Thank you so much for all the views and kind, enthusiastic comments on yesterday's fox shots. It was lovely to be able to share my excitement with you.
Ramble alert :-)
This is the side road that leads to the farm shop where we buy some of our meat. I didn't feel like playing indoors today and this was the only outdoor photo opportunity I had. I decided I preferred the shot in black and white and added the tiniest bit of HDR effect in Picasa. As I was twiddling and tweaking, memories came back.
My two brothers were the real (hobby) photographers in my family, they understood all the technical stuff. They started off in the days of black and white film and they did all their own developing and printing. They were - are : one of them is still alive - quite a bit older than me, and when they were still living in our family home I was just a little girl. One of the things I thought of as being a big treat was being allowed into the makeshift dark room (our toilet/bathroom) to see the pictures appearing on the paper in the chemical bath. It was like the best magic act as far as I was concerned.
Since starting 365 I've often thought of those days but this shot brought them back particularly strongly. I don't know why. Maybe, somewhere in the depths of my mind, there's the memory of a similar image one of my brothers took.
And, about 50 years down the line, there's still an element of magic about the whole thing as far as I'm concerned. :-)
Critique welcome. Veteran 365er, 2011 vintage. Only posting occasionally and irregularly now.
I'm an abstract photography enthusiast but not exclusively so.
Born in the...
A nice composition. I like how you have caught the reflections of the trees in the icy puddle. It was very exciting watching the development of photos. My dad had a large cupboard I was allowed into on occasions.
I think I can see why it might have reminded you of 50 years ago. There is a sort of timelessness to this. I'm steadlily working through looking at everyone's photos from when I was away, but in the meantime am looking at all the new ones since I came back as well.
Nice composition, lovely curve takes your eye to round the corner. The tree reflections are almost like a view more than a reflection. Lovely to share memory.
Nice lines and the viewpoint gave you a great reflection.
My first memories of photography were helping my Dad process his photos. Just like your brothers he converted the bathroom into a dark room by putting boards over the window and drawing the curtains. He would put a board over the bath to make it into a table. I remember the red light while we were setting up and then counting with him to get the prints all the right exposure. Then watching the photos appear when placed in the chemicals. He would tell me when I should pick them out and put them in the next tray using these big tongs with rubber ends.
@natsnell Oh, yes! That board over the bath! . I wasn't allowed to pick the photos out of the chemical bath though :'( - lucky you!
I used to bribe my brothers with what were probably disgusting sarnies (cucumber & tomato ketchup comes to mind :-/ ) to let me in. They indulged me in spite of the bribes. :-D
Lovely shot. Great reflections in the puddle.
Funny, I hated all the developing stuff. I loved photography and taking pictures but could not afford to pay for the processing of that many pictures when I first started. So my first photographic steps were tempered with that awful two week wait for the cheap processing to come back. Drat! I missed so much good photog time! For years I took pictures with a waterproof Minolta. A great camera because I was teaching sailing and canoeing at the time. I could take it everywhere I went. So lots of pictures and all of them wet ones! Fun. That was what it was all about for me. Now I have thousands of negatives sitting idol and probably as many pictures - and they never get looked at. Another drat. LOL> Photography is a funny hobby, sport, business... whatever, just funny. Gotta love it!
@netkonnexion Interesting how people see things differently. I don't know how my brothers felt about it, although the elder of the 2 must have been enthusiastic because he eventually bought himself a colour enlarger, and I think that they were *not* cheap!
I know what you mean only too well about missed time, I seem to have started doing the things I love 20/30 years too late. Can't do anything to change that now. I try (and it's difficult) not to think about what might have been. Anyway, it might not have been for all I know! :-)
February 10th, 2012
Leave a Comment
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
My first memories of photography were helping my Dad process his photos. Just like your brothers he converted the bathroom into a dark room by putting boards over the window and drawing the curtains. He would put a board over the bath to make it into a table. I remember the red light while we were setting up and then counting with him to get the prints all the right exposure. Then watching the photos appear when placed in the chemicals. He would tell me when I should pick them out and put them in the next tray using these big tongs with rubber ends.
I used to bribe my brothers with what were probably disgusting sarnies (cucumber & tomato ketchup comes to mind :-/ ) to let me in. They indulged me in spite of the bribes. :-D
Funny, I hated all the developing stuff. I loved photography and taking pictures but could not afford to pay for the processing of that many pictures when I first started. So my first photographic steps were tempered with that awful two week wait for the cheap processing to come back. Drat! I missed so much good photog time! For years I took pictures with a waterproof Minolta. A great camera because I was teaching sailing and canoeing at the time. I could take it everywhere I went. So lots of pictures and all of them wet ones! Fun. That was what it was all about for me. Now I have thousands of negatives sitting idol and probably as many pictures - and they never get looked at. Another drat. LOL> Photography is a funny hobby, sport, business... whatever, just funny. Gotta love it!
I know what you mean only too well about missed time, I seem to have started doing the things I love 20/30 years too late. Can't do anything to change that now. I try (and it's difficult) not to think about what might have been. Anyway, it might not have been for all I know! :-)