1940s Camera

[elise_leveque]

<p>I wasn't really sure where to post this, but I figured this would be the best section.<br>

I am going to a re-enactment event set in World War II and I was thinking of re-enacting the press at the time. I saw a couple do it some time back and I thought it was awesome. So did about 5 other photographers who just rushed to them as soon as they saw them, took a lot of pictures and asked them a lot of questions.<br>

They had an American camera however and I was wondering about finding an English one, since I'll be re-enacting the British press, that was used in the 1940s.<br>

Does anyone have any ideas?</p>

[sarah_fox]

<p>Thornton-Pickard all-weather press camera (1929 - 1935)?</p>

<p><a href="http://www.woodandbrass.co.uk/detail.php?cat_num=0111">http://www.woodandbrass.co.uk/detail.php?cat_num=0111</a></p>

<p>... but I wouldn't be surprised if British press photogs also used Graflexes.</p>

[chris_waller]

<p>There was also a camera by the name of 'Ensign'.</p>

[elise_leveque]

<p>Sarah and Chris,</p>

<p>Thanks a lot. That gives me a good starting point. Now I need to find one of those, which I guess might be a bit of a task!</p>

<p> </p>

[James G. Dainis]

In the USA press photographers used Speed Graphics and wore fedoras. I assume you only want to look like a WWII photographer not actually take photos, otherwise you will have to learn how to load film holders, etc. Don't forget the fedora. Using a Speed Graphic without wearing a fedora just looks silly. I'm not sure what woman like Dorothea Lang wore.

[jcuknz]

<p>I think of Ensigns as being 120 roll film snapshot cameras rather than professional tools. My grandfather had and I was permitted to use a quarter plate SLR camera from before 1939 as he used it during pre-war holidays we took. I will get back to you with details in a few days time when I return home.<br>

I may be thinking of the wrong woman but I would think Dorothea also wore a hat :-)</p>

[starvy]

<p>Try anything by Ensign, Ross or Kershaw.</p>

[jcuknz]

<p>I think of Ensigns, Ross, Kershaws, as being 120 roll film snapshot cameras rather than professional tools. My grandfather had and I was permitted to use postwar a quarter plate SLR camera from before 1939 as he used it during pre-war holidays we took. I will get back to you with details in a few days time when I return home.<br /> I may be thinking of the wrong woman but I would think Dorothea also wore a hat :-)</p>

[jcuknz]

<p>Searching Wikipedia I see she seems to be wearing a Beret and using a camera somewhat similar to my Grandfather's .....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lange_car.jpg</p>

[colin carron]

<p>Elise, you have a pretty broad subject here. Some British wartime photographers were professionals who took up war photography during the war but were originally from other branches of photography.<br /> Well known names here are Cecil Beaton, James Jarche, or Herbert Mason.<br /> Cecil Beaton was a society portrait photographer who became a war photographer. In 1942 he wrote a book called Winged Squadrons. The plate sizes are all of the 4x5 fornat so probably a large format camera of some kind and most liklely the VN type camera mentioned below.<br /> James Jarche was a news photographer who then specialised in war photography for the duration of the war working for Life magazine amongst others. There is a fascinating programme where one of hius grandchildren, the actor David Suchet, recreates some of Jarches photos with his original Leica camera. In the film it looked like a Leica II or III.<br /> Possibly the most famous photo to be taken during the blitz was the St Pauls photo by Herbert Mason. He worked for the Daily Mail as a news photographer and shot the iconic photo using a VN Press Camera. You can see it in the link here :<br /> <br /> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1342305/The-Blitzs-iconic-image-On-70th-anniversary-The-Mail-tells-story-picture-St-Pauls.html<br /> <br />In general British press cameras of the earlier part of the war were VN (VanNeck) and Goerz Press cameras. Speed Graphics only came along later. For actual war reporting the professional like Jarche used Leicas or Contaxes (ironic eh?).<br>

