Hi from Brownhills, Walsall

New here? Introduce yourself.
Post Reply
PBimages
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:28 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Location: Brownhills, Walsall
Contact:

Hi from Brownhills, Walsall

Post by PBimages » Mon Jul 14, 2008 4:14 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Hi there,

I presume this is where I bore you all to sleep!

So I will try and keep it short!

Currently i'm a HNC Photography student at West Bromwich Campus, Sandwell, England

Photography has always been a passion of mine since the age of 10, when I was 16 I had my own darkroom, but my family viewed photography as a hobby not a trade, so I trained as an Electrical/Electronic Design Engineer, but due to being made redundant recently I decided to concentrate more on my photography and hopefully change my career direction!

I am currently re-building my darkroom, I found that when I started on the course we were back to basics, loading film into a 35mm camera etc, then we moved onto processing film, by this point I was fast asleep and let the other students learn, while I slept in the corner of the colleges darkroom, but after a spate of illness, I have found myself falling behind with my studies, so to assist things I decided as I still had all of my equipment to re-build the darkroom.

As using the collages facility was not an option as it was an hours drive from here just to reach it!

One of the things I have to get done is a project on Large Format camera's, so I have obtained/borrowed a Toyo View 45E with the intent on buying the camera, so you may see me posting questions on this subject!

Well I thinks thats things pretty much upto date, if you wish to ask me any further questions please feel free to do so!

Regards

James Mason

Ps this was posted originally onto the Large Format Photography Forum, so if you have read this before I do appologise!

monst
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:09 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Location: Crystal Palace

Post by monst » Mon Jul 14, 2008 5:08 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

hiya james,

i see you have found me on flickr! hoped you liked them. when i get my 5x4 i will be able to post some here as i'm only shooting on 6x9 at the mo, it is a monorail tho.

cheers

john

PAUL O
Founder
Posts: 497
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2006 10:10 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Location: South Wales
Contact:

Post by PAUL O » Mon Jul 14, 2008 5:15 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

welcome :lol:

PBimages
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:28 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Location: Brownhills, Walsall
Contact:

Post by PBimages » Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:26 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Yes Monst, I do like your images!

Yesterday was the second time ever that I had used a LF Camera, I got some pleasing results some not too pleasing, but "Hey Ho" thats life!

Got some issues I need to resolve, an invest in a camera the one I am using is currently on loan with a chance of buying it, it's a Toyo View 45E, Ok it's a monorail studio camera but I do a lot of studio work at the moment so it could come in, but it's way too awkward and cumbersome to carry when out walking!

But with limited funds, loaning a camera is all that I can do for the time being!
Buy in haste, repent at leisure

monst
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:09 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Location: Crystal Palace

Post by monst » Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:44 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00

hiya again

yes, monorails are a bit cumbersome in the field. lots of movements available on them though.

my days at the college were over 20 years ago so a lot has changed since then. we had very good grounding in studiowork with 4x5's and lighting and a very good printing teacher. it led me to working in a studio shooting room sets for carpet manufacturers which led to me latr on to becoming a graphic designer/photographer, mainly publishing though. my heart is always in black & white landscapes really so thats why i'm getting a 4x5.

cheers

john

PBimages
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:28 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Location: Brownhills, Walsall
Contact:

Post by PBimages » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:48 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

I also wish to follow the same path as you!

At the moment the college has done no studio work, some darkroom assistance as in showing the basics, the rest is down to you to learn, I'm happy with that, but some people do not have the ability to teach themselves and expect it all to be handed to them on a plate!

The problem is that far too many of the people on the course have never touched a camera or a computer before in there lives. The course is a Higher Level, most of us had to submit a portfolio of work to prove that we qualify for the course and already attain the high standard of work, but then suddenly they allowed these other students onto the course basically to allow the course to run.

One Student had a screming fit outside the college recently, they basically took a 5 x 4 outside the college doors into the memorial park outside the college, one student set the camera up and each student took it in turns to put there film into the back of the camera and expose it and move onto the next student, but the lecturer spotted what was going on, grabbed the camera and moved it to a different location for this female Student (42 Years of age) to start screming at the lecturer that he was picking on her and that he should set the camera up for her, as she could not do it! People like her who bitch and moan about how life aint fair etc I just cannot handle, but the annoying thing is that I have seen the lecturers doing her assignments for her, just so that they can garantee she passes the course!

One I do feel sorry for, is a chap called Julius who is 63 and from south africa, his language skills are a little lacking and he has fell way beyond any help, I and many others tried, but then he started missing classes turning up 2 hours late, and unless someone does the work for him he has almost no chance of passing, which is a shame as the course is £550 a year!

The whole course is computer based, so all assignments have to be word processed and presented in both paper form and on CD, people like Julius have to manage with librarys and there 1 hour rule!

I think this is the way the world is going, I imagine soon the course will no longer be running, as I have to travel an hour by car to attend the course as no where local runs such a course, Ok you have the 10 week photoshop courses etc but that does not teach you have to use a camera!
Buy in haste, repent at leisure

monst
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:09 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Location: Crystal Palace

Post by monst » Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:45 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

well it certainly has changed from when i was there. we all had to get on the course with portfolio's so everyone was keen and knew how to handle 35mm. they taught us well, quite old staff who were sticklers for quality. the old printing guy, chignell i think his name was, was quite scary but he really knew his stuff. i think your right about the staff doing the students work so the courses are successful, tis shocking! there was a waiting list for the course when i was on it. ar well, back to work for me now.

cheers

john

PBimages
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:28 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Location: Brownhills, Walsall
Contact:

Post by PBimages » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:08 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

So tell me John, how did you manage to get to where you are today!

It always interests me how people come accross there chosen vacation in life, some fell into it but I don't think there are many people out there that actually choose there way in life!
Buy in haste, repent at leisure

monst
Posts: 54
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:09 am Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Location: Crystal Palace

Post by monst » Tue Jul 15, 2008 2:35 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

tis a long story but the short version is: left college, found work in the studio shootin the carpets / room sets for a few years then the end of the 80's recession hit so lost my job then, started doing weddings and fitting bank strongrooms!!! weird job, then met a girl moved to london worked in a camera shop selling lighting and sinars then started a course at the very start of electronic imaging then found myself retouching / scanning in a design bureau then started designing and a bit of 3d illustration and saying ooh i could do the photography for this and that and thats where i am now. tis crazy really!

PBimages
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:28 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Location: Brownhills, Walsall
Contact:

Post by PBimages » Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:43 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

Sound's like you got into it at the right period of time, late 90's I was given a copy of Photoshop 5 and the manual, but did not knuckle down and learn or ask the relevant questions!

I did have someone prepared to assist me... What a fool I was to ignore his help, to think where I could be now...

But I am still fairly young so still have time on my side, so all being well I still might be able to make a go of it!
Buy in haste, repent at leisure

Apple
Forum Hero
Posts: 361
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2006 7:04 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00
Location: West Yorkshire

Post by Apple » Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:50 pm Etc/GMT-1+01:00

HI James - welcome to the crowd.

If you're in Walsall, have you managed to see the Ansel Adams exhibition at the New Art Gallery yet? There's some fine prints. Some well known and some not so. At least they look better "in person" than in quite a few books.

If you're into his type of picture, it's not too often there's an exhibition of his over this side of the pond...

Andrew
Full Member of the Tearoom Appreciation Society - affiliated to UKLFPG.

Post Reply