The Photographic Collectors Club of Great Britain Tailboard June 2017 Robots invade Photographica! One of the many rare and unusual items available at Photographica 2017. By the way, his name is ‘Luigi’ ! More images of this fantastic event on page 12 2017 AGM New PW Index 14th/15th October, Market Harborough Bernie Curtis has once Afternoon guest speaker, Hilary Roberts, “Introduction to again produced a new index war photography” for Photographica World, covering all articles from Hilary Roberts is Research Curator of Photography at Imperial 2010 - 2016. War Museums (IWM), Britain’s national museum of modern conflict. Available now on the PCCGB website A specialist in the history and practice of conflict photography, (http://www.pccgb.net) Hilary has numerous publications to her name, including The Great War: A Photographic Narrative (Jonathan Cape/Knopf, And there’s more inside! 2013). Recent exhibitions for IWM include Don McCullin: Shaped • Andy told to go to Lacock! by War (2010-2012), Lee Miller: A Woman’s War (2015-2016) and • Jem’s awesome 6mm Edmund Clark: War of Terror (2016-2017). • Minotina is a bargain Hilary works closely with photographers, curators, researchers and writers who document or respond to contemporary conflict. Her current collaboration is with Sergey Ponomarev (winner of the 2016 World Press Photo and Pulitzer Prize awards) on his first British solo exhibition Sergey Ponomarev: A Lens on Syria (IWM London, 27 April – 3 September 2017). Details of the full programme in the next Tailboard chairman’s chat Message from 1881! I have just returned from a very (France), Derek Price (Bangor), enjoyable Photographica, and Albert Taylor (Norwich), Terry helping on the door was a little Braun (London), and Gareth like seeing children go into the Hughes (Maidenhead). Plus biggest sweet shop imaginable! those rejoining us; Ken Walton It was great to have so many (Co. Durham), and Dr A Neill early birds (who pay £20). The Wright – who will be well known range of cameras is always to many as a very early member, great, and certainly there is and the compiler of “A Lens something for everyone - and all Collector’s Vade Mecum”. budgets catered for! One missing element to this A big thank-you to Vic and the years Photographica was Lance team. It was super to also see Potter, who died earlier this year. and meet so many members - Lance Potter long time Treasurer we had well over 110 members of both the Southern Region and through the doors. The fair Photographica. He gave a lot Last week I bought a box works I think on so many levels, of time and wisdom to the club of prints and old Strand it great to catch up with people, and will be much missed. Magazines. Strangely, in the to see so many dealers from middle of this collection, was so many places and to meet so Members will also be sad to a wonderful print of Fox Talbot many of our overseas members. learn of the death of Tony Bray from the “Supplement to the The Club table was busy and Peter Smith who were Photographic News March 11th signing-up 10 new members. long-standing members and 1881”. Was it a sign, telling me keen supporters of the club. to go to the Lacock meeting in And talking of new members, Peter’s camera collection is July? I’ll see you there! so far this year I am delighted being auctioned at Winchcombe to welcome: Andrej Virc Friday 30th June, and Wally Andy (Slovenia), Bengt Fransen Morley has more details. Editor’s Corner: I spent £11 I have just returned from my happen - he is a wise man). (I shan’t say annual trip to Photographica, by whom, to and once again it was a superb I was able to add to my avoid a rush event. Lancashire photographica to his front collection with a rollerblind door for more I had a marvellous time, met lots shutter identified by a little ivory bargains). of friends I hadn’t seen for quite disk marked “Sandham & Co, a while (including some from my 92 North Street Blackburn”. Do you know own NE Region!). Probably made by Thornton what it is? Pickard, but its design is not There was lots to see; rarities instantly recognisable to me as like the Reid, the Compass, the such (I will have to dig out Tom Contaflex, the Linhof Monobar, Holiday’s excellent TP magnum and of course dozens of Leicas. opus to check). ‘Wood and Brass’ was well I also bought a small brass clip represented both on specialist on viewfinder. I have been after stalls and on general dealers’ one for some time and although It’s an Ensign Viewfinder tables. this one is not quite the right Magnifier which slides on to fitting for