In May 1984 I had to cancel a holiday
abroad at very short notice. My wife, who had booked two courses at the
Snowdon Study Centre offered me the one on photography to offset my
disappointment at having to cancel my holiday.
So I set off for a four day course on
mountain and water photography, the course director was H. John Podmore
FRPS FRSA, assisted by his wife Nema. I found the course so helpful and
the company of others with a common interest so relaxing that I booked for
a week’s course in June .1985 and today I have returned from another
week which ran from the 20th Of July to the 27th.
The courses are held in Plas-Tan-Y-Bwlch,
it is the former home of the Oakley famous who were the owners of slate
quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog. The house and grounds are situated on the
side of a hill with a commanding view of the village of Maentwrog, the
houses in this community being the houses of the workers from the
neighbouring but now disused slate quarries . Courses start at 4.30 p .m.
on Saturdays and end after breakfast on the following Saturday.
The day starts with an excellent
breakfast, packed lunches are provided each day and evening meal is served
at 6.30 p.m. The catering is of a very high standard. Transport is
provided in the form of a mini-bus to the various venues and the whole
course. Has a very free and easy atmosphere.
Already I can hear some of you saying
what has this got to do with the Colour Reversal Club, so I will try to
recapture the activities of the week.
The enthusiast armed with enough
photographic equipment to sink a ship gathered to meet John Podmore and
Mama to introduce themselves to one another, we totaled 11 on the recent
course. The average day starts at 9.30 a.m. and usually ends at 9.30 p.m.
although informal chats continue in the bar.
By Sunday a 36 exp filrn of Fuji is sold
to each photographer and this must be exposed by mid-day Monday so that it
can be dispatched to Agfa for processing and returned to Plas-Tan-Y-Bwlch
by Friday morning, when instruction is given on, cutting the frames &
mounting them ready to project in the evening and for adjudication by the
course director.
To most C. R. C. members this is run of
the mill, but it is surprising how difficult it seems to be for those who
always get process paid, as an “old hand” ‘at this I was able to
assist those in difficulty. One of the questions I was asked was “How do
you get the fingerprints “ I said “You don’t”, because if you do
It properly you don’t get any on.
My interest in the C. R. C. was known to
John as he had previously asked me to process a film for him, This I did
and it was a very nerve-wracking experience; messing up your own is bad
enough; but doing it to someone else’s film is something altogether
different, On this occasion John rang me on the Thursday before the course
started and I said I would take my gear to Tan-Y-Bwlch and give a
“demo” of E.6.processing.
On a wet morning John and 1 did some
slide copying on to Kodak copy film to assess the correct exposure and I
processed the film in “private”. I didn’t think my act was ready for
public exposure. John then copied the 36 slides he required duplicated and
gave the “class” their initiation into E.6 by PhotoWorld.
Not one of the other members on the
course had ever seen this magic act under laboratory conditions to use
Paul Daniel’s line. It worked like a charm and when I opened the tank
and held up the exposed film they liked it a lot.
The interest was amazing, even one of the ladies said she was prepared
to have a go and of course there were those who said they would be afraid
to risk it. At this point copies of old CRC Newsletters were handed out,
together with photocopies of the PhotoWorld instructions sheet.
John has a wonderful knowledge of the area around Maentwrog where
pictures abound, and excursions were made to the disused slate quarries at
Blaenau Ffestiniog, Portmeirion, Harlech and Ffestiniog Railway. We had
the opportunity to take pictures in bright conditions, misty conditions,
dawn, dusk and you are free to wander the gardens at Plas-Tan-Y-Bwlch and
the woods above the house where fungus, wild flowers, mosses and trees re
present in plenty, you can take 10 exposures in as many yards.
The chance to talk to photographers from
different areas and to visitors from abroad broadens the photographers
outlook. This plus expertise shared so readily by John and Mena makes it
all very much worthwhile. At the end of the week we are all trying to
emulate John and seeing pictures everywhere.
The interest
was amazing, even one of the ladies said shewaa1prepared.to
have a go and of course there were those who said they would be afraid to
risk it. At this point copies of old CRC Newsletters were handed. out,
together with photocopies of the PhotoWorld instructions sheet.
John has a
wonderful knowledge of the area around Naentwrog where pictures abound,
and excursions were made to the disused slate quarries at Blaenau
Ffestiniog, Portmeirion, Harlech and Ffestiniog Railway. We had the
opportunity to take pictures in bright conditions, misty conditions, dawn,
dusk and you are free to wonder the gardens at Plas-Tan-Y-Bwlch and the
woods above the house where fungus, wild flowers, mosses and trees are
present in plenty you can take 10 exposures in as many yards.
The chance to
talk to photographers from different areas and to visitors from abroad
broadens the photographers outlook. This plus expertise shared so readily
by John and Mena makes it all very much worthwhile. At the end of the week
we are all trying to emulate John and seeing pictures everywhere.