Spitalfields Life-Photojournalism Lives.The Legacy of Colin O'Brien

At the suggestion of a friend I have been prompted to make a formal reference to the work of Colin O'Brien as Contributing Photographer on the Spitalfields Life site, http://spitalfieldslife.com/ where a search in past postings-which are almost daily-will reveal a massive back catalogue of work by the late Colin . Quite apart from the photographic quality the site contains in excess of 30,000 illustrations which will contain,I guarantee,much of interest. Above all it contains PEOPLE and excels at the environmental portrait.(Catch 'em doing something) Have a look now.

Not often seen-but not a lot of use

I recently came across a copy of a Data Book that was published in the US in at least four editions Silver/Red copies have also been seen.

Mine is the 4th-edition from 1935, which is of
great interest to the Leica collector but much of the Data is now overtaken by new emulsions. However the physical data on lenses and cameras is still good and I have also reproduced the page about Bromoil for the benefit of those few hardy workers maintaining an interest in the medium. The cover appears to be produced in a grained board and 'gold' and is really an attractive item.The author was active in many Photographic fields in the US and died in 1964 at the age of 62.
He had been active in forces photo training and had worked for Carl Zeiss,Gevaert,and was Dean of New York Institute of Photography. All in all a fascinating book and one wonders how he managed to collate such a mine of information in the few years that the Leica had been available.

Just for fun-or perhaps a life saver-is this card exposure guide picked up at  Process Supplies of Mount Pleasant EC. yesterday. It is published to publicise 'filmsnotdead'  a website that is well worth a visit.

New Leica- or just 'Software' ?

Soft Leica (cushion) seen in the window of a shop a day or so ago.Seems to be a Classic f2.8 50mm Elmar of the original production run and the serial number suggests a date of 1963. I guess the body has been digitally adjusted to fit the shape! One might expect to see a Elmar -M in its place but very nice to spot this at £14.99- Also available at other retailers!

Colin O'Brien 1940-2016 Celebration of his Life and Work.

        This will take place at St James Clerkenwell, Clerkenwell                                     Close,London EC1R 0AE

  Thursday 17th November, Doors Open 5.30pm(when Bells will be                                          rung) for 6.00.

                    Reception and Drinks in the Crypt afterwards.






                                    Detailed enquiries to SpitalfieldsLife@gmail.com please
.

Magazines from the Golden Age. LEICA NEWS AND TECHNIQUE

I have recently been fortunate to acquire many bound and loose copies of the Magazine issued from E.Leitz(London) at 20 Mortimer Street W1. These ran from No.1 in January 1935 until the outbreak of War and I think I have them all.  The word 'rare' is much overused in Leica circles but it is not too hard to come across this Magazine which was issued widely and was sent free to all who registered their Leica serial number.  No doubt this had the dual purpose of tracking sales and imports and Leitz could be a bit off-hand about unofficial imports as can happen elsewhere today!  Needless to say this was a difficult time internationally and in the build up to war I can detect no bias or political slant- indeed, the content has a very British flavour.Contributions from Europe share this strictly neutral approach. The cover for March/April 1939 is an example of what was displayed,hardly enough to frighten, and in fact the last edition I have.I should be pleased to hear if later issues were published.

 The Aircraft is a DH86 Express which was a rather old design, even then, as De Havilland were already manufacturing the streamlined Albatross when war was declared.

 Looking in detail at this issue,it ran to 28 pages with advertisements from non-Leitz sources such as M.C.M. and A.P. included. Four pages of Colour were included with two full page prints in Agfacolor from Leica slides which are of excellent quality and used the Elmar 90mm and 35mm lenses. The material is diverse and rather technical in character but the house style is very readable to the present day enthusiast.

