Gorge to photograph the Iron Bridge and the modern power station which are being floodlit during this Bicentenary year.

Our last day at Attingham came all too soon, but we were compensated by a most excellent talk about the Roman city of Wroxeter by Geoffrey Toms, who for many years was closely connected with the excavations there. The complicated history of the city was greatly clarified by Geoffrey's methodical and careful explanation, supported by colour slides of high quality.

By the good offices of one of our committee members, Dr. Mike Apted (Assistant Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments), we were allowed to visit and photograph much of the site, concentrating on the Baths area. Having had the preliminary lecture and slides, and with Geoffrey Toms with us on site, as a guide, the surviving remains took on new life, so that at the end the history and sequence of the city started to take shape and we all heartily endorsed the vote of thanks to Geoffrey given by John Shack.

On our way back to Attingham for lunch, we were able to see the last vestige of evidence of the massive outer defences which clearly indicated the importance and prosperity of Roman Wroxeter.

This was the end of our Congress for 1979, which I am sure can be counted as a huge success. Our next Congress is in the City of Bath, future home of the R.P.S. We have much ·to look forward to.

Further Reading For all:Cossons, N.

'An Industrial Bicentenary', Popular Archaeology, Vol. 1, No. 2, Aug. 1979 (65p.)

For the enthusiast:Tylecote, R.F.

A History of Metallurgy. The Metals Society, l Carlton Terrace, London SWl 5DB, 1976, £9.00.

See sep. Chap. 9, 'The Industrial Revolution, AD 1720-1850', pp.

105-143, with mention of Ironbridge p. 106.

Coghlan, H.H.

..

'Notes on Prehistorica and Early Iron in the Old World', (2nd ed. rev.).

Occasional Papers on Technology, No. 8. Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxon, 1977, £3.00 • Hard core, but lay-read able sci., interesting first and last chap ters.

prehistory.

See esp.

5

Vertical Photography at Wroxeter

by SidneyC. Renow Vertical photography is invariably an essential part of the photographic coverage of an excavation, and although it would appear that the procedure would be comparatively simple, in practice the operation is fraught with difficulties.

One of the most valuable photographs is that taken from a considerable height to show the whole, or a large part of the site, and various methods have been utilized such as suspending the camera from a captive balloon, model aircraft or kite, but rarely have these agencies been found worth the effort and expense because of swaying of the camera, the action of the wind, the difficulty pf locating the camera precisely over the desired spot, and the problems involved in triggering the shutter.

No doubt a low-flying aeroplane or a helicopter would be the answer - lf the dig could afford such a luxury!

Since work began at Wroxeter in the late l 960's the excavated ground has been systematically photographed each season by using a camera aimed vertically downwards from a four-legged pyramidal tower 5 metres high. The camera, which is a 2Ÿ"-square twin lens reflex, photographs the 3-metre square bounded by the feet of the quadrupod and the negatives are enlarged to provide 1/20 scale representations of the trowelled surface. The successive photographs are taken in runs parallel to the 10-metre site grid lines, with a 60% overlap longitudinally to provide a sequence of stereoscopic pairs. The lateral overlap is¡ !-metre so that each 10-metre square of the grid requires 36 photographs.

The quadrupod is constructed from four aluminium tubes of square section supporting a metal plate at the apex. The legs are braced by horizontal and diagonal timber laths across the triangles of the sides, and the bottom of each leg contains an extensive rod with set screw to facilitate levelling of the tower. Each rod terminates in a child's .sorbo-rubber ball which minimizes damage to the prepared ground surface. Spiri t levels fastened to the horizontal laths are used for levelling. In use, one man stands at each leg to level the quadruped and to transport it over the site. Bracing of the structure diagonally across the legs is, of course, not possible, and care has to be taken to ensure that after the quadruped has been moved the feet form a square and do not describe a rhomboid - a state of affairs which is very easily overlooked! The quadr:upod is moved along a tape with f!nlarged metre numerals so that the location point for each exposure can be easily determined. The tape appears along the edge of each photograph, and the metre numerals can be clearly seen. In practice one has, perforce, to contend with the wind which never ceases to blow, it seems, across archaeolog ical sites! This nuisance has been overcome to a great extent by straining a length of ga lvaniz ed garden wire across the site along the edge of the successive runs, and fastening the taut tape to it with paper clips.

