You might have noticed more and more pictures turning up here in the blog and a general bent towards all things photographic. Well that’s likely to continue, and there’s a reason.
I’ve always had an interest in photography and it’s always been something I’ve enjoyed. I would never call myself a photographer and I find the majority of my work lack lustre, on the one hand that’s fairly depressing, on the other it drives me to try and improve. When I finished on the Nautilus Explorer and returned to the UK, I promised myself I’d spend more time behind the camera and make a real effort to take my photography to the next level. Well 6 weeks or so ago I went on a weekends long photography course at nearby Dillington House. The course was run by a charming, mild mannered gentleman by the name of Ron Frampton. Ron is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society (FRPS) andhas a number of books and other credits to his name. He’s down in Somerset for his whole life and has a wealth of local knowledge. He has been running the course at Dillington House for more than 25 years and is still passionate about teaching. The course that Ron runs at Dillington House is unique and only takes around twelve students a year. It runs on one day week and is very traditional. There is an emphasis on film photography and a lot of time spent in the darkroom. Now, despite being a total geek this really appealed to me. So when Ron asked if I’d be interested in joining the course in October I was totally going to say yes. Only one small problem, I have to work for a living and the course is on a Monday.
Fortunately, my employers are pretty forward thinking and were good enough to allow me work a flexibly. So in october 2010 I’ll be going back to school and I’ll be getting the chance to something I’ve always wanted to do. To spend lots more time taking photographs.
I’m particularly interested in, how using film based cameras and darkrooms affects how I work digitally. Scarily I’m already developing a serious passion for all things celluloid. I think it’s the engineering and solidity of the older cameras. Whatever it is I’m really looking forward learning and working with Ron and the other students who’ve been on the course for 2, 3 or 4 years.
