Well, I guess I'll have a stab at this one, too. Way back, through the mists of time, when men were men, women were women, and little green furry things from Alpha Centauri were little green furry things from Alpha Centauri (in fact 1976), I was dragged back from the United States (where we'd been living for near on a decade) by my parents after they decided to repatriate. My two sisters took a dim view of this, but I was quite philosophical about it - 'wherever I lay my head, that's my home...' - and I mucked in and got on with things. True, I was a bit 'homesick' for California for a while but then something amazing happened and all of a sudden I coulda been on the moon for all it mattered. Yes, I discovered girls. (8-D
Academically, I ended up doing a few subjects at 'technical college' - well, very few I actually passed, (Eng B, Maths B, Drama C, Photography C). The rest I was too blotto to remember turning up for. Then I did a year at an art college - a foundation course - which was great fun and I concentrated on photography and film. The idea was to go onto university and get a degree, but got bored with the fact that I had no money. So, I got a job as a 'runner' in the tv and film industry in Manchester in 1979, moved to London in 1980, became an assistant film editor, then an editor, then a cameraman, which is where I am now. But back to stills photography. I suppose I got the taste for it at college, and progressed accordingly. College kit was half a dozen Zenit SLRs, and a Spotmatic with it's back held closed by sticky tape. Despite this apparent handicap, I always rushed to collect the Spotty, fearing a Zenit would chew my film up, as inevitably they would. Anyone with experience of these alien devices masquerading as cameras will know what I mean <g>. The first camera I ever bought was a Practika (TL?) because it was what I could afford and was the basis of a system. I don't remember much about the Practika except that the shutter release was designed at a very odd angle. Clunky, but worked. Next came something much sleeker: a Fujica ST605n which I do remember as being far more refined than the Practika, and more user friendly. It looked cool as well. Got my first picture published in the local rag with it. But it still wasn't a top notch system. After I started working in the tv business, and the money started to creep in, I went and bought a brand new Pentax MX and 28mm 2.8 and I finally thought I'd started to 'arrive' in photography. That MX and lens (from 1980) still sit on my shelf today, well brassed, a statue remembering my earlier years, I can pick it up and fire off a few frames of nothing, just for old time's sake. It will come with me to the grave! There have been other cameras in the meantime. An RB67, ME Super, more MXs, the LX... And now, I'm on the cusp of doing that thing that photographers have started to do - I'm 'going digital'. I absolutely *hate* that phrase with a vengeance. Actually what I am doing is continuing with my photography as I have done from those early days, it's just that I'm switching media because it suits the way I shoot. Of course, I will still use film as well, but I fear that it will be for nostalgic reasons. We shall see. Kind regards, Cotty ____________________________________ Oh, swipe me! He paints with light! http://www.macads.co.uk/snaps/ ____________________________________ Free UK Macintosh classified ads at http://www.macads.co.uk/ ____________________________________
