March 2018

How many times do we forget that pictures are all about us? What can we do to jog our memories? I was recently the guest of Mike and Jo at the Hope Farm guesthouse in York - courtesy of The York Society Inc. when I judged their annual photographic awards - and had time to consider this very thought. Thankfully, they were able to jog my photo senses back to life. Hope Farm is a somewhat historic building - many structures in York are - A doctor's farm that has become a well-appointed guest house and function centre. I had the unique experience of being the only guest in on the night and was very impressed with the standard and comfort of the accomodation. The morning brought a rather good breakfast: And I might have just sat there and  lapsed into a post-coffee coma if I hadn't seen the label on the table...

Well, you enter the York Society Inc.'s annual photographic contest for one, as we reported in the last column. And you also a. Go up the top of Mt. Brown lookout and see the whole sweep of the place. b. Hit the York Motor Museum and lose the rest of the day looking at the old cars. They do pension and seniors discounts too. c. Shop in the local craft and country shops. Foods, pottery, clothing, utensils, collectibles and...

Well, I scored a plum job this last weekend - I was asked to be the judge for the York Society Inc.'s annual photographic exhibition. And as Saml. Pepys and I are wont to say in respect to entertainments - I did goe and was greatly amused. The connection is one that comes through Camera Electronic - they, like other photographic and cultural firms, sponsored a prize for one of the entry categories - and the York Society Inc. kindly invited me to be their guest on Friday and Saturday to do the job. The exhibition was held in the Sandalwood Gallery on the main commercial street of the town - you may not have seen it on a casual visit to York as it is a little away from the shops but it is there with a historic school-house and well repays a bit of exploring. I had no idea what I'd find when I rocked up at the door. What I found was a work of art in the process of being constructed...

You all know Facebook, don't you? The addictive social media site that allows you to play computer games while viewing other people's lunches? And you all follow the side bar of Facebook News don't you? The one that tells us which superstar has carked it or been indicted for harrassment. It's my preferred window to the world, I can tell you. But I am somewhat concerned about the effect that Facebook journalism might have upon your reception of this column. It's all very well for marginal organisations like Reuters, The BBC, and the Washington Post to go off on their own little tangents with their reports - this is the Camera Electronic weblog column and we are expected to hold to higher standards. We're not allowed to tell you virtual truths or predicated press releases - when we report something it must be either 100% accurate or 100% imaginary - no middle ground. This may seem a restrictive thing - after all journalists are generally given some " wiggle room " when it comes to the stories they file. Indeed, on some...

Especially when they are armed with a mirror-less camera and a macro lens. The ability of a close-focusing optic like the Fujinon XF60mm  f 1:2.4 R Macro to show flaws and errors that otherwise slide by the human eye is one of its most disconcerting and endearing qualities. If you are going to be humbled, this the sort of lens that will do it. I found this out when I tried out a new home studio setup here in my old darkroom. There was a bench top free with nearby electric power and enough space on the floor beside it to put up a small Cullmann tripod. I am currently illustrating scale model building for one of my other weblog columns ( note at the bottom if you are interested...

Sometimes I go into Camera Electronic and ask what's new - and sometimes they tell me. So far it has not taught me a lesson, because I keep on asking. New is not necessarily good or bad - it is just new. A fresh page in the big book of photography - a book that we get to write ourselves. In some cases I end up wishing the pages had been stuck together. Like today. I discussed a question of professional responsibility with one of the staff members - a person who is very responsible indeed. I was sympathetic because I remember being in a responsible position for forty years myself, and it frequently was a pain. Not on account of what I could or would do, but on what other parties wanted to stick onto me. I had a statutory board and a coroner at the top of the professional mountain, looking down at me, and it was no fun. A bit different in business, as there was generally only the final line of money to deal with - money desired, lost,...