St Andrews

Mrs FP had been web surfing and came across the St Andrews Photography Festival! I didn't know they had one.

St Andrews & photography, what's not to love? Unfortunately I printed off the 2016 pdf of venues and exhibitions. Muppet. Much confusion ensued. Eventually the obvious dawned and with the help of a current catalogue picked up in the town we set off around the venues, luckily this years festival is roughly over the same dates. It is on until the end of the month.

The quality of presentations was variable. I'm not a fan of images printed onto plastic banners and cable tied to railings, other exhibits were better. In one exhibition (and indeed the catalogue) was a portrait of Richard Cormack DPAGB EFIAP Hon. SPF. I knew the gentleman as a leading member of the St Andrews Photographic Society in the early 1970s when I joined as a very young lad. (More of him shortly).

We have had a fantastic lunch. (Cullen Skink, and a fish finger sandwich, lovely). Our deaf waitress Jinty was wonderfully shouty (her lugs were blocked up as she had a cold apparently). It's Freshers week – the town was heaving with bright young things. Far too gorgeous for their own good.

Mrs FP went to visit a shop at the head of Bell Street and I amused myself watching a mini round-a-bout and zebra crossing in very close proximity to a one way street. I recommend it. The design is appalling. In the space of ten minutes I must have seen six or seven very close near misses, car bumps or people knocked down. Highly entertaining, especially when you throw foreign tourists on mobile phones into the mix.

Anyway, enough. To the point of the blip- earlier we went to make calotypes! A very early (1840s) photographic method that Fox Talbot tried but failed to patent (well he didn't invent it). A piece of paper coated with silver iodide is sandwiched between two sheets of glass and held in a 5”x4” darkslide. Then outside to make a portrait, but who happened to be volunteering to model? Indeed it was Richard Cormack himself! (furhest right obvs), what an amazing coincidence. We did blether and talk of mutual acquaintances (sadly nearly all dead). Any way Mrs FP can be seen checking the focus and composition and all being well a seven second exposure was taken. (the light was bright – no head braces required - you can see them in the middle of the upper photo) We then all plunged into the darkroom which was rich in pungent fume. Armed by the light of red head torches the paper was gently stroked with swabs of cotton wool wet with gallic acid and an image gradually appeared. Magical. I've done silver based photography for decades but that emerging image from a blank piece of paper never fails to excite.

All good fun.