Tuesday 4 January 2011

Cecil Beaton. Eat Your Heart Out.




I've always been interested in photography. In my 'museum' as write I can count fifteen cameras including a Box Ensign, a Rex, Brownie, a Duaflex 11, a Bilora and a Voightlander. Non have any real value. (Even the two bought in the last five years.) Some were mine, all were once someones pride and joy. Two or three are digital cameras though the majority are throwbacks to the age when we took the pictures, visited the chemist with roles of film and waited for several days with some expectancy and often not a little excitement. 'Those were the days, my friend'. Even at seventy plus it is essential to try and master modern technology. Recently I treated myself to a new camera. A 'point and shoot', a Canon S95 compact; not perfect but nevertheless described by some as the best of its type in the world. And crikey, is the technology mind bendingly twenty first century. But its not the camera that matters, its what's at the other end! So no more excuses. No more envious glances at my readers superbly professional efforts. Hope you like my first tentative 'arty' efforts. On a non-technical note. The lamp post is reproduction, not Victorian. At least one grandchild thinks the beared figure is 'granddad'. Please enlighten me as to whom it represents. The 'wheel', slightly incomplete is, if I remember right, a 'corn/wheat cutter', made down the road from here (T Beeby?Loughborough) in the nineteenth century. It is one of my many curios and stands in my front garden. I sometimes get curious (not curious, odd, curious interested. You know what I mean!) elderly Indian gentlemen now living nearby who knock on my door to tell me they used one on the land in India. I know its presence puzzles them, which I confess amuses me, It is indeed a funny old world.

42 comments:

The bike shed said...

Is that Lubitel camera - I have been wanting one of those!

Amrita said...

Hello Kenneth, Greetings from India.

Yes they use that farm gadget still in India. I have seen it too.


Your photography is excellent.

I think that carved head is a Greek god Appolo or someone ???

Valerie said...

I remember owning a Box Brownie and taking some pretty clever pictures with it. But the disappointments outweighed the clever stuff. I get on very well now with a point and shoot, Nikon Coolpix to be exact. I've just about mastered the technology.

Sueann said...

Your photos are terrific!! Love the cutter!! And the spider webs are amazing with the frost. Great capture!
We have an extensive camera collection as well. Love their shapes!
And I too have a point and shoot and I use it constantly. Never go anywhere without it. One never knows when a good shot may pop up!!
Hugs
SueAnn

Kitty said...

Your camera collection is fabulous, Ken. I'm quite envious of some of those. I like your piccies too. Did you get some Canon software with the camera? If not, I recommend Picnik which is free to use on the interweb. And when you want something that does 'more' I also recommend Adode Elements. I look forward to seeing more of your pictures. Happy New Year! :) x

Moannie said...

Great set of cameras. I have an attache case filled with camera and various lenses belonging to a distant relative: think they are circa 1920's.

Malcolm Cox said...

You cant beat a Polaroid Instamatic - reminds me of my youth! These kids don't know they're born with their digital cameras!

Erika Jean said...

Congrats on your blog of note!! Your pictures are lovely!

37paddington said...

Yay! You're a blog of note! And I found you before that. Congrats to you!

Hanny said...

Ken-I'm a grumpy young man. I found your blog from the 'blog of note' category (shallow, I know). I think you can teach me some things about life. Great blog!

Pearson Report said...

Congrats on your BON recognition.

I couldn't help chuckling as I scrolled down a little further and read your bit on "Dinner for One".

It's quite the cult classic over in Germany as well as a few other European countries. It's pretty much unheard of in English speaking countries as well as Britain, where it originated. Too funny!

I'll get back to you with an answer to your question about why the Germans are into it - and have been since the late 30's. A friend of mine in Hamburg has been watching it since he was a kid - I'm sure he'll have the 411!

Jenny

msprimadonna67 said...

I just found you here through Blogs of Note, and I'm glad I stopped by. Love the photography (and the collection of cameras!) Also, I noted your tag line just below your blog title and realized it's serendipitous that I stumbled upon your blog--my own blog is called "Looking Forward and Back".

Happy Frog and I said...

Congratulations on getting Blog of Note and welcome to the club! Very well deserved, I'm really pleased for you. :-)

A Good Moroccan said...

I like the selection of cameras.

Memoirs of Me & Mine said...

Great pics. Interesting blog!

Annah said...

Congratulations on Blog of Note.

I find the pictures of the cameras incredible. Have a great weekend!

Symdaddy said...

Nice photos Ken.

If I am right, the beared gentlrman is Zeus

(http://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/z/Zeus.htm)

Larajc said...

my dad has a bunch of old cameras that he finds at garage sales. Not sure what he does with them, but he collects them!

BeautifulMystery said...

I just started following you. But your pictures are beautiful! My hobby used to be photography, back before life grabbed me by the hand and took up all my time. Keep it up okay?

commoncents said...

CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING CHOSEN A BLOG OF NOTE!

Steve
Common Cents
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com

Shrinky said...

The clarity, subject and angle of these shots are superb, methinks you have far more of an idea of what you are doing than you like to fess up to, my friend! (I am also a keen - tho' far more amateur - photographer). Although I am awed at the leap forward in technology every year, my heart also sinks at how quickly my expensive SLR and cosatly lens' is so quickly superceeded by compact camera's a tenth the investment of! hey ho, eh?

Did you catch the recent episode of "Upstairs Downstairs", where the cook was photographed by "Cecil"? It made me smile.

RSA Online said...

Oh wow it's so strange to see how big the "pocket" cameras were back in the day

Anonymous said...

nice blog. congrats on being a blog of note!

http://jenniferscavone.blogspot.com

Ciao!

Anonymous said...

I also found you as a blog of note... Looks like we've all got some catching up to do! Well done and great photography :)

Hence72 said...

love these old cameras

A Daft Scots Lass said...

Love your collect of cameras! WOW...

Congrats on your Blogs Of Note.

dheubai said...

nice blog...

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Bernie said...

I knew you before your blog of note also and I am proud that you received your new award as a blog of note. You certainly deserve it. Congratulations!

Love your collection of cameras. I have the old bulky Poloroid too. I have not been much of a photographer, but I am thinking about getting into it more. My children seem to supply me with great pictures all the time so I have not felt the need to record our family events.

Since Bill died I have cherished all the pictures we have taken through the years. My son Jim has been digging up some oldies and they are great of the whole family as they grew.

Again, good for you.

Moannie said...

Congratulations on being named 'Blog of note' Ken, me too. Odd feeling isn't it. Happened to me last week, and I was like...who...where...what? Who do you thank? It's like getting POTW and not knowing where it came from...or heavens, a Booker Prize you never entered for.

Now my Blog has gone mad...bet yours will too.

Jeffrey Slater said...

I enjoy reading your posts- perhaps you will enjoy mine. One in particular is about my grandfather who taught me photography. He was a professional who founded a studio in Philadelphia in the 30's and it still exists. He gave me my first Hasselblad and his Rollie that he loved like a child. Enjoy. http://momentslater.blogspot.com/2010/11/original-facebook.html

ThisWeek InDude said...

http://www.thisweekindude.com

B said...

I second the belief that it is Zeus.

LaziaBoo said...

Are you a professional photographer?

LaziaBoo said...

Are you a professional photographer?

Chantal Larochelle said...

Have to say, I'm very jealous of your collection. I'm an avid photographer and collector of cameras myself. The pride of my collection is my Brownie Target Six -20. Lovely blog by the way!

bec said...

Dear Ken,
I love your blog. I am an english teacher in Mexico, and am using your blog as required reading for my advanced students!

Ronando said...

Love your camera collection!

Grumpy Old Ken said...

You can well imagine my surprise at this surge in visitors. Many thanks. I promise I will 'visit' all of you but it will take time. again many startled thanks.

DovcorBathrooms said...

The snow picture is fantastic like!!

Star said...

Congrats on being named a "Blog of Note" (how I found you). I'm signed up for good, now. The first post of yours I read already hooked me. (The snow pic is great; the figure, as mentioned by others, is Zeus...or Poseidon...the hairdo and the kind of beard give it away.)

jay said...

Impressive cobwebs on the lamp and lamp post. Who is the artist in string?

money from home said...

Your camera collection is fabulous

http://moneyfromhome-serial.blogspot.com/