(Lack of) Progress Report

Those loyal readers who may have had concerns over the future of this Blog during the past six months may be reassured that both the interest in Leica cameras and the continued existence of Circle 6 are still to the front of  my mind. Over the intervening period the state of the country, lock down ,and restrictions has cast us all on older negatives and revisiting our efforts of years gone by.

The Leica Postal Circle has continued as best it can with interuptions in Circulation and fears that  circulation can spread infection. Added to this has been a major Operation at John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. I launched two folios prior to entering hospital for mailing on a delayed programme to try and keep our Circle active. I have now returned to the care of my family.

This break took place from early November 2021 but my recovery is still going on. Sadly, I am away from my home darkroom and it may be a few more weeks before I am back in full action. In the meantime I have acquired a Leitz Focomat -Color in Gray finish that I have been restoring during the winter. Anyone who receives the Leica Society magazine will have seen my advert seeking a magnification  quadrant which is missing from the enlarger column. No doubt one will  turn up some day but it is only required for Historical accuracy, it is rather a 'cosmetic extra' unless one still prints wet colour.

Activity in the Society has been subdued although a limited number of one day events have taken place, Two Annual week-ends have been missed with the consequent lack of our usual fellowship but the now quarterly Magazine has gone some way to preserving our feelings of unity as a Society. I cannot avoid reference to the sad loss of several members  where our simpathy is extended to the families concerned. The position regarding Membership has given much cause for concern in recent years and I think it is fair to say that the solution still eludes us.

The final point I have to make concerns the future of the Circle and my own role as Hon. Secretary. It has become clear that I shall not be able able to to continue for much longer and do actively seek a replacement who can take over sooner or later. The reason for this is not one of pressure of the Secretarial function or the circulation of folios, rather it lies in my own contribution to the prints which has almost dried up and is now confined to my second rate work of some years ago. This is in the most part  due to lack of ability to drive for a protracted period and the need to manage and maintain a home,with the pressure of medical appointments.

Dorothy Bohm - Appropriate film for Holocaust Memorial Day, (Seeing Daylight)

Sky Art is a rather neglected TV program here but it does come up with some interesting niche films on Photography from time to time. This particular film has been transmitted in the past but its repeat is most appropriate matching,(almost), as it does, Holocaust Memorial Day. 

 The subject of this film was the photographer Dorothy Bohm. now in her 90's and resident in  Hampstead it provides a moving story of a girl who escaped here as a Lithuinian Jewish refugee before the war. Her work was partly produced on  on a Leica with a Leica enlarger .Later work seems to involve a Nikon and above all a Rolleiflex which was used to make a host of work from the 1950,s in London and Switzerland, 

.Dorothy was one of the first Management of the Photographers Gallery.  

I shall not try to recap the wealth of detail contained over this one hour film which is in part inspired by a similar BBC film of 1980, Try to see it if you can find it on one of the repeat services.