In the operation of th e quadrupod the chief problem to be overcome was the means of suspension of the camera, and a number of devices were tried and discarded. Initially the camera was fixed to the apex plate and some means had to be found for winding on the film after each exposure without the cumbrous and potentially damaging process of tipping the quadrupod over onto its side - which would also have been necessary for changing the films and adjusting the exposure in response to lighting variations.

Diverse remote controlled mechanical and electrical devices were tried and discarded, particularly on one occasion when the mechan'lsm installed stripped the gears in the camera's film transport system.

Eventually an arrangement was devised which served to illustrate once more the principle that the simplest devices are inv_ariably the most reliable and trouble-free.

B_riefly thE?..

6

camera was attached to a cradle which was suspended by two nylon or terylene cords running over J)\IUeysin a head box fixed to the apex plate. The camera was raised into the taking position by pulling the double cords which were then firmly attached to a convenient anchorage on one of the legs of the quadrupod. Mating guides were provided on the head box to ensure exact location of the camera cradle in the raised position. The natural elasticity of the cords under tension was utilized to hold the cradle firmly against the head box. The camera shutter was operated by a pneumatic remote control release. Using this assembly it was a simple and speedy operation to lower and raise the camera as necessary.

For the 1979 season a Rollei-magic II camera will be used giving automatic exposure control which will obviate the necessity to make frequent checks with an exposure meter. .

.

.

.

Originally the exposures were made on FP4, and 6" x 6" prints (1/20 scale) were made by hand - a laborious process. After one season over 600 enlargements were turned out in this way! Now Vericolour II film is used and colour prints are quickly made professionally by machine. The advantages of colour over monochrome in such a context are obvious - as well as providing a much more informative stereo series, the prints can supplement the detailed coloured drawings on the same scale made by the site draughtsmen. It might be thought that the prints could be assembled to form an .accurate mosaic plan of particular areas of the site, but in practice this cannot be carried out since the camera works at a ¡close distance and parallax errors appear when an attempt is made to match adjacent prints. In addition the ground frequently slopes and is undulating which introduces further aberrations to prevent precise alignment.

The process described by which vertical photography is achieved at Wroxeter works speedily and satisfactorily, but there is one problem which is insurmountable - the exposures must be made in sunless conditions to avoid shadows cast by the quadrupod.

Fortunately, the English summer can usually be depended upon to provide a number of cloudy days during the duration of the dig, and ir. only one season so far has the weather been so inconsiderately sunny that the photography had to continue regardless. However, any alternative structure such as a biped supporting an overhanging arm bearing the camera enabling pictures to be taken in sunshine without intrusive shadows would not be entirely satisfactory as the features on the ground would themselves cast shadows which might obscure details, and trouble would be encountered with excessive contrast.

An arrangement .which has been suggested but not yet tried is to attach an electronic flash to each of the four legs about halfway up the quadruped, synchronized to fire simultaneously.

Since a between-lens sector shutter synchronizes at all speeds a fast shutter speed would be used to neutralize the sunlight on the subject.

Further Reading The Techniques of Archaeological Excavation.

Barker, P.A.

Batsford, 1977.

Discusses the techniques described above and includes diagrams of quadruped head.

~()/;

VOM f?Aiaty:

'The Military Aspects of Wroxeter' A lecture

on 14 th April

by Dr Graham Webster

1

All over Britain churches large and small have ceased to be required for the purpose for which they were built.

Some have been converted into halls, museums, garages or houses. A few will be conserved as Ancient Monuments. The rest lie derelict, a fruitful field for the photographer whether pictorialist or recorder of a disappearing heritage.

Three readers involved in such church recording have sent prints for our 'churches' series.

Photograph T.E. Gray St Mary's Chapel, Dounreay, Caithness The last survhcj.ng intact example of a wooden bed used as memorial, recorded in 1967 and removed in 1978 for restoration.

