from David Prior

I would like to make a few personal observations on the Collecting Place project.

 

 My overwhelming reaction at the end of the Collecting Place project was one of sadness that it had come to an end so quickly. I had enjoyed myself so much as indeed had Amy. She returned to school the following week, of course, and immediately wrote a piece on the their web site explaining what she had been doing and inviting anyone interested to ask her questions about the Brontes and photography!

 

Having a granddaughter with impaired sight, to be invited to take part in a unique photography experience was very welcome and, I'm sure, will be something for her to remember for many years to come. She is keen to carry on with the basic photography we did and wants to do more pinhole photographs with the camera she made, so I am getting paper and chemicals for that purpose and we shall have a go.

 

I was pleased to take part in the project and would like to congratulate Simon and Andrew for the exemplary way they conducted the proceedings, making each stage easily understood for the participants and involving everyone in the practical aspects. Photography has always had a prominent place in my life from the early days of using a Kodak Box Brownie, through a three year period as a photographer in the Royal Air Force, followed by the usual home and personal photographs in adult life and now I am using the modern digital cameras. This recent project, however, took me back to the early days and once more I experienced the thrill of a photographic image appearing in the developing tray as if by magic. All those present experienced this thrill I think from the comments expressed on the blog.

 

The trip to Top Withens was a particular treat. It is one of my favourite places for its atmosphere and moorland scenery. These days, for health reasons, I find it hard to walk all that way so I was particularly pleased to be driven there. For me, it was possibly the best day of the six.

 

It is clear all the girls thoroughly enjoyed this unique photographic experience. We must thank Simon for his foresight in bringing the idea to fruition and Andrew for introducing the Brontes to the girls. The exhibition, in its simplcity, belies all the hard work everyone put into it but I am told, after a further visit there with my wife and talking to the ladies in the shop, that visitors are finding it of additional interest at the end of their Parsonage visit. So our efforts were worthwhile.

 

David Prior