The contributors are widely spread across the Leica scene of the 1930's with photographs from C. C. Herbert of our Society.the author H.V.Morton, Stoeckler,Hoppe,Dr Salomon,H.S. Newcombe,Baumann,J Allan Cash,Dr Jouhar and above all James Jarche, uncle of our current President, with his magnificent press photographs. The enigmatic 'R.G.Lewis' also appears in the credits with a very innocent picture of a Windmill in Aden although I notice that much more of his work appears in M.C.M of the day.

I have not tried to reproduce the colour plates which may not scan too well but a most interesting set of prints appears in Nov/Dec 1937 with contributions from Walter Benser and Ernst Leitz, Jr. On the next page is an advertisement for Kodachrome Slide Film at 12/6  per 18 exposures.(0.62p decimal)
However Agfa have a whole page and quote 6/- per 36 exposures(30p)  both with processing in London!

Bill Cornwall Farewell 3rd October 2016

A Sad Loss- Bill Cornwall-passed away 12th September 2016

Bill Cornwall was my predecessor as Secretary of this Circle and had been in  post longer than anyone could recall at his retirement in 2008, when I took over. Bill had suffered from mobility problems but was a regular attender at Leica events for many years, together with his wife, Joan , a member of another Circle and a Colour specialist.Our Sympathy goes to Joan and the family at this time.

He had been in poor health latterly and was confined to a Nursing Home but maintained an interest in the Circle and the brand until almost the end. He was well acquainted with many members who went back to the foundation of the Society- as Leica Postal Portfolios- in pre-war days.A Member since 1955,he therefore provided a link to the founders and 'famous names' who are best known to us from the trophies and prizes they established.

 Bill will be much missed.

Rollei RPX 25-Back to the Future

For some two or more years we have had the opportunity of using a 25ASA film of conventional manufacture by a quality film producing company in the UK. True,we had Technical Pan for a few years with all its mystic ways and an exotic and expensive developer to go with it. However, one has to go back to the days of the original German made Adox KB 14, followed by Agfa 25 to find a slow film that can really be used for general purposes. In this emulsion Rollei, ( or Maco,or Ilford/Harman) have given us a product that can be used for the widest range of subjects-given the light-and yet processed in a vast range of developers.At this point it may be wise to mention the Adox branded products made in Croatia which never reached a level of quality or consistency to make them acceptable to the Leica user.True,Ilford have had Pan-F at 50 ASA for years but it has  gained a questionable reputation for latent image problems with some workers and is often dismissed as 'tricky'. It has been suggested that RPX 25 is a development of that emulsion but, if so , passing reference must also have been made to all the emulsions I have mentioned in this brief history and the best qualities drawn from them.

My experience of the film has now included about ten rolls of film only and it has become obvious that true speed is an issue. Rated at 25 this film could well be marketed at 50 ASA with little problem. I have used FX-39 as a developer so far and had no problem in producing consistent ( very full ) exposure at 25 ASA suggesting that the manufacturers claimed reserve of speed is really present. However this is perhaps the result of using a(Leica) mid yellow filter on the cameras which could have an effect on the camera metering which is not the same as its effect on the emulsion. Needless to say a strict test would have to allow for such effects.The Data Sheet is interesting but no one can really tell what the camera is doing at present with any precision.For the first time the notes on colour filters in the guide books and data sheet come into play.

The base of this film is water clear and it lacks any of the grey density of many faster products.Clear developer is turned mid-red by development and this is no doubt a sign that a layer is being removed in the tank.Fixing takes place rapidly in the usual diluted Amfix /Hypam or similar product enabling wet time to be reduced.

More interesting is the prospect of dilute Rodinal use which may have a taming effect on film contrast.At present the use of FX-39 gives grain finer than I could have expected and no complaints about sharpness. Grain is hardly visible on a focusing magnifier. You will see that shadow detail is not entirely lost , next to do is something about the highlights.

Result so far-High Contrast print that can just be printed down but lacks full highlight detail.Back to the Darkroom.

Above Photograph: The Church steps at Alaior on Menorca,This church, Santa Eulalia, dominates views of the town,try visiting the roof -or the Civil War shelters beneath.