A number of other graves still preserve the timbers of decayed beds.

a grave 8

Parish Church, Onsino, near Cuorgne, Oreo Valley.

Photograph Maurizio Rossi

The problem of redundant churches is not peculiar to Britain. The parish church at Onsino in the Italian Alps lies empty and cold, as does the little village of some 20 houses deserted by its inhabitants some 70 years ago in favour of a more comfortable life in the plains.

Elston Chapel, Netts.

Photograph C.J. Brooke.

A two-chambered Norman church with later medieval alterations.

9

fq ulPrrient for Archaeoloaical Site¡.PhotoaraPhY Part,, by ae _tty L •.Naggar J.RPS .

This paper concludes the article of which the first part appeared in Archaeolog No. 9 for June 1979.

Films During the pre-excavation planning discussion, the director will have mentioned the types of films he requires i.e. Monochromes on 5/4, colour slides on 35mm, (rarely) colour prints; or various combinations of the above.

The photographer should enquire what preferences the director has in colour film, as some, have very decided views - and state what he considers is best for the circumstances.

This must depend on the type of site and its colouring (sand, clay, boulders etc) and climate, (hot sunny, cold windy etc) and only experience can help to decide which film is most appropriate.

The use of infra-red films is for showing up soil marks not otherwise visible to the naked eye; and for increasing contrast between burnt and un-burnt areas. Of course use of this film entails a good deal of extra attention vis-a-vis light penetration but in most cfrcumstances it is fairly easy to protect it.

F.P.4 is a good film for all monochrome work under most conditions but occasionally faster, flatter film is required, such as H.P.4. When calculating quantities it is generally better to over-estimate, the director may be able to give some indications of the quantity, if he has directed other excavations of like-type.

Whilst on the subject of negatives, a really good supply of negative bags for both types of film must be or~ered, together with a number of stick on labels. This is essential for an efficient filing system.

Filing Personally, I use, the following system: a roll number is exposed on the first negative of each 35;wn film. This number is noted in the field note-book with the date, the exposure number, site position and any additional information for each shot, immediately it has been exposed. (Pause, even in the pouring rain to make these notes - later, too often, all is forgotten!)

The information is transferred to a neat exercise book after the days' work is done.

When the roll has been developed, it is placed in a negative bag with its roll number on the label outside. E~ch contact print must be checked with the exercise book, to make sure no mistakes have been made.

10

5/4 negatives are more difficult to control; my method is to stick numbers on the dark slides and note these in the field note-book with the date etc. as for 35mm films. Care has to be taken not to mix up the negatives during development, but after contact printing the same method can be used as for the 35mm films.

Some photographers like to record apertures and speed, but I have not found this helpful, as the light varies enormously from day to day - and indeed, from hour to hour.

Additional Items There are generally quite a number of these. The technical camera requires at least ten dark slides, a black cloth for focussing and several cable releases; also, a small mirror for reading f-numbers and speeds when the camera is in a- position where the photographer cannot see them i.e. when the camera is attached to a tripod at the top of a ladder. A small spirit level (unless levels are incorporated in the camera) various lens hood to fit all the wide-angle lenses; lens caps, brushes for camera cleaning (best with a 'puffer' made of rubber, attached); small scales from one to ten ems for macro - photographs of very small artifacts, seeds, .fruit stones etc. The larger scale 'ranging poles' are provided by the excavation, but sometimes a ½metre scale is missing; and it is useful to have one.

Also, the photographer should provide one or two site note-books (ordinary exercise books will do) pencils, pens and a rubber eraser . . Some directors ¡require a number, letter and other data to be shown on each photograph; in which case, a velvet covered board; or a plastic board with punched holes or channels running along it, to hold the plastic numerals and letters, should be purchased. As the board is apt to draw too much attention to itself on the photograph it should be removed and the photograph re-taken for publication purposes. Plastic figures and letters are also obtainable (white on a black board show up best).

A changing bag should also be carried, as it is not always convenient to return to the dark room (even if there is one) from several miles away. However, this article should be used as little as possible because of dust problems. Two empty 5/4 film boxes for exposed film, should be included. A check list of all equipment saves a great deal of time and worry.

