One Historical Process

PHOTOGRAPHIC MEDIA: 

Task One

AT LEAST ONE HISTORICAL PROCESS

I have plenty of experience of photographing with print films. I owe two film cameras:

- A Nikon FM which I've owed for over 30 years.

I owe several lens for this camera: Vivatar 70-210mm f/3.5 1:2.2X, a Vivatar 28-210mm f/3.5mm, Macro Focusing Zoom and a Nikkor 50mm lens which is now missing from my collection).

- and a Fuji STX-2

I owe only one lens that came with the camera. It is a X-Fujinon 50mm FM, f/1.9 (I think)

Obviously, now I wouldn't buy two similar lens for my Nikon but I didn't understand photography and the price was good and I wanted macro and it also gave me zoom and was lighter and more compact than the Vivatar 70-210mm lens. I am annoyed that the Nikkor 50mm lens has gone a.w.o.l. 

What I loved about the zoom lens is that I enjoyed taking portraits with it. Using depth-of-field, I was able to create great bokeh effects behind the subjects.

I bought the Nikon when I was taking my Graphic Design degree and I used it both for colour and black and white photography which I was able to print in the darkroom.

After I got my degree I also bought various darkroom equipment in the hope that I would continue taking black and white photographs and print them. I bought trays, spools (for negative development) and other bits and pieces. I also bought photographic paper about A4 size (which I could cut down if I preferred to print small pictures). The only thing I was really missing was a projector which, immediately after graduating I couldn't afford. By the time I could afford it, I was too busy building my career as a designer (sadly). 

Before computers, I used to use darkroom facilities for printing photographs for use in the artwork. As far as I can remember, it was for positional reasons only and at the repro-house the positional image would be replaced by a professional quality scan and replaced on the film produced for the printers (magazine/brochures/reports/etc).

I say with regret that I didn't continue with my photographic interest but trying to be a relative success in any profession in London is not easy and I was committed to it.