Personal Profile _ Jane Black

      Jane Black's interest in photography started when she was about nine years old. Jane was helping her mother to spring clean cupboards and found an ultra simple Box Brownie Camera which had cost the family about 5 shillings (25 pence). Prior to this photographs were rare in her family and neither of her parents showed any interest in photography. The camera fascinated Jane and she wanted to know how it worked, so a film was bought and Jane's father showed her how to load it. Jane's first results in photography were a disaster because of light leaking into the camera but this problem was solved with two sturdy elastic bands.

      As an only child living in a house with four adults (two elderly) Jane spent many hours amusing herself, a great deal of which was spent looking at the Daily Mail, Illustrated Picture Post and a set of Book of Knowledge, given to her by a friend of her mother's. If the reading became dreary for Jane she would concentrate on interpreting the pictures and reading the captions to understand what was going on.

      During school holidays Jane took her Box Brownie Camera everywhere with her and recorded the places she visited (local tourist areas) such as Durham Cathedral, Warkworth Castle, Alnwick the Border Abbeys. Jane bought the films out of her pocket money. The films were developed by the local chemist and the best pictures were carefully placed into an album. Jane still has one of the albums. As Jane looked through her album recently she realised that she only photographed buildings and scenery and almost never people or the family, although she has the occasional record of her classmates taken on school trips.

      Jane's parents offered her a present for acquiring a substantial number of GCE's and she requested a "proper camera". Her parents were rather perplexed about what camera to buy until an advisor was found who accompanied the Brittain family to Turners in Pink Lane, Newcastle. The shop assistant offered further advice and she became the proud owner of an Agfa Isollette 3 Camera. Needless to say there was a vast improvement in the quality of the contact prints which appeared in her albums with the occasional addition of an enlargement.

      At Grammar School the subject which fascinated Jane was Geography and her camera became vital to her to illustrate her course work and classroom displays.

      One day Jane's Uncle - Alf Brittain - called at her home to say he had developed an interest in photography and had decided to join Tynemouth Photographic Society and would Jane like to join him in going to the Society? That was in the Spring of 1959 and Jane is still a member of Tynemouth Photographic Society. During that time the competitions were all Monochrome except the Annual Colour Slide Competition. Jane bought a 35mm camera as she needed this format for work in the Society. After leaving College she acquired an Agfa Super Sillette and signed up on the club notice board to learn monochrome printing with senior members in the club dark room.

      Tynemouth Photographic Society introduced their Colour Slide Monthly Competition and Jane was about to compete. Jane remembers that the first time she won the Advanced Colour Slide trophy she also collected the Beginners Monochrome Print Trophy. Jane has been a member of Tynemouth Photographic Society for 43 years now. During her first ten years at Tynemouth Photographic Society she produced her monochrome prints using the Society's darkroom and then her work premises, unfortunately she did not have her own darkroom to work in to produce her masterpieces. After 1970 Jane has concentrated on producing slides and is still very active in slide work.

      Jane's present camera is a Nikon 801S and she has two lenses a 24-70mm Tamron and a 70-300mm Sigma, she does have two cameras of the same type. Jane's interests in photography are Landscape, Travel and People. Competitions are important to Jane and during the first twenty years in Tynemouth Society she never missed a competition. Jane worked hard on taking set subjects in order to please the judges and to attempt to win. Nowadays except for her UPP Portfolio Jane rarely enters work in photographic competitions.

      One of Jane's favourite memories is when she was a first year beginner at Tynemouth having her slide selected in a competition to represent her club. Another memory is when she was successful in her LRPS at the Royal Photographic Society, this was during 1979. Jane had not told anyone she had entered and her husband was more surprised than she was! Jane gained her ARPS during 1989. NCPF arranged for Jane to be awarded an APAGB for Meritorious Services during 1984.

      Jane's happiest photographic memories are when she became the first female to become NCPF President: When she was appointed a PAGB Judge: The appointment of President of the PAGB especially as it occurred in the NCPF Centenary Year. A further happy memory was when she was requested to write a forward for Bishop Auckland Photographic Society's 100 Years in Photography.

      Everyone in the Federation probably knows that Jane Black has worked hard for Photography and is currently the President of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain. Until recently she was a member of the Centenary Sub Committee which brought Freeman Patterson to this country for his lecture tour. Jane is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the NCPF and has been on the Executive for 37 years. Other milestones Jane has achieved are:- 39 years on the NCPF Lecture List; 32 years as an NCPF Judge; 23 years as founder Chairman of the International Slide Exhibition - a position she still holds; 10 years Judging outside the NCPF; 14 years as RPS Regional Organiser; 21 years on PAGB Executive, including 9 years as Competitions Officer.

      Jane enjoys her photography and uses it every time she goes on holiday to record her days away and also her interest in Geography plays a large part in her travel plans. Long may it continue.

Editor