Join the Group in

... see Brochure for details

11

by T. E. Gray

On 28th October, 1966, I was motoring south from Oban to Lochgilphead on business. As usual on this fairly regular trip of mine I was lo9king for an archaeological site (in t his tremendously rich area for such sites) which I had not seen before. This time it was t o be Kintraw Cairn at the head of Loch Craignish, a kerbed stone cairn with a cist inserted at one side, and a tall standing stone nearby.

When I got to the cairn, there on top was a gentleman with a theodolite. I wandered around and took one photo in conditions which were far from ideal. Eventually the theodolite gentleman came over and got talking. He mentioned that he had a theory that such sites had been laid out by astronomical observation and .h~. asked if I knew anything about astronomy.

When I replied that I had don~ a great deal of astro-navigation in R.A.F. Transport Command during and after the War, I might just as well have said I was Patrick Moore, because he launched into a lengthy description of his theory, pointing out that here at Kintraw, since the "foresight" of this vast natural astro-compass, the Paps of Jura, could not be seen from the ground level of the "backsight", the Kintraw Cairn or the tall pillar, there must be an observation platform higher up on the hillside behind the site, from which the Paps and the pillar would both be visible. He said that although he had had one or two papers published in learned journals about his theories, he was regarded as a crank in archaeological circles.

He ended by suggesting that he was too old a man to be clambering up hills looking for observation platforms, and that if I ever found time .to do so, and found any small level ar:-eas, perhaps cobbled, and with a sighting stone of some kind, that I should take a photo and send it to him, giving his name as Professor Alexander Thom (a name which meant nothing to me at that point) and his address in Ayrshire.

Business was pressing that day, as on subsequent visits to the area, and I never did get around to looking for that sighting platform.

So I will never be· able to claim an association, however minor, with Professor Thom and his theories, because a sighting platform was found, and excayated in 1970-71 by Euan MacKie of the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow, and he suggested that it was the first positive proof of Alexander Thom's theory.

He is no longer regarded as a crank, he has since demonstrated the validity of his concept on many other sites, has received widespread publicity on TV and elsewhere , and many noted archaeologists now happily accept his ideas.

I recall particu la rly Prof essor Thom's essential humility. Here was an originator, willing to spend some tim e with a mere technician wielder of sextant and astro-compass, explaining his thoughts. And I• hadn't the wit to appreciate, despite a life long deep interest in archaeology, that perh aps it was to be one of the grea t archaeological concepts, and to participate by playing the small role suggested to me.

Alas, it's the story of my life, - missed oppor tuniti es!

Note. For a recent introductory Publications Ltd ._ 1979, £1.25 . Ed.

12

·...>ri< see Burl, A., Pre historic Stone Circles, Shire

for

JOllllr

diary •••

Saturday 13th October, LONDON Visit to Kew .Bridge Engines Trust. beam engfoes in working ·order.

An opportunity

to photograph five magnificent

Monday 29th October, LONDON

Archaeological Group Committee Meeting, RPS .House, 6.30p.m.

Monday 6th November, LONDON 'Peru before Pizarro' - a lecture by Roger Rawcliffe, MA. at the RPS House, 7.00p.m.

Saturday 1st December, LONDON Christmas Social, detail~ to be announced.

Wedne·sday 24th January, LONDON Afternoon visit to Ancient Monuments · Laboratory, as stated in RPS progri;imme 1979-80).

Fortress

House, Savile Row· .(not

Mondaf · 4th February, LONDON Annual Gene.ral Meeting.

Thursday 1st May .Final date for submission of exhibition prints.

Monday 9th June, LONDON Exhibition opens.