<br /> Or you could be a British Army war photographer. During the war the army realised there was a huge domestic demand for photos of the fighting and of the British forces so in 1941 the British Army Film and Photographic Unit was set up. These guys were soldiers trained to take photos. They were originally given rather unwieldy cameras but fortunately a consignment of Zeiss-Ikon Super Ikontas was liberated and these became the standard issue for the Unit (ironic again, eh?)<br /> <br /> So if you wanted to you could be a British professional press photographer or protrait photographer turned war photographer or you could be a soldier turned photographer. Cameras you could most easily justify would be the Vanneck or Goerz press cameras of the day, the 35mm Leica or Contax or the Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta. Probably you could get away with a twin lens reflex like the Rolleiflex too.<br /> But maybe anything that looked vaguely like them would do too! The watchword of the day, given the woeful state of prepredeness of Britain for war was improvisation. So improvise and you will have caught the spirit.</p>

[colin carron]

<p>And as James says, if you are going to be the press photog then the fedora is as essential as the camera!</p>

<p>If you wanted to go for a cine camera then probably the Bell and Howell Eyemo would pass.</p>

[alan_zinn]

<p>Whatever you decide please send us a pic of you all decked out.</p>

[GerrySiegel]

<p>Graphics of any vintage or model will do. But borrow one with a sheet film back to complete the image of film loading out in the field. Spare film holder in pockets... Yes, sure, a hat of the period with little press sticker tucked in is sine qua non. </p>

[andrew_brown3]

<p>Hi,<br>

With the fedora (and a betting stub in the hatband...I've just seen Gerry Siegel's post and the betting stub is really a Press Ticket!), I think there will need to be a chewed-up ceegar rolling around in your mouth. There is also a requirement for a very heavy tweed type overcoat, belted at the waist and with the collar turned up at all times. It will be necessary to speak (temporarily) out of the corner of your mouth away from the stogie and utter words such as popsicle, limey, peachy, sweetpea, gedoudahere and so on. It should also be raining and your shoes will have holes in the soles.</p>

<p>Good Luck.</p>

<p>Andy.</p>

[elise_leveque]

<p>Hi all,<br>

I was wondering when if I was going to get more responses only to find out the notifications went in the spam folder D:<br>

This is a lot more info than I thought I'd get, and thank you to you all. Let's take up a couple of points.<br>

@ Colin Carron "The plate sizes are all of the 4x5 format" Actually I did some research into this as I was going to take some pictures with my normal camera and I was wondering what format I should have used if I wanted to make them black & white and crop them to make it look like they were old. I found 4x5 somewhere on the net but wasn't 100% sure, so thanks for the confirmation (you didn't even know, did you!)</p>

<blockquote>

<p>In general British press cameras of the earlier part of the war were VN (VanNeck) and Goerz Press cameras. Speed Graphics only came along later. For actual war reporting the professional like Jarche used Leicas or Contaxes (ironic eh?).<br /></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Quite.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Or you could be a British Army war photographer. During the war the army realised there was a huge domestic demand for photos of the fighting and of the British forces so in 1941 the British Army Film and Photographic Unit was set up. These guys were soldiers trained to take photos. They were originally given rather unwieldy cameras but fortunately a consignment of Zeiss-Ikon Super Ikontas was liberated and these became the standard issue for the Unit (ironic again, eh?)</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Quite (again)! And I didn't know about the unit, that sounds quite interesting.<br>

I now have to make up my mind about the three types of photographers but at least I know what my options are. I am considering either a photgrapher who became a war photographer or someone in the Army Photographic Unit. I wonder if for the latter they had women though, they were in separate services for other things such as the ATS, WREN or WAAF.<br>

Regarding Hebert: unbelievable that they censored it. Or well, due to the times, quite believable I should say.<br>

To the fedora fans: Yes I promise you I'll get something that works!<br>

Gerry Siegel about the spare film: nice touch, I didn't think about that!<br>

And thanks to everyone for the input, I now know what to do!</p>