Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-10-18)

54 12 October 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113

1884–2019

DavidBeven,

Powys,Wales

I havebeenreadingAP

eversincemyengineering

apprenticeshipdays

startingin 1961.I was

workingalongsidea former

professionalphotographer

whopassedhiscopiesto

meforfiveyears,after

whichI boughtmyown.

I havebeena subscriber

forat least 40 yearsand

enjoy every page you print.

PaulCooper,Winchester

Myfirstphoto,whichI tookona BoxBrownie,agedsix,was

in 1956of a movingtrain.MyfirstAPwasa loanedcopyin

1961,whenI was11,andI firstboughtmyowntwoyears

later.It wasabouthalfmyweeklypocketmoneybackthen.

Myparentscouldseemyenthusiasmforphotographyand

paidfora subscription.In 1966I graduatedfromanIlford

SportsmantomyfirstSLR,a usedPetriPentaV for£34.

I hadmyfirstpicturepublishedjustbeforemy16th

birthday.Allof thiswasinspiredtoa largedegreebyAP.

Myprimaryinteresthasalwaysbeentransportof some

sort– railways,aviationandmotorsport– andI metVictor

Blackmanonceat the 1966 FarnboroughAirshow.I gotmy

soninterestedin photographyat anearlyageandtookhimto

NewYorkwithmewhenhewassix.Hisphotoswereprintedin

APin 1989.TheonlyphotoI managedtogetintoAPwas

in 1999,in a featureonthetotaleclipsebyNigelAtherton

(nowtheEditor).Butmyultimatesuccesscamein 2017

when I had a book of my railway photography published.

BrendanFarrell,

Birmingham

Afoggyeveningin
November 1953 and
thebrightlightsof a
camerashopwindowin
Birminghamdrewmy
attention.There,nextto
a displayof Kodakbox
cameras,wasa copyof
APanda book,Boys
Bookof Photographyby
APcontributorat the
time,J AllanCash.
Now, 66 yearslater,
I’mstillreadingAPand
havenevermissedan
issue.Overtheyears
APhassteeredme
throughfilmanddigital,
andprovidedhuge
supportin goodtimes
andbad,including
bereavement.With
recentarticlesabout
howphotographyhas
helpedpeoplefight
illnessanddepression,
maybeAPshouldbe
availableonprescription
through the NHS.

RoyWaddleton,

Hampshire

I boughtmyfirstnew

camera,a VoigtländerVito

B,backin 1954based

primarilyona reviewin AP.

I wasthenandstillaman

avidreader.I’mdelighted

tosaythatthemagazine

hasalwaysstayedloyalto

itsprinciples,andwhilst

movingwiththetimeshas

stillfoundspacetoreflect

on things nostalgic.

JohnDuder,

WestMidlands

I’msureI’mnotyour

longest-servingreader

• I begandevouringAP
  in 1968.Myfirstletter
  toAPwaspublishedin
  1969,onthesubjectof
  thebigincreasein the
  priceof chemicals
  whenKodakreplaced
  theEktachromeE-2
  processwithE-4.
  A highpointof my
  relationshipwithAPwas
  in theearlynoughties
  whenthethenEditor,
  GarryCoward-Williams,
  showedmearoundthe
  editorialofficesin
  London.APusedto
  hostlotsof eventsback
  then– I wenttoKew
  GardenswithClive
  Nichols,theV&Awith
  ColinPriorand
  KenwoodHousewith
  MikeMaloney.I still
  havejustaboutevery
  copyof APthatI’ve
  ever bought.

Alan

Greenwood,

WestYorkshire

Ihavehada continuous

interestin photography

sincethelate1950s,

whenI wasgivenmy

firstcamera– an

EnsignSelfix12-20

• andsoondiscovered
  APasaninformative
  andenjoyableread.I’m
  stillactivelytaking
  picturesandfrequently
  resurrectingoldnegs
  andtranniestosupport
  a localphotographic
  archive.I stillmake
  printsandif theyare
  worththeeffortI often
  mountandframethem
  andinflictthemon
  membersof myfamily.
  APcontinuestobea
  first-classpublication.
  Tomaintaina regular
  weeklyspecialised
  magazinetosucha
  highstandardis a credit
  totheEditorandall
  your contributors.

Whoisourlongest-servingreader?That’s

thequestionweaskedrecently,andhere’s

a selection of the responses we received...

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