Personal Profile _ Keith Smith

        As an only child I followed most of my father's interests such as Rugby, Cricket and of course Photography. The only one that I resisted and have continued to resist was his love of string quartets.

      At the end of the War, the Second War not the Boer War! when film started to become available again Dad started to do developing and printing work for the local chemist. Whenever the scullery was blacked out I would join him for as long as I was allowed and eventually progressed to putting the prints through the developer wash and fixer.

      This was in the days of 2 ¼ x 2 ¼ and 2 ¼ x 3 ¼ size negatives which were contact printed using a wooden printing frame which was exposed to a light from a bulb run from a flex connected to the main light in the scullery. This main light was covered by a brown paper bag to act as the safelight. I am not sure what Health and Safety Inspectors would have made of this although at the time I do not suppose that they had been invented!

      When I was out with Dad I was often allowed to hold his Ensign Selfix squashed against my nose to take pictures and eventually when I was about eight or nine I was bought my first camera as Ensign Ful-Vue. This was used on many a hike in the Peak District although I always found it difficult to hold still.

      I began to take more of an interest in photography after I left school and with the advent of colour film. At about this time I took over the Selfix from Dad who had acquired a pre-war Rolleicord. I took my first colour pictures on walking holidays in Scotland using Ferrania colour film rated at about 12 ASA. Exposures were worked out using a calculator which was in the back of a Johnsons Diary. It was inevitably a slow process and the lighting conditions probably changed about three times whilst you were fathoming it out.

      Thinking about photographic clubs, I was a junior member of Salford P.S. for about two years. After Judith and I were married I joined Bramhall P.S. and was a member there until the Bank moved me to Durham in 1972. Bramhall was great fun but at Durham I began to take photography rather more seriously and was fortunate to have the opportunity to learn an awful lot about black and white work from its members many of whom are still active in the society. I would add that they are still as rude about my photography as they were then. After retirement we moved to Stokesley and I have been a member of that society for the past eleven years.

      I was Programme Secretary for a number of years at Stokesley and since I have been in the Tees Digital Group I have been their Treasurer. I was President at Durham P.S. for one year.

      I do not know that my photography has really developed over the years as this seems to imply a plant, whereas I tend to flit a bit between subjects.

      I have dabbled with both slides and prints, although prints have long been my favourite and I am now 100% into Digital Photography.

      My main interest in photography is landscapes both urban and rural, these are my favourite subjects. I always admire other people's black and white photographs.

      I enjoy most photographic subjects although I can find myself nodding off at Safari type slide shows. I am sure that many people will think that I am a pagan when I say that once you have seen one pride of lions you have seen them all. On the other hand I admire immensely the patience and commitment of bird photographers who picture our native population spending hours moving hides nearer to nests and then hours cramped in them.

      I remember vividly the first time that I won a monthly competition in the Open Black and White Section at Durham with a picture taken in Langstrothdale. In the same competition I also received the third place and I would have been more than happy with just that.

      I have been visiting clubs for a few years with some of my pictures. I always enjoy it if, after I have finished, club members come to the front and start looking through my prints and perhaps asking questions. This is what photography is all about, talking about the pictures and making friends. I have to admit though that at times I have wondered whether they are looking to see if the photographs are really as bad as they look from the back of the hall and this brings me down to earth with a bump.

      My main interests, other than photography are hill walking and my family.

      I always enjoy the memory of producing what I though was a rather good black and white print of a Lakeland farmhouse at Durham P.S. and Colin Armitstead's comment was "O another of Smithies sentimental bloody landscapes". I recounted this at Tyneside Digital Group a few years ago and someone asked why I was grumbling as Colin had been rude to everyone else in the Federation and why should I be any different! As I said before my Durham friends are always rude about my pictures but that is what club photography should be all about - fun! As far as I am aware none of us are competing for the Town Hall clock!

Keith Smith