DIDCOT MEETING 99 Report

By Bill Reid (CRC Editor)

Left: Noel Dean Center), Harry Williams right). Right: Eric & Jenny Dugdale

Left: Bill Reid. Right, W. Dean, H. Williams, D. Forster, W. Brown, N. Williams, N & J. Dugdale.

The October Meeting took place at the Didcot Railway Staff Club on Sunday 17th. Starting at 12 noon. It got off to a good start with 12 members turning up within the first hour but sadly that number remained for the rest of the day. However we had a number of first time attendances by way of Area 3+ Co-ordinator Roy Salmons and his wife Margaret, who had been on holiday at Monmouth, which made the journey to Didcot a little easier than from their home in Llandudno. Also from Area 3+ was Noel Dean who came up from Wigan. Then Derek Forester who had come down from Rugeley.

Bill Brown of Area 11, and who lives in Lincolnshire brought along a friend Vic Howe whom he was staying with at Ashford (Berks) and like Roy & Margaret was saved the usual long journey.

C.R.C. Chairman Nick Williams came down from Gloucestershire and Arthur, Eric Dugdale and his wife Jenny (all of Area 3+) came up from Bristol.

Harry Williams (Area 9) has attended virtually every Didcot meeting and most at Repton and is always most welcome.

Derrick Forster exhibited a dozen or so very fine B&W Prints which proves you don't always need colour to create an impression. He also set up some items for the "Bring & Buy" stall.

(Eric discusses pictures of the Half Frame Cameras, with Noel Dean, while Nick, Derrick and myself look on)

Noel Dean exhibited a good dozen DI Colour prints to show how this new photographic system is improving in leaps and bounds. They were taken with a DI camera as well as printed from a computer printer. On first sight you can be easily fooled into thinking they were chemically produced prints but closer inspection showed the tell-tale signs, mostly in the lack of detail in strong highlit areas where a film print would have shown much more detail in the hard contrast areas. Likewise while scenes in full sunlight looked great with plenty of colour variants and detail I couldn't help feeling that the prints looked a little 'flat' that is, while the perspective was obvious there was an overall flatness about the prints! Was it just my imagination or did others notice it? Whatever, it made no doubt that DI is not going away and will be a force to reckon with as the 'pixels' increase and computer printer resolution starts to match normal film prints. DI cameras already produce nearly 2million pixels and their lenses becoming sharper all the time.

The down side of DI remains the initial cost of setting up from scratch and that printer inks fade in a very short time (less than a year if left in direct sunlight). This is little problem if its only for yourself, but you will find it inconvenient to keep updating your relation on an annual basis.

Eric Dugdale gave an excellent display of his Half Frame Cameras, which you will have read about over the last two Newsletters, all 64 of them. They were nicely displayed on small plinths and fully described on neatly printed labels. It was interesting seeing how many different models were available and that many were quite unique in their designs and being able to offer all the usual facilities expected from 35mm SLR's. Perhaps the fly in the ointment was in that by the time SLR models with exchangeable lenses etc., became available their price was as much as a full SLR and must have put many potential buyers off.

In reality, Half Frame and the bulk buying of film and Home Processing just have to be the most economical combination ever produced. 72 exposures from a 36 exposure film with little or no difference in final quality both in B&W and colour should have made Half Frame the standard for most photographers.

Sadly there was only one Slide programme and this was a selection 100 slides by myself taken during a recent holiday in Yorkshire, taken around Scarborough and Whitby followed by a set of slides taken during a walk over the ex G.N.S.R branchline which ran From Ellon (north of Aberdeen) to the small fishing port at Boddam, near Peterhead. This line closed in 1937 to passengers and around 1947/8 to freight. It was interesting being able to walk over much of the old trackbed, finding bridges which looked as if they had just closed a few weeks back and numerous embankments and Cuttings still well defined. Items found were: The goods shed at Hatton still in GNSR green and parts of the goods platform. In a cutting two lengths of rail rusting away where they had been laid down all those years ago and the base of a signal post.

From Cruden Bay you can follow the remains as they pass close to the Bullers O' Buchan, great hollowed rocks where the sea blasts through during high seas and which once had a halt for visitors. From Longhaven it followed the coast with some grand sea views and fine rolling hills with a final steep drop to the terminus at Boddam. For anyone interested in old railways and walking their routes this makes an excellent adventure. The total distance is 14 miles and I started my walk at 11.30 and reached Boddam at 16.15 and is quite an effort but with lots of interest from the remains of the line to the remains of Slain's Castle, which was a hotel during its final years and is where Bram Stoke stayed when he composed his famous novel "Dracula", to the impressive Buller's of Buchan. As you follow two bus routes you will feel free to take the easy way out at any simply go as far as you wish for that time.

Along with the Camera Display and the Prints and Slides adding to the interest, this also allowed a lot of time for members to enjoy a good chinwag and over refreshments we discussed the direction we would like the Club to go, to why so few of you who live close enough don't make the effort to attend. there didn't appear to an answer to the second, it really is up to everyone of us to decide what WE want from our membership and to try and join in and if possible help those who take the time to organise our two annual meetings. In fact if the Photo Action Exhibition remains a success we shall have three annual events where members can meet each other.

There is no doubt that the Club has weathered the recent storm which threatened it and as we learn more we shant see DI as such a threat but simply another tool which WE can use to OUR advantage and that our 'film' hobby continue for many years yet.

All at the Didcot meeting agreed that this particular meeting should continue and I shall be pleased to organise another for next year. It would be nice if more of you could try to come along and make it even more successful and interesting.

My thanks to all who came along but especially to Eric and Arthur for their support and help and to Eric's wife Jenny for assisting in the kitchen and the sale of refreshments. See you next time.