The History of Photography: 1983

Keep Your Gear Current: Well, not more than a couple of decades old, anyway. The Rolleicord is there on the Cobb (in Lyme Regis, Dorset) next to the little Tenba bag. I also carried the FE and 28 and 105, my only lenses at the time. Photo by Holmes Lundt.

Start off year putting the FE through its paces. It handles exposure etc. extremely well, so I buy it, sell off the rudimentary Nikkormat FS and plain prism F2. Work a wedding with Steve O'Brien during year and am paid with a used Nikkor 105 f/2.5 AIS lens, which I still have. Go to Britain in September and shoot the 28 and 105 on Kodachrome, the Rolleicord on black and white. The FE handles beautifully. I get lovely photos in Wells Cathedral on Rollei doing 45 second exposures on Minolta mini-tripod on the floor or held against a wall or a column. Buy a Shepherd flash meter which I never have trusted. I still own it.

More Photo Hints from 1983

Keep Your Equipment Close at Hand: You never know when a photo opportunity will present itself, so you need to keep your camera bag close by. I did when photographing the Bishop's Stairs leading to the chapter house at Wells Cathedral. Don't believe me? Take a look. That's it on the lower left.

Use Your Tripod: I wanted to see how the Nikon FE's meter would handle odd lighting situations, so I took it out to Waukee, stuck it on my Vivitar so-called Professional Tripod, and set if at f/22 and Automatic. This is the result. I forget the exposure, but a car pulled up and gave me the neato lighting effects and well-delineated tire tracks in the foreground.

Pray For Good Results: Here is an image of an astonishingly lifelike statue of the obscure Saint Matthew of Des Moines. Not many of your major saints wore rugby shirts. Funny how well this is preserved despite the ruined condition of the rest of Tintern Abbey. Times like this the little tripod and self-timer are darn handy. Rolleicord Vb, Plus-X Pan Professional

Study the Classics of French Cinema: Francois Truffaut, Brigitte Bardot, Last Tango in Paris, blah blah blah. The Frogs are apparently trying to overcome the cultural pollution of "L'Nightmare Aux La Rue 13th" with this offering advertised in Boulougne. Cannabilisme indeed. Nikon FE, 28mm, Kodachrome 64

Understand Your Subjects' Behaviours: Uncle John and Auntie Gwen like to go birdwatching. We are in a car park in Winchelsea about to go out and observe some terns or something and, while having a bite to eat, they started unconsciously demonstrating birdlike mating displays. Here the female feigns disinterest as the male shows his plumage. Nikon FE, 28mm lens, Kodachrome 64, Winchelsea, September 1983