my TP Wafer, I might the reflecting viewfinder of a I saw many things I liked, but be able to tweak it a bit to fit! folding camera and provides a the two things I would have magnified image shielded from spent a few quid on were sold My most interesting acquisition extraneous light. when I went back to buy them is pictured right - and was (Geoff Preece told me that might given to me in its original box David Gardner 2| Tailboard around the regions NE NW Midlands S SW Around the Regions: simply amazed at the expertise in the club! Southern What seemed like quite a niche Hertland subject at the start turned out to 9 April have a much wider appeal than expected – and a good time was had by all. The next Hertland meeting is on July 23, when Trevor Allin will be talking about the Pentacon Six System. John Wade Southern West Kingsdown 23 April Jeff Gould with one of diminutive meters xposure meters were the Ename of the game at the meeting was thrown open recent Southern region West to members to show and tell Kingsdown meeting, and Jeff about cameras that used add-on Gould was the man who gave meters. It turned out there was During the show and tell, Don us the gen. a lot, ranging from the original Baldwin talks about the Plaubel Canonflex to the Voigtländer Makina as a press camera. “When I began collecting meters focusing Brillant, which used ress cameras were the big my wife was delighted,” he told an extinction meter that clipped Ptalking point at the April us. “She thought that meant no over the camera’s viewing lens. Southern Region Hertland more cameras.” The look on meeting. the face of the lady in question sitting patiently at the back of The afternoon kicked off the hall plainly said that didn’t with a presentation by Bob happen. White, running us through the basic history from the Goerz- But it was meters that mattered Anschutz, probably the first most at this meeting – and there press camera, to the iconic was not a Selenium or CdS cell Nikon F. On the way we looked in sight. These were meters at cameras that included Van from the days long before Neck and Soho Press Cameras, electronics entered the story. It Speed Graphics, the unusual turned out to be a story of rivals, and rare Dawe, Mamiya Press attempting to outdo each other and the strange Peckham Wray. with new methods of exposure measurement. Most of these, Bob had on display for members to play We heard how George Frederick with. Wynne’s series of Infallible meters vied with Alfred Peter Bourne with his very After Bob’s talk, the meeting Watkins’s famous Bee meters, impressive Graflex was thrown open for anyone and how, despite their joint who could follow the theme interest, the two men met only By the end of the afternoon, we and a surprising number came briefly and disliked each other all agreed there was a lot more up with their own cameras that on sight. to meters than we had ever were used by the press. realised. Later in the afternoon, the John Wade Tailboard |3 around the regions NE NW Midlands S SW North East timers made to the Autoknips Baildon design but marked with their 25 March own logo, even Leica sold a 1930’s Autoknips timer under its or our first meeting of 2017 own name. Fwe opted for a new type of meeting that gives our members Models I and II are for the about 20 minutes to talk on release cable. Model III fixes any subject [photographically onto external threads on release speaking!] of their choice. As buttons. Model IV and V both a result we covered 5 subjects attach to the small threads on that possibly would not some release buttons and on normally be aired but which the Minox copy stand and tripod nevertheless were well received adapter. Model V also has an by the audience. additional attachment making it an alternative to Model III. Peter First up was David Gardner referred anyone interested in with his ‘4 Commandos and a learning more about timers to Tank’, being the story behind look for Heinrich Klapprott [pre- the development of the Ensign 1938] and Klapprott and Lampe Peter Hyde explaining the operation Commando from its 1938 patent post WWII on the web. of one of the 250+ self-timers he has for a camera with film plane collected focusing, via its initial wartime My own talk was entitled ‘The development and issue in ‘If you’ve got the time, I’ve got Kristall Maze’ and attempted 1944/5 to the RAF and Fleet Air the timers’, which is an insight to unravel the story of Leica Arm because of the shortage into the collecting of camera copies made by Italian of cameras, and then post war timing devices.