Farewell Colin O'Brien 1940-2016.

Sadly, we lost Colin last Friday at the age of 76. I can only direct you to the excellent tribute by The Gentle Author on the Spitalfields Life site and merely contribute this photograph as a record of a very happy summer evening at Bruton Place last year

Great Weekend at Pickwick,Wilts-

No Photographs with this one, but just a big thank you to the folks at Guyers House Hotel & Restaurant for the Leica Society Weekend a few weeks back. Much enjoyed by all and congratulations to David Dickinson on taking the Mirfield Award for our own Circle 6.I am unable to announce that I got any award  for my four prints but one will be in the Leica Society Magazine later in the year, so was rather pleased at that result. I have not included the print here and the Mag. should have a far better print from a scan by The Darkroom, Cheltenham. I met lots of friends,old and new and saw much exciting and attractive camera gear!

Thanks to an old friend I have obtained some more copies of the pre - war 'Leica News and Technique'.This was a magazine published by Leitz in London, just before the war, and I have scanned a page on the origins of the Society which may be of interest.More on the usual line soon with details of some (early) additions!

July/ Aug 1938-;

Sticky Problem with enlarger

The subject of this post is a bit off target for a Leica themed site and indeed it seems strange to be writing  an historical study of a piece of equipment that was in day to day use by Amateur Photographers only, it seems ,yesterday.

Who can forget the Zenith Enlarger, also styled UPA-5, and  the various Cyrillic versions? Many may well wish to! Reputed to be a Zeiss design, I found one hard to resist on Ebay and it came to me for 0.99p and a token sum to Hermes.Needless to say it had decayed foam in the case and it is over this that I intend to take up your next few minutes.

When new these enlargers were sent out in a case that forms the baseboard. This is an essential part and it was only in the last few issued that a conventional baseboard was supplied - and the code moved first to UPA-601(using the box as base) and later to UPA-E with both baseboard and case! These later versions were not officially imported, as far as I can tell.The baseboard/box was lined with a cream foam rubber lining with the location of parts printed for ease of repacking,Over the years-time and the river flowing-this foam decays in the same way that the light seals on some SLR's will do,However,while a sticky camera is a problem to fix just imagine how bad is a box about 15" x 20" fully lined with what is now a material with the consistency and colour of melted cinder toffee. Given that Russian paint seems so fragile the choice of a solvent to remove the 'gunge' was important and, after tests, Lidl Brush Cleaner(-Xylene) seemed best.The good news is that degraded foam does not attack plastic or any paintwork so the task proceeded as follows.

Find some rubber gloves.
Scrape the old foam out with a plaster knife.
Get to work with the solvent -outdoors- with kitchen towel-about a mile off the roll should do.
End up with a clean case and a filthy enlarger.Repeat treatment on Enlarger.A light coat of Isopropyl Alcohol removed any residual sticky feel from the metal parts.

The important bit,the enlarger, cleaned up well with the solvents and shows no sign of corrosion after 40 years with bright metal as new. A lens was found in the inner workings which was unmarked and free from mould as were the spare negative stage parts in the original packing. It is suggested on some web pages that the lamphouse is prone to light leaks, but not so in this case,the handbook refers to an improved design of baffle.

Mention of the lens brings me to the instruction manual which clearly states this to be three element. I was unsure if this lens was based on the Industar camera lens which can be quite good but it seems to be a one off design for this enlarger. The Industar -22 in four element design and enlarger mount seems to be still available on the S/H market in coated form.I had thought I should really have a four element type at least and  set up my model with a 50mm Ross lens (Made in UK) which is in a short mount and needed little adjustment. In fact I am using manual focus all the time as I do like to make a second check of focus before going to print.

