The scouts all want to shoot film

[Bill Burk]

'Nothing important to add, but I do think its a very cool thing - what you're doing, Bill. I suspect the scouts will not just have fