Techy stuff

The camera I had then was VERY basic. I started with a Zenith-E. The Zenith is a russian camera that was exported to us on a subsidised deal so that in the 1970's and up until 1991 you could buy these for about £30. Built like a tank the optics were pretty good but the thing was so agricultural and rudimentary that you even had to manually stop the lens down before you took a picture. It had a built in selenium light meter of such uselessness that for accurate light measurements you'd have been better off using a hamster! And a limited range of 6 shutter speeds that at best were approximated. So you'd select say 125th and you may get anything between 90th and 200th a secound.

So I learned to judge things by eye. And if you're serious about photography as a hobby or a profession (in the case of the latter don't bother unless you know how to sell....because that's the real skill) then learning to "feel" an exposure is what you need to do. It will save your arse on so many occasions in the future you won't believe. Every light meter needs a battery, every battery is bastard that will let you down when you least need it to! There is nothing worse than holding in your hand what to all intents and purposes is a very expensive paperweight when you REALLY need to know the light level.

All the photos of Motorhead, Saxon and Preying Mantis on the London pages were shot on a Praktica LTL-3, This was a slight improvement on the Zenith as it stopped the lens down when you fired the shutter, had a better meter, though still pretty useless,with completely manual exposure (you set the shutter speed and the aperture) and could handle been knocked about. These cameras were east german in origin built by Carl Zeiss so the optics were great. You can pick them up today for virtually nothing, though if the shutter squeaks don't bother.

The Gillan photos at the Music Machine, London were shot on the Zenith-E

When I decamped to Bristol I bought a Canon AE-1P. I still use it today it is a fine camera. I have put somewhere in the region of 12,000 films (that's nearly half a million exposures!) through it between 1982 and 2001, had it serviced twice and the only thing that has ever broken is the pc socket for the flash cable. Cost £20 to repair 2 years ago.It has been all over the world with me and worked just as well in the middle of the Australian desert at C45degrees in the shade as it does in the rain here in the depths of winter.

All the Black and white shots on this site were shot on Ilford HP-5. Normally this is a 400 ISO film meaning it's good for low light, but not that good.

Generally I up rated it to 800 ISO by essentially underexposing it in camera and then used Paterson Acuspeed developer that chemically lumped the exposed silver halide grains together without getting them too big.

To get the right exposure I shot at 30th secound @ f4 when the lighting was mostly red, f5.6 when green, f2 when blue.

It was hit or miss.The biggest problem was camera shake.To get round that when circumstances allowed, ie I was supposed to be there as either the record label or NME had asked me to go there I also used a little fill in flash.

However on one memorable occasion I marched into the Colston Hall, Bristol armed with two cameras slung round my neck with huge hammerhead flashes on them and promptly parked myself on the stage next to the monitors telling the bouncers to fxxx off on the grounds I had been sent there by NME which was a downright and, at the time completely unverifiable lie. But I did get the shot of Micheal Schenker at the top of this page.

Outdoors things get a little tricker. If it's overcast and you are using 100ISO film then 60th@f8, if sunny 125th@f11, if dull 60th@f4.If the subject is in the shade then 60th@f4, if you can get close enough to use a powerful enough flash to reach them 60th@f8.

If using 400ISO film then up the shutter speed one notch so 60th becomes 125th or leave the shutter alone and up the aperture so f4 becomes f5.6.Basic but it works.

I'd have films and batteries and occasionally a flashgun distributed about my person or in the pockets of an accomplice from time to time as well

The shots of Rainbow and the Reading festival shots were shot on a 300mm with a 2x convertor.Not the easiest thing to conceal and the only piece of photographica I have ever had nicked.

In case you're wondering why I have a Pentax as a backdrop picture but don't seem to have used it for any of these photos there is an explanation.

It is a Pentax SPII. I bought it to replace the Praktica which was starting to squeak.I put one film through it to make sure it worked then went to see Ozzy Osbourne. I got in to the Colston hall found a good spot got the Pentax out and thats when the shutter disintegrated and it decided to became a paperweight. Consequently I don't have any photos of the Blizzard of Oz gig I'd spent so much time blagging my way into. Piece of shit.

Some days later after I took the picture of the Pentax on a Mamiya RB6x7 then I and a friend took the Pentax clay shooting and used it as a clay!

It didn't fly well and died spectacularly!