Picture taking

Things that started in boyhood included photography mainly driven from seeing how pictures reminded me of times in the past and the need, the desire even to freeze that moment although it took a while to get a camera of my own.

I do have on another blog a bit more around photography mainly around the gear I bought around the early 1990's so tends to take more of technical take rather than practical or uses of approach as gear is a means very much to an end.

While I didn't have a camera like these boys are getting to grips with using - and don't get me started about burying "stuff" in menus you really need - I did borrow Dad's then Olympus Om2sp and a few lenses which usually result a few crash courses on getting the "right" settings - and the importance of focusing as many of the cameras I had as a youngster were either prefixed designed to be sharp enough with a fairly wide set of distances or automatic focus in which instance it set itself (in theory at least).

I the main I was more centred on getting good pictures of places I was at rather than things around composing a picture and achieving certain effects so the ability to quickly set it and take the picture counted for more.

Essentially I wanted higher quality pictures of the sort I'd normally take although later on I did follow a training course in taking more control and learning how to use the camera to take pictures as I wished them to be, learning about getting softer backgrounds, taking better pictures of waterfalls, making better use of flash to deal with wide contrasts and so on.

Photography is a school subject with examinations - I remember seeing 'O' level photography as a subject you could take in your options - although as with mosts arts subjects getting a name, exhibiting and being seen counts for almost as much as your qualifications.

There are badges in Scouts and Guides too you can earn for it.

R.I.P. Brian Trueman

On Tuesday September 3rd, we lost Brian Truman, aged 92, who wrote Dangermouse, Count Duckula its spin off series, Jamie and the Magic Torch, Cockleshell Bay plus Chorlton and the Wheelies all of which were amongst our favourite cartoons growing up.

He also presented Children's Hour, Clitheroe Kid, Scene at 6.30, Granada Reports, Brass Tacks and the much missed Screen Test that mixed quizes on current children's films with features on making your own short films.

Of those shows, Danger Mouse, whose main characters were voiced by Only Fools and Horses star David Jason and Carry On star Terry Scott, was perhaps the most famous.

Jason played the fearless hero, self-titled the "world's greatest secret agent", while Scott starred as his hapless sidekick, Penfold.

Trueman contributed to 79 episodes of the original Danger Mouse series, according to his IMDb page.

The original show ran from 1981 to 1992 and was brought back by the BBC from 2015 to 2019.

He was also credited for writing 11 episodes of the cartoon Count Duckula, tht was a spin off from Danger Mouse which followed the adventures of a vegetarian vampire obsessed with fame and wealth.

Count Duckula aired from 6 September 1988 to 16 February 1993 across four series; in all, 65 episodes were made, each about 22 minutes long.

All have been released on DVD in the UK, while only the first series has been released in North America.

The Magic Ball, Jamie and the Magic Torch  and Chorlton & The Wheelies.

He will be sadly missed by many of us.

Autumn term starts here!

 

When you see this ones Alma Mater will have returned to start the Autumn Term and indeed on Tuesday morning I saw Reception and the First Year infants filing past the front door enroute, the very route I took myself.

One thing I will say for the local boys there is I did see them about during the Summer Hols, just playing, going off on their bicycles having a kick about in groups of five or six being active in the fresh air having fun, staying safe.

When one reads of how some even Junior children don't feel safe in their own communities or where the influence of the Smartphone has crept into even their world in a way beyond what we'd of imagined then that's just fantastic.

It is possible to have the sort of fun we had.

Talking of fun, I will be away at the weekend with a good number of people here that know me so appearence will be toned down a little but it will be little-ish on a seaside resort reconnecting with all the fun I loved doing that as a kid