Just another photo album

My first Photo Album.

I've been doing a bit of moonlighting over on Latticed Window for the past month. I'm not afraid to admit I've become a little obsessed with collecting other peoples photo albums at the local auction houses. I asked a good friend recently for some advice, they said "Without obsession, no art. Go with the flow on this and you'll see! I shit you not!"

Anyway, it got me thinking about my own photo albums, so I dug out my very first album today.

When I was about 8 or 9 years old my Norwegian uncle Johan gave me my first camera. I instantly loved it. Money for film and processing was a problem, but I was lucky enough to have a paper round and a Saturday job fixing bicycles at a family friends shop, so most of that went towards the cost.

First camera

I've no idea where I got the Norfolk Photo Album, I can only guess I picked it up at one of the Scouts jumble sales. I was very pleased with it, that I can remember.The first photos are from a Scout Summer Camp round about 1973 or 1974.

I loved camping and at the moment Sean, Diane and I are trying to convince Angie to give it a go (not much luck so far!). I bought my first tent which I still have. I was very proud of it and later on that tent would be with me in my teens hitch hiking round the country.

I'd also take a lot of snaps of my family and pets.

Mum and my Finnish Aunt Katrina

Jenta the German Shepherd and my cat Trampas

Sometimes I'd be in the picture.

Me and my big sister Kina

I was very interested in ornithology at this time. We found an injured black headed gull on the seafront which I had great fun in nursing back to health.

In 1974 when I was 10, my Mum and I went on a trip to Norway. It was the first time I went there that I could remember. We started in Oslo visiting family and moved on to Stavanger then Bergen and then finally up North to where my Norwegian family originated from in Brattvåg. It was a fantastic trip.

Me (Norway in the background)

On the way to Bergen

It was not until arriving in Stavanger that my photography took a major turn. We stayed with Mum's friend Brita and her husband Tony. Tony was a keen photographer and saw that I'd got an interest so we went off to the lake to shoot a sunset, my first ever. I was surprised when he said just point it at the sun, it'll be ok. We stayed for a few days and he showed me how to process some film and print some black and white photos. From that day on I have Tony Ions to thank for sparking my life long interest in photography.

Stavanger 1974

To see the entire Norfolk Photo Album click on the slideshow.

Ken