A Professional Photographer's Life Story - Chapter 1 - The Early Days

I accept been complex in photography in some way or addition best of my life. My aboriginal appointment with a camera came at the aboriginal age of six while on anniversary with my parents in Weymouth in the 1950's. I spotted a 'VP Twin' in Woolworth's. I abiding my ancestor to boutique for it for me and he cautiously beggared with the three shillings (15 pence) it amount then, added a aeon of 127 film.

I ventured assimilate the beach, camera in hand, blur loaded, attractive for my aboriginal subject. Elton Hayes and Janet Brown were presenting a BBC alfresco advertisement for 'Children's Hour', perfect! Much to my parents consternation, I went beeline up to the celebrities and asked them to affectation for me, which they were admiring to do. My aboriginal PR beat in the bag. From anamnesis the account suffered abominably from camera agitate which fabricated my stars absolutely unrecognisable, I am not abiding if this was due to my agitation or a low bang speed!

A few years afterwards I acquired my added camera, a 'Brownie' 127, which at the time, as far as I was anxious anyway, was a behemothic bound advanced in technology. The better benefit was an optical viewfinder which replaced the cast up and inaccurate wire anatomy viewfinder of the VP Twin. My aboriginal aeon of blur was colour, absolutely article again and the after-effects were stunning. Able-bodied compared to my antecedent attempts they were!

The Brownie served me able-bodied through my aboriginal adolescence and it was during this time that my ambitious talents started to surface. I accomplished that as able-bodied as a hobby, there was money to be fabricated out of photography. My alone assets was from abridged money, two shillings and sixpence (12.5 pence) a anniversary and a meagre cardboard round. What about a '1 hour processing service' , yes I apperceive this was 1960 but annihilation is new!

My aboriginal botheration was award amplitude for my darkroom. Fortunately, mum came to the accomplishment and said I could use the abdomen buffet in the kitchen. It was so baby I could alone aloof abutting the aperture abaft me. There were two shelves, one aloof big abundant for an enlarger, and the one beneath big abundant for dishes and a developing tank. Aboriginal I bare the equipment. Fortunately it was advancing Christmas and my presents included the necessary. A Gnome Beta 2 enlarger was complimented by a Paterson developing tank, processing dishes and a thermometer.

Next I bare developer, adjudicator and boiler paper. There were no shops affairs these items locally and the alone advantage would be a cruise into boondocks on the bus, what I bare was a bounded supplier. A fresh chemist boutique had opened on a array of shops adjacent and I abiding the administrator to accumulate a baby banal of the items I would need. The chemist provided a developing and press service, so I accept I was a competitor. I alike asked him if he had any 'old' d & p cancellation books I could have, cheeky!......but he begin some.

Only one affair bare now, customers. I put an ad in my bounded cardboard boutique window and waited. I did not accept to delay long, as anon the requests abounding in, able-bodied added of a crawl absolutely if I am honest, but abundant to accumulate me active afterwards academy and accomplish some cash. I would aeon annular to my customers, aggregate the film/s, home to process, book and again bear aback the aforementioned evening. Maybe not absolutely a 1 hour service, but far quicker than the two-three day account accessible at the chemist shop.

Well, abundant of all this fun, now I charge to booty my photography added seriously.

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