The roads not taken

One of the wonderful things about photography is how many routes it is possible to take through the medium. Starting work at age fifteen with little or no formal education I knew little of the many possibilities that would, in time, open up to me. I had been taking photographs since the age of eleven but without the benefit of any great knowledge of the history of photography or how the wider 'business' really worked. My parents took 'Picture Post' and I was vaguely aware of the wonderful picture stories in that magazine and, of course press photographs in newspapers. I'm talking about the 1950's here, before we had television at home, so these, apart from cinema newsreels were the only source, for us, of news imagery. 

'Picture Post' cover, 1950's

I'm not sure if it ever occurred to me before I left school that photography would eventually be my life's work but very quickly after I started working in a photographic environment I realised that this, in some form or other, is what I wanted to do. 

My photographic work at Cardiff University, although fascinating and a great learning experience, really didn't capture my imagination in the way that other photographic work did. 

'Picture Post' cover, 1950's

The scientific, technical side that I was undertaking there, while demanding in certain respects failed to excite me in any visual way. Certainly not in the sense that I had been absorbed by the images I had seen in 'Picture Post', 'Illustrated' and other magazines and journals. 

I was fortunate at the university to be surrounded and supported by a number of staff members who were keen photographers and had contacts in the photography world outside of the institution. Someone suggested that I might have a look at being a news photographer, and through a contact, managed to get me to 'shadow' a photographer from the local newspaper for a few days in my holidays. 

These were pre-35mm days and almost all press photographers used Rolleiflex's. I had recently acquired one, albeit rather old and very well used. Accordingly I turned up at the offices of the 'Western Mail' and 'South Wales Echo' with this at the start of my few days with my Rollei, not wanting or presuming that, as I was being given a favour anyway, to also expect to borrow equipment. I was introduced to a few of the 'staffers' and noticed they were eyeing my camera. "I know it's a bit old and battered but it works fine and the lens is good" I said, apologetically. 

A Minolta Autocord from the early 1960's

Then I noticed their cameras. The Western Mail didn't run to expensive Rolleiflex's for their photographers and this I realised later, was a bit of a sore point among them. They were actually eyeing my camera with a tinge of jealousy. They were issued with the much cheaper Japanese copy of the Rollei, Minolta Autocords. 

No matter, they were generous with their time and patience with me and I was shown around the darkrooms and how quickly they could process film, edit and make a print to meet the deadlines.  The Western Mail was a morning paper but the 'Echo' was an evening paper with several editions printed during the afternoon. 

I was aware of the images that appeared in these papers of course and as local publications, although the Western Mail had a wider, more (Welsh) national readership, I wasn't expecting staggering, hard-hitting stories requiring photography. 

My current Rolleiflex

However, the reality became, for me anyway, rather more prosaic and predictable than I imagined and I think I quickly realised that local 'press' photography was not the photographic road I wanted to travel. It certainly wasn't what I thought of as 'news' photography.

Off out on the first day and some predicable 'handshake' photographs of 'dignitaries' and a shot or two of the fishermen on the end of Penarth Pier. Day two more 'handshake' pics, local library closing and big waves breaking over Penarth Pier and seafront. Day three ditto handshakes and yet another of Penarth Pier, this time a mumuration of starlings over the sea at dusk. Day four we got a church fete being opened by a 'D' list celebrity and instead of Penarth seafront I think we did something at Barry Island. 

'Splott, Cardiff', 1969

I take nothing away from the photographers who were all hard working and certainly encouraging to me. It's just that I shuddered at the thought of spending my career in photography on the same, repetitive 'stories' day in, day out in the same locality. I was grateful for the experience and the kindness shown to me and the nudge it gave me to decide that I was going to devote my time and life on more meaningful photography.  

'Splott, Cardiff', 1969

Within a few years I was engaged in a vastly different photographic world and undertaking 'personal' projects in Cardiff, dealing with the destruction of the area I was from and went to school that were to prove more rewarding in the long term and set the future for me. I also sold the Rollei and bought a Leica instead.