A nice man! ..

I wanted to say a word about the sad passing of a neighbour of mine. David Wilmot died suddenly last month after a short illness, and it makes me glum to think I'll never be able to have a chat with him again. He was always friendly, warm and interested in what I was up to, and even came into my studio once for a new set of portraits..

Yes, this is David - the former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police. When I was a young snapper starting out in the press and nervous about photographing somebody 'famous', my dad would always reassure me that they were 'still just people' at the end of the day, and that helped me drive on through any shoot that came my way. I photographed Sir David every now and again when I worked for the Manchester Evening News. One day, having moved out of Salford after buying the house I live in now, I was walking down my street when I passed a man on his knees, busy weeding in his front garden. He was wearing scruffy dungarees, his backside being the angle he presented to the road! Then he turned round. It was David - The Chief Constable - weeding his garden! Talk about a double-take!..

Still just people! I've met 'celebs' whose fame or power or new-found importance has gone to their heads, and they're horrible when you photograph them .. but not David. He was so much nicer for being 'just a person'. I imagine he's already sorted out all the weeds around the pearly gates..

We don't know we're born ..

"My ususal time of exposure (in shade) for negatives is in the summer from five to thirty seconds, according to the hour of the day" ...

I'm reading a book of statements and conversations from photographers from the earliest days of photography. Man, I know I'm crazy about photography but these guys were so committed to their new art. Imagine needing a train of pack donkeys, lugging cases of glass plates, chemicals, tents and all your food just to shoot, say, the Grand Canyon. You sweat inside a dark tent, the air poisonous with fumes, suffer constant dust, boiling chemicals and melting wax plates just to come back with one image and then "arrive at camp, water, unsaddle and feed the mules: then to supper and, if it is not one's turn on guard, make our bed and retire, loaded carbine and pistol to hand"

Bloody hell, I used to hear press photographers moaning 'cos a cheque presentation went on 15 minutes too long!

This way, darling...

Time for more photographs of me! (Well, it's been a while, eh?) And right on cue my old boss at the Warrington Guardian sent me a picture of all the photographers who worked for Cheshire County Newspapers back in 1981. I'm at the back, the kid with the punk hair and Buggles glasses! I had to laugh because I'm doing exactly the same in that shot as I was in a picture taken of me this August! 
"This way, darling! Look at me! Look at the camera!.."

We were having an exhibition in Warrington Library as I remember, and this 'press pack' photograph was taken to publicise the event. Sadly, I know that at least two of the guys on that shot are now dead, and amazingly Mike, the chief photographer, is still on the paper, after all these years! Ironically, this week I had a report handed to me, with comments criticising 'age, parts and efficiency'...
It really is time for a new boiler!