Posted by Dave Chadwick
This Is My Story. (Or maybe my Camera’s)
Over the years I’ve had what could be described as an on off relationship with my camera. I remember taking my first set of photos at about 7 years old using an old camera belonging to my parents (I do still have these very terrible black & white prints tucked away). As a family for many years we used a Kodak instamatic, very plain and boring but it gave us average family record photographs. At this time I started taking transparencies rather than prints. Many boxes of these are stored in cupboards today.
In my teen years I discovered cine photography, purchasing a super 8 cine camera although I only used it for family events and holidays. I did though attend a course at what was then Stoke Polytechnic where one of the course tutors, called John Jordan, who was a cameraman on the film Clockwork Orange.
As I got older I started to develop my interest again in still photography buying a second hand Zenith E, a fully manual camera with a light meter over the top of the lens. If you didn’t tilt the camera down slightly when reading the settings the photos were underexposed and if the camera was tilted slightly upwards they were over exposed. This was a great camera to learn on though; being fully manual I learnt quickly the basics of shutter speed and aperture.
As I got more interested I moved onto a Minolta XG2 and soon realised how expensive a hobby photography was, purchasing various lenses to build up my kit. About this time I got my first taste of camera clubs, a neighbour was a member of Stoke on Trent Camera club, meeting on Wednesday evenings. I remained a member for several years joining their committee and even spending a few years as their Treasurer. Whilst there I decided I needed to upgrade to something better so I acquired a Minolta XD7, quite a high spec camera which gave me many years of service.
After I got married my relationship with my camera became more casual taking mainly holiday and family photographs of the girls growing up; I’m sure most of you have done the same.
A few years ago, during a phone call with a friend he mentioned he’d seen an advert for a camera club that was starting its new season at Moorville Hall in Cellarhead, and would I be interested in going along.
We went along to this clubs first meeting in their new venue, liked what we saw and both became members of the best Camera club in Stoke on Trent, Willfield Camera Club,