I am now faced with two choices, either:

    -re cover the interior with card or foam       

or

-slam the lid and keep the base as a base 

             

 NO CONTEST! I don't expect to display the enlarger as a design object and it can stand in a row with my other user enlarger, having acquired a dust cover(polythene bag)

The selection of lens has given me some thought. I now realise that as the standard lens lacks any click stops it is difficult to avoid moving the focus mechanism unless the iris is very loose. I found  the two Ross lenses I fitted very stiff in comparison and have settled for a Durst -Schneider Componon 50mm f4. six element,The important factor being the choice of a lens of modest size.This alternative required fitting by trial and error but it became clear that the extension tube required was 7.5mm deep which I made up from a Reid and Sigrist 6mm tube and a thread adapter for the lens.One has the same issues with Leica where a DOORX goes between lens and enlarger. 

This is the case as arrived covered in decomposed foam

             

And the finished job-after clean up- in my Darkroom.

The upgraded lens is a Durst/Schneider f4-

It is clear that any replacement lens will introduce errors into the Auto Focus mechanism but one can revert to the original installation in a few seconds.The masking frame shown is about the same as the Russians supplied with some enlargers and completes a nice compact set up.

Leica Enlarger Marketing- 1930's style

I was recently given a copy of the December 1937 version of the Leitz enlarger booklet. This runs to 46 pages and if any other enlargers of the time are of interest just email me and I shall post all I can on this site. I have ignored the 35mm only enlargers for now and continued with the Vasex 1 noting that the price has risen by £6 in 79 years between new and today- secondhand! The attention to detail is typical of all the printed leaflets and brochures right down to the latest colour offerings which resemble a thick magazine and are rather collectable. I do not have the four bulb diffusion head neither do I need it with the option of a v54 Aristo head but it does explain the 60watt Osram enlarger bulbs which I recently acquired-largely due to being of the short neck type-probably as old as the enlarger.

High Aims from the old GDR - 9 year old optical engineers.

Not a Leica item but impossible to resist in a local Charity shop was this East German Optical kit marked suitable for 9 year olds.I wonder how it got into the UK with its German language instructions. Many well made parts largely in plastic and seemingly complete.However the box illustrates the 'toys' one can make but on turning to the instruction book I was reminded of 'A' level Physics of 56 years ago.All good stuff but probably more use to our present day students of 18 than  9 year olds, It all brings back thoughts of the East German Optical industry that is no more.

The Missing Link-the Leica enlarger part that is always lost.

The elusive spanner which was supplied with many Leica enlargers prior to the V35 as the tool to assemble the base board and column. Users will recall that a large fine threaded nut beneath the baseboard has a semi-castellated rim-in other words a plain circular finish with one cross slot to tighten. Short of misuse of a chisel there is not much else that one could use. These tend to crop up in Junk Boxes but really should never part company from the enlarger.All I can find about the spanner like end is that it may be intended to fix an extension tube but I had always thought it was to move those flat nuts on the baseboard locking device.On trying I find it will not fit the nuts so any clarification welcome. ( Film box to show scale and devotion to silver printing!)

Classic Leitz enlarger for 6x9- thats not A Focomat!

The Vasex 1 enlarger is my latest acquisition in Leicaland. Coded VYBOO this is the 1936-1939 machine which covers formats from 35mm up to 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 - slightly larger than the traditional 6.5x9 nominal size, presumably to cater for plate users.As I measure the aperture it is about 2 3/8 x 3 1/2 .This is a product which can be thought of as wholly Leitz, rather than Leica. Although it appears in all the Wetzlar literature of the time alongside the Leica camera the company did not market a 6x9 camera,other than a few plate cameras long before this period. They had however supplied a (very) few 105mm Elmar lenses for the format in the immediate pre-war period, additionally, it is said that the first Elmar long lenses for 35mm were derived from larger format products.Against this background and the desire to cover the professional darkroom it was by no means strange that 'general' products should emerge.However the Vasex appeared around the same time as the autofocus Focomat for the same format and inevitably the Vasex was not revived after the war whereas the Autofocus Focomat was,albiet with rather different marketing to the amateur market.

