Taken in 1964 near RAF Halton.
On many weekends in the summer there were motorbike trials in the hills behind the camp. Guys would ride these old trial bikes in the rough woodland hills against the clock on a hill climb. Health & safety had not been invented then, hence no helmets or other protective gear, and nothing to restrain the spectators. Life was easier then. There was a lovely smell of castor oil from these two-stroke machines.
Shot taken on my first 'real' camera; a Yashica Twin Lens Reflex (TLR), the 44LM. A full size TLR would be a Rolleiflex with 6cm x 6cm negative, none of these miniscule digital sensors! The 44LM had a 4x4cm negative, so the camera was smaller and easier to carry.
Strange to remember that in the pre pre-digital, auto-flash, auto white balance, auto focus, auto exposure, age the standard camera for sports and reportage was the all manual Rollei TLR. How times change.
13 comments:
That´s a good camera Yashica. My husband got one too, but now a days we only use digital ones. Pitty but so it is. Thanks for sharing this post. Like it!
what a great composition, john; and, yes, i have a rolleiflex 4x4 i think (cheap from russia, some name like that) when I was doing darkroom and had my hasselblad which i have since sold. if i find it, would you like it as a gift for your collection? i am trying to clean my "art" room out sometime this winter... thanks for sharing, kareninkenai (weekend in b/w)
I like this old pictures, and yes sometimes lifes was eayser in the "god old days"...Very nice..;D
Trials are very interesting to watch, an art form unto itself.
I'm an old film guy with the attention span of a gnat, so I'm very fond of the fact that my camera remembers all the settings.
I love this shot. It's nostalgic for me.
A great shot then, and still a great shot today.
By the end of the day it was you behind the camera, and I'm sure you would have done a great job whatever equipment in front of you eyes!
Times change indeed! Oh for the old days - the smell of Castrol R was like perfume.
interesting
Ooh, that brought back long forgotten memories of going with my dad to watch bikes trials.
I like this one John. You really captured the dynamics. I 'feel' the steepness of the trail. The B&W rendering is first rate.
Nice B&W photo from the good, old days;)
like very much !
What a lovely vintage photo! Of course, posts like this remind me that I really must learn how to use my camera properly. I depend far too much on the auto settings.
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