Here is an interesting photo for the gadget freaks in the group. This is a sample of the equipment the photogs carried and had access to in the 70s. What more could a photo techie desire? Weird stuff like a retired military aerial camera that took 4 or 5" wide roll film. There are motor drives, 250 shot film back, a pair of Hasselblad Superwides, radio remote control, strobe lights and slave lights, an underwater camera, lenses of most any description from 18 to 1000mm,if I recall. There is a panorama camera called a Widelux that had a pivoting lens to get it all in. It made a negative about a yard long. There are cameras that took film sizes all the way from 16mm to 2 1/4, 4 x 5 and 5 x 7 inches. Mamiyas, Rolleis, Nikons and some No Names of various descriptions. I probably have forgotten what some of that stuff was for, but I used to love playing with them.
I bought and still have the 1973 Nikon FTn and a couple of lenses I carried back then. Unfortunately, I discovered that I can't see to focus the trusty manual Nikkor lenses any longer. I was forced to swallow my pride and resort to a digital with autofocus zoom lenses. I try to keep that a secret. A fully automatic digital is not nearly so dramatic and manly as some of the gems in this photo, but does get the picture just about every time in spite of anything I do. That was not always certain way back when. Who can forget the assignments when you agonized all the way back to 919 and then held your breath until the film came out of the developer... because you just didn't know for sure?
THANE McINTOSH writes:
John Price's contribution of my picture of the UT photo equipment brings back all sorts of memories. I don't know why I took the picture in the first place, perhaps it was for an "open house" display. I used the photo in a slide show when I taught photo classes at San Diego State. I may even have the original 4x5 negative buried in my musty files. I'll bet there is some of that gear still lurking in the depths of what's left of the UT photo department.
Charlie Sick was the mover on most of the stuff.
He always had his eye out for unusual used equipment that he could buy outside the usual photo department budgets. The aerial camera was military surplus I'm sure. The panoramic camera was very useful under certain circumstances and the Hassleblad Superwides filled a need for a wide-angle tool other than a 4x5.
The collection was a history of photography at the UT. From the pure 4x5 era to the 35mm Nikons the mix demonstrated how a diverse and changing staff (and a sympathetic boss) could slowly drag at least part of the newspaper out of its historical conservative funk.
I'm proud to say that I grew professionally along with the collection over the 30-plus years I was a shooter.
SHARON REEVES writes:
Your comment last night about how much a photographer’s gear weighed reminded me of a conversation at the oh, so slow UT elevators. Several of us were waiting one day and someone commented on the amount of stuff Roni Galgano was carrying. In response, she said that before she became a photographer she was six feet tall.
1930s photogs.jpg
AL SUND writes:
Sure enjoyed the photo of the myriad of cameras in your publication yesterday.
Many thanks to John Price for supplying this Priceless shot. It reminded me of the photo I'm sending along to you, although I believe you used it some time ago.
If I were about 10 years older I could claim I took it, but guess we'll have to ask Charlie Sick or Ed Neil if they can help with the idents --- except two whom many of us remember. Stan Griffin is standing at left with former chief photographer Harry T. Bishop standing to right of big camera. The man kneeling in the center looks a bit like Joe Flynn (RIP) but isn't.
Photo was taken around 1938-40? -- about 70 years ago! I wonder what the next such photo will look like?
JR: A gem, Al. Glad you provided idents. I never would have recognized Stan Griffin. Can anyone help identify the others in this photo?
