A short visit back to the Archives. (Subtext: I must get out more and finish those films lurking in my cameras. Excuse: I've been busy! Missy home from Uni. Stepson moving house).
So...as you might recall if you were listening carefully, last week I took some prints along to show at the Club's Members Night. The theme I chose was 'People' and the prints I showed included some from way back, when I was a spotty youth - including some you might have seen before (here, and here). They reminded me that I had some others that had never seen the light of day...until now, that is! as yesterday morning I had a rummage in some old neg files, dug them out and printed them on the delicious Foma MG Classic 133 Velvet fibre paper.
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| The lads with their miniature steam engines and what have you. On HP5. I didn't note the developer but it was probably Paterson Acutol or something and the negs were good 'uns - they printed easily around Grade 2. I like yer man's pockets on his trews. |
These two date from the summer of 1977. I would have been 14 at the time and I know it was summer as there's no way this sort of event would have been held at any other time in this part of the world. It was an opportunity for anyone and everyone with an interest in mechanical things and radio controlled toys (cars, boats, etc) to come along and show off what they had. Toys is almost definitely not the correct term, given the seriousness of the whole thing but it was the days before iPhones and things and as we all know, even big boys need their toys...or cameras, in my case :)
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| I have to admit I wouldn't mind a play with some of these myself... |
Ah, moments in time. Good shots, both. Is the guy in the top shot on the LHS pulling on a fag? And is that a Vauxhall Viva in the centre. Yes, very 70s pockets (and trousers), and sideburns. Well done on persevering with fibre paper; I can’t be bothered washing the stuff. Do Foma make any resin coated? Their film is ‘cheap’ and OK as far as I can see. Cheap paper might be tempting. Cheap anything at the moment might be tempting!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Moments in time indeed. Can't go back and re-take those ones! You might be right about the Viva. I used to know all the cars back then. Nowadays you can only tell them apart from the badge.
DeleteWe're a little fortunate here in NI as we don't have separate water rates, so I just throw the prints into a slot washer and come back an hour or so later. I tend to use RC paper for 'ordinary shots' (ie, ones never destined for the wall) and fibre for anything that looks like it might have potential. Yes, fibre is expensive but Foma less so than Ilford and I really like Foma's papers.
Foma do resin coated papers too and they are just as good as other offerings, as far as I can see. Foma Variant (313 Velvet) is an excellent RC paper.
Thanks for the info on the paper, I’ll look that out
DeleteGreat photos, and I especially like the first one. You captured the gestures that show how men act around anything mechanical.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Haha yes I see what you mean - clearly there was something very interesting about that miniature steam engine :)
DeleteThe local agricultural shows still have plenty of men who bring their steam engines, although most are much bigger than the ones in these shots - they bring them on trailers. I think the shows are starting up again this summer, so I will try to get to a few.