PROFESSIONAL DATA GUIDE, KODAK: 1978 Includes a whole cache .of interesting & useful info: map of London underground, conversion charts for fluids, solids, temps. etc. Also much info. about filters, films and gen~ral printing ·data. Obtainable · free from Advertising Distribution, Kodak Ltd., Victoria Road, Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 OQJ

13

Cokin

Filters -

A review by Erle Boulder

LRPS

When I began photographing sites over twenty years ago, I bought the three filters recommended in a series of articles in the 'Archaeological News Letter '. These were the deep yellow (about 3x) the tricolour red, and a medium green. Being a thrifty student I got them in glass only, so that they could be sellotaped to the rear of the lens of my ¼-plate camera, as well as put in a metal holder to go on the front of my 35mm. In the early sixties, I bought one of the first Japanese S.L.R.s to be imported, and as well as the three fil'ters already mentioned purchased some Actina colour-correction filters, plus one of the new Skylight filters.

Since those days the filter scene has changed, one of the chief culprits being the acceptance of the 35mm S.L.R. as a viable scientific tool, with the concurrent for numerous interchangable lenses. During the same period, monochrome film have become more panchromatic, lessening the effect of some filters, so that for where a 2x yellow was once needed, an orange is now required for the same effect.

universal necessity seems to instance,

The trouble is, if you have, say, four different lenses, each filter will be needed in four different diameters, unless you use stepping-rings which make it impossible to use the correct lens-hood for the lens in use. This is also expensive. A good quality filter will set you back at least a fiver, and even with stepping rings you are unlikely to get away with less than two of each. As a result, I, and I suspect, many others, tended to economise and double-up, buying, for example, an orange to substitute for both yellow and red.

With the introduction of the Cokin System all these subterfuges become unnecessary. You buy one filter holder for £1-95, two lens-hoods @ .95p each, and an adaptor-ring for each lens (made in 49 52 55 & 58mm) plus any stepping rings you require. The adaptors are .95p each, whilst stepping-rings are about £2 each from any good dealer. For lenses wider than 30mm on 35mm cameras, you cut away part of the side of one lens-hood until no vignetting can be seen on the screen - done with a drill, craft-knife, and small hack saw. With a.Ufour adaptors, the basics cost well under ten pounds. Filters begin at £2.45 each for the plain mono or colour-correction types and go to £7.95 for the polarizer. Only one of each is necessary, as the single holder, with the correct adaptor, fits all lenses.

Filters are of two types:- Series A which are large square ones, fitting into the holder in one of two grooves, so that two of this type can be used at once if necessary. Series B; round ones. There is one groove, but one series B can still be used with up to two series A's. The holder can be rotated, and B filters will rotate independently of this. A~ filters can be moved up and down in the holder too. With the filter-holder, purchasers receive a manual detailing the uses of the system. Filters are made of optical quality plastic, which, though ~ _f_ter, appears to be equal to glass in use. Each filter comes in an attractive twotone box clearly labelled to identify the contents.

COKIN IN USE Many of-the filters.. in the system have no use in archaeological work being of the so-called 'creative' type.

Some, however, will find a place, whilst others are well-known archaeological tool$. Of the lesser known, the most useful appear to be the graduates. A neutral graduate in two strengths - Al20 or Al21 - will darken a foreground or, for example, darken the top, sunlit part of a deep cutting avoiding the necessity for unpredictable fill-in flash. All effects can be seen on the screen and the placing of effects alter~d by the up and down or rotating movements. The same filters or a tinted graduate (I am using the Al2~ Mauve) will darken a blue sky to bring emphasis onto the foreground, or even darken sky plus background.

14

Even the creative filters may find a use with colleagues who illustrate coffee-table books on distant lands. The B55 - 58 star series, whilst not your reviewer's cup-of-tea, can add an attractive sparkle to back-lit water, (the Nile, or Coventina's Well) and the split-field close-ups (B111 to 113) could be used to show up a tiny artefact against the background of a ruined city.

Cokin Filters are distributed by Mayfair Photographic of Newcastle, Staff., and obtainable from most good dealers.

NOTE. The prices given above were stiU correct at time of writing, but should be checked in view of the new VAT rates. Ed.

FILTER HOLDER .

PART - FITTED FILTER,

...

AT TRAC T/VÂŁ Box.) LENS CAP.

49MM. ADAPTOR. LENS HOOD.

15

Four ways of photographing

16

from a height

(quadrupod

on right)

Quadrupod in use (Sidney Renow on left winds film on)