Don't laugh !!

Stone Curlews
Its amazing what you find in old boxes when you’re looking for something else !
This is a print I did about 43 years ago and then hand coloured with crayons ! This is a photograph of that old print.
I know nest photography is out now but we didn’t have a lot of choice in those days.
This was done on FP4 with an 8” lens off an old plate camera glued onto a bellows which then attatched to a Pentax S1a. The only 35mm in existance with a rising front !!
If only we ‘d had todays gear !
The quality is what you expect from a photographed print and I know the colours are rubbish but it brings back a few memories and I thought I’d post it for interset.
Cheers
JohnR

I think that it shows whatever the gear you have, there's always a use for it even today.

thanks about ur lens advice btw.

Drew

Hi John,
I am nearly 30 years very close with photography now, every day on the pulse. I did my job in different photographic stores. You know, selling all this stuff. Now we are living in a kind of photographic cockaigne. But one thing did not change, you still nowhere can buy patience and endurance to get good wildlife shots.
have fun,
Bertl

The quality looks great on my screen John, especially given it is a shot of an old print

I can't quite remember that far back, although i do remember prints being hand coloured {and i think you have done a fine Job!!

Ahh, FP4........a fine film for those days, and considered fairly fast in those days {at its rated 125asa}.

A fine shot Sir

Alan

Thanks all.
Alan- 125 ASA Crikey !! And you could even double the speed by processing magic!! Yippee!
Cheers
John

Even after 45 years it's still a splendid image John. That would be when I bought my first SLR a Topcon. Never worked for more than three weeks without breaking down. Bought a second hand Pentax. THe first extra lens was a 35mm and cost me £19 new. Still have some of the B&W that I took with it and still enjoy looking at the images.

Thanks as always for sharing.
Paul

The web version looks great, wonderfull tecnique - and how refreshing to see a nice nest-photo (not out in my book at all).

A good image is a good image no matter what the age-this looks like it was taken yesterday

Dave

Ditto Dave's comments - nice one John!

David

very nice shot, not sure i understood any of that, or where the crayons fit into it, imagine there's plenty more hoops to jump through to photograph these now

Thanks again.
Jack
It was just a black and white pic printed on matte paper and gently coloured with crayons.
Cheers
John

It may be an old picture John, but its a cracker and I love the color palette I have fond memories of FP4
I do wonder how many years you have spent in a hide

John

Thanks John
I 'm just thinking colouring with crayons is not far removed from all the digitising that a camera does when you press the shutter.
As for years in hides- I once tried to work it out . Frightening.!! I can feel it in the creaking bones now though.
But I have the wife every nature snapper needs, but she's mine !!
Cheers
John

Hi John,

Are you saying that you hand coloured that image with crayons

I saw it and think the colour and quality is stunning, then read tour text.

Amazing image.

Regards

Rob

Rob
yes - in the old days, most of the stuff was monochrome ( I still love it. ) Colour was a bit expensive with all the failed shots as you can appreciate.. I used to print some on matte paper so that you could colour them if you were brave enough !!
Crayons were quite good if you were gentle, but later you could get those coloured felt tip pens.
With these, if you went wrong you had to bin the print ! Even water colour was quite good because you could dilute the colour if you got it wrong. Lets face it- loads of the stuff in books was hand coloured.
. I even used to print the negs onto black and white possitive film to use in slide shows. These could be coloured with felt tips too but if you got it wrong !!! I still have some of these and they look terrible. !
getting too nostalgic. Time for a Bells and bed !
Cheers
John

that's remarkable John. I would have had no idea that this is a hand coloured B+W shot. At this resolution the colour looks spot on. It's a nice shot too.

Matt

An interesting discussion and a most effective and appealing image.

Hi John,

You never stop amazing me! Stunning image!

I'm not sure what takes more patience - sitting around to get this shot or colouring it in by hand afterwards. Amazing stuff and a great image John

Quite remarkable John. That must have been a great experience to have been that close. Impressive post processing.
Eric

Brilliant! Amazing technique!! A lovely shot too!!

All I can say is you had a good hand back then. I quite simply wouldn't have patience to do anything like that.

FWIW, I think most of us now would be hard pushed to tell what you'd done from the web shot. .

Thanks again.
All I would suggest is rake some of your old monochromes out and try it. Print them on matte paper . If you mess up just start again. No big deal I thought. Maybe I am not as colour blind as I thought !!
Cheers
JohnR

That's an amazing image John, makes me want to have ago. I would have never guest it was originally b&w, how long did it take?

Regards