Easter Sunday 1984

No miniature stuff today, I need to put some more material together. But I’ve been busy with my day job photography, and anyway the little people are getting rather tatty. Their paintwork needs a top up after so much handling. These modern acrylic paints are less hardy than the enamel of olden times. 

So today, a few more images out of my scanner from 22 April 1984, which was Easter Sunday. In those days on The Watercress Line you could wander around the engine shed at Ropley, maybe you can now, but I must admit that I’ve not been there for years. Shame on me, it’s only 30 mins away. 

I was a photography student at the time, and whilst all my fellow college snappers liked their bulky all singing and dancing Mamiya and Bronika cameras, but being an old fogey even when I was a cherub, I used a late 1950s Rolleicord. You can’t swap lenses, but the package is delightfully small and lightweight, and with the 6x6 cm square negatives giving loads of scope in the darkroom for cropping or displaying square. And just having the one lens, makes you focus on what it does best rather than having too much choice - which isn’t always the best thing. 

I still use this camera, albeit in a hybrid analogue / digital way, scanning the negs to about 45 MP and then doing the biz digitally which is so much more practical. Here being some of the results. Occasional digital prints are every bit as good as traditional wet prints, but without the mess.