In fact two versions of the machine exist,the model styled '11'  was of a heftier build with a vast column and larger base board to appeal to trade users.(Code VYOOS)

Considering the paper specification,without regard to the superb build quality,it might be alleged that there is little on offer which could not be found in one of the many British amateur enlargers of 25 years later in the economy period.However detailed examination reveals the heavy plating,the intricate wiring and the, still useful, clamping for the masking frame.The condenser set of two different glasses is mounted in a machined sleeve with threaded brass retaining rings derived from lens construction.No variable condensers were ever considered necessary.Focus is arrived at by a coarse setting of bellows length which is then locked and fine focus arrived at using the classic brass helix found in Leitz products over about 50 years.The film carrier is identical to the Focomat 11 and has two glass plates which I was pleased to find to be of exactly the same size, and with the same edge profile, as Durst 6x9 from the recent past.This enlarger has been well looked after with even the film trough covering in good order-one of the first things to go.

There are some final points which may be of interest to those really into detail, and these are-

The red swing over filter is mounted on a universal rod that permits updating to Ilford MG filter holders rather than using a lens mounted Ilford holder.

The condensers can be replaced by an Aristo / Zone V11  cold light unit intended for Beseler enlargers  without modification. This means I can fit my last  v54 type Aristo Multigrade head with no modification to the head, which is not true of Omega and others which need a slim electronics
container to fit.

The head will accommodate a dedicated 35mm condenser cell from the US Kodak Precision enlarger of the same period, if  smaller condensers are felt necessary.These have a slightly green tinge which can only increase contrast with current emulsions and are of generous diameter.

The inside of the head is black and not the silver finish of small machines in the range that gives a little extra diffusion for the small formats. The bulb that appears in the original listing is 75w 120v, so I may be running one through a transformer as they are readily available from US. The 240 v version at 75w, readily available in UK today, is of course a little less bright(Wikipedia suggests that the 120 v bulb is 1.4 times brighter) Interesting to see that the enlarger came with a 240v 150w bulb!

I don't have the original 95mm f4  Leitz lens (Code VOORT) but the thread is 39mm and a fine TTH 50mm lens was fitted when it came.Of course I would fit a VOORT if I came across on  and have several of the 50mm version in Nickle (Code VAROB) which appear earlier in this Blog.I do have modern 90mm and 100mm lenses, but shall keep looking for the real thing.A red filter is being added.

Above all,if you find one of these, do fit an efficient modern electrical earthing system, not relying on friction between heavily painted parts! An Earth wasn't felt necessary at the time this came out of the Wetzlar factory and it seems to have pre-dated the dubious column earthing screw of some models.



General view of the head-                                                                    

 The focusing helix-

The Base Board and clamps

 The superb condensers

 Head counter balance

August 2017 addition:-  I have always regarded this as the VASEX in Leica Code Words speak. However last night I was leafing through the 1937 Morgan and Morgan (US)  Edition of the Leica Manual and found an illustration of the VASEX described as the VANOS.  This alternative name does not appear in the Laney guide ( Hove 1994)  and is a mystery to me.  Perhaps the arrival of the Hays Code,  enforced from 1934,  made any reference to  ***ex  rather difficult in the US market!

Leica 1 -1929 Spring redecoration,paint stripping- but not replacing.

I have had a problem adding fresh photographs so have decided to rewrite this post to introduce a fresh view.  I acquired a Leica I with a number in the 15xxx range that lacked an infinity lock and had a 'solid' pattern focus button.   However it also had  an Elmar with no rangefinder ring and no trace of any number even after removing the baffles. Both flange and lens bear the magic 'o' engraving and a depth of field ring is fitted retained by one grub screw.  I guess that it may have come from either the very first of the standard run of cameras with a defined lens / film measure.  However the serial number on the body is low and the body could have been updated at some point.

As received the camera body was refinished in flat black house paint with brush marks all over.  This paint was removed over several days with Acetone and water mixture and a flat chisel like tool made of a wooden chop stick.  The accessory shoe had to be removed to complete cleaning but in time the original worn enamel was revealed.  Removal of the accessory shoe will loosen the upper internal shutter baffle,  so be warned and avoid this if possible.  All I want now is an authentic viewfinder as the original has gone. The bright line Leica finder I am forced to use is from about 25 years later than the camera.The shutter runs well and I hope

to post some results shortly.

However, since my original post on this camera I have been pleased to hear from Geoffrey Rivett,  a long time Leica enthusiast who has sent me the following photo of his earlier camera S/N  10xxx. Note the infinity stop clearly visible,  often called the' Hockey Stick 'and of course this one has its fine optical finder.

Finally,an admission,I actually prefer a worn brassy finish to amateur restoration but all fall short of a mint original!

'Must See' film for Leica fans-'LIFE'

If,like me, you haven't been near a Cinema for years you might like to start a catch up by viewing the new film from Anton Corbijn ,himself a 'film' user, dealing with a few weeks in the short life of James Dean.
 Dennis Stock of Magnum spent these weeks with Dean in the winter of 1955 partly on the Dean family farm in Indiana during a snow covered winter.  The film covers the build up to the iconic issue of Life magazine containing a classic photo essay marking the premiere of  East of Eden and Stock's Leicas are in almost every scene. He seems to be using an early M3 with a f2.0 Summicron of the collapsable type but also a 111f and an Elmar in places and a bulb flash gun. Well worth a viewing.

After preparing this note I realised I had a copy of  'James Dean Revisited' by Dennis Stock published, in UK, at least by Plexus in 1986, ISBN 0-85965-175-4,  containing the original photographs that have been studied closely to produce the film sets. In particular the Farm scenes,the High School Dance, and those including the tractor have been faithfully reproduced on the screen.

The work produced by Dennis Stock is of a very high quality, probably on fast film stock and in adverse lighting, he only resorts to flash in a night situation, It is interesting that several photographs of Dean in a barbers shop appear in the book, but the script has his Magnum editor reject those, which stimulates the farm visit. In the event,in real life the barbers shop photos are,I think, among the most popular. 

Stock and his son as portrayed in a positive light in the film and reputedly on far better terms than actually applied at the time.A most revealing link is to a discussion with Anton Corbijn at  http://www.bjp-online.com/tag/anton-corbijn/

Back to Crich- the Tram Museum

Back at Crich,an older print which has just come to hand. T-Max 400 in D76 1:1 developer with the Leica 111f and , on this shot , a 20mm MIR wide angle camera.Rather cloudy and difficult to get any tone in the sky.

'End of an Era'- (Another) Book Review!

It gives me great pleasure to review the book 'End of an Era' from Robert Hughes LRPS a fellow member of The Leica Society.In a large publication - 8x12 inches- he has produced a fine record of the last days of Abergavenny Livestock Market prior to its closure on it's traditional site and relocation. Executed,in the main, in the traditional Leica format it is a worthy candidate to break the rule of this Blog by introducing a Digital element as the book was compiled using Leica M Digital and D-Lux cameras.

This is an excellent work in the tradition of Leica Photojournalism and it is acknowledged by Robert in his notes that he was inspired by the late James Ravilious which comes over strongly in the rural settings he has chosen.Delightfully produced by Country Books it is a fine example of the Leica genre.

A fine Christmas gift for any follower of black and white photography and available now at £20, Robert's web address is www.roberthughesphotographer.co.uk

Apologies to Robert , in advance, for the poor quality of reproduction on this site which is due to me entirely and in no way reflects the quality of the book!

Singalong at Dursley Car Boot Sale-with an unusual camera

This is a grab shot at the local Car Boot sale using a Leica Mini 3 point and shoot camera. The lens is a Summar 32mm,one of the cases of reuse of a Classic name. Film was good old FP4 in D76 1;1 as it was fairly good light that day. Removal of the need to focus permits a quicker photograph in the circumstances!One of several 'Donkey Serenaders' who raise funds for Charity.

Colin O'Brien at Leica Mayfair.

Colin O'Brien with his original Leica 111a from the 1930's at Leica HQ in Bruton Place book signing last week.The camera is now undergoing a shutter service. Interesting to note that a photograph appears in various places of a young Colin with a can of '3 in 1' oil alongside the camera which is not fully explained? However the lubricant seems to have had no adverse effect on the superb quality of photographs produced! Technical Note: Lubricants in Leica cameras are diverse and complex-Don't try it!

This was taken with a Leica 111f and a coated Summitar f2.0 lens. Exposure was 1/60 at f4 which was the reading on the Metraphot meter, attached to the 111f. Film was Kodak T-Max 400 and developer D76 1:1 for  12.5 mins at 20 degrees.

This is the first scanned negative that I have posted on this blog, rather than working via a paper print.

22nd August 2016  Sad news indeed,Colin passed away suddenly at the age of 73 on Friday last. For a full appreciation of his life please see the site 'Spitalfields Life' which contains much of his work and a full appreciation by 'The Gentle Author'.

Summer Evening in Mayfair:Leica with Colin O'Brien

A fine Wednesday evening- 29th July 2015- saw 50 fortunate ticket holders, and the staff of Leica filling the lecture theatre at the London Headquarters of Leica in Bruton Place.There was great interest in a lively talk by Colin O'Brien to accompany the launch of his new book published by Spitalfields Life Books. Much more is available at the Spitalfields Life Website, in particular the feature on Colin on July 15th 2015.In black and white, his photography with a 111a Leica is superb and reflects a long gone time in North London (mainly) and the fashions of the 1950's.Centered on Clerkenwell he reflects life in a time of rationing and few luxury goods. As a rather unique afterthought Colin still has the original Leica he acquired as a young man and this was with him at the lecture.Visit Spitalfields Life site to purchase a signed copy.

Many thanks to all at Leica and The Gentle Author for this most interesting evening.

Work in Progress: Union Street,Bath.

Using this time the 111f and an Elmar 50mm with yellow filter the depth of field is a bit more than I would have wanted at 1/200 and f8 on a sunny day with T-Max 400. Yet again developed in D76 1:1- this tag is likely to change shortly as I am moving to XTOL in an attempt to avoid  Metol rash!
I am also experimenting with slower films and of course results will appear here in due course-I hope.

Circle 6 Housekeeping: Mirfield Award 1969

As you will gather from the above photographs,Digital photography is not my thing but that is what this Blog is all about after all! The object above is a Leica lens cap from the Mirfield Awards made in 1969 and engraved to Tom March F.R.P.S. The engraving has obviously been done prior to the addition of a coat of gloss black spray paint so does not really stand out too well. I am wondering if this lens cap, of about 3 inch diameter, came from a projector in which case it would have probably been gray in its original form. However the Leica ruby velvet liner is present.

Tom March was a well known motor cycling and car racing photographer at that time.  His work has been preserved by a commercial agency and used in a number of recent books.Given the Circle 6 connection I had to buy this when it came up in a small ad. in the  Leica Society magazine.And what, do I hear you ask,is a Mirfield Award?  These are still given by what is now The Leica Society for the winner of a points based competition which runs in most of the Circles of print and slide makers. This round of Awards was inherited from the merger of Leica Historical with Postal Portfolios a few years ago.Sadly the one time token of a lens cap is now financially impossible and so todays Mirfield is only a certificate-and some Glory!

I own one original March print of a  racing car but his winning prints, framed,have sold well on Auction Sites.

And who was Mr Mirfield? He was a past Secretary of the Society who set up a contest for Members that ran all year rather than being judged at the Annual Meetings,Most of the Trophys are named for the person who donated them but a 'Mirfield' is still a worthwhile achievement.

Those of you who are fortunate to have a copy of the last Morgan & Morgan Leica Manual of 1973
will find some work by Tom on page 245 from the Leica-Archiv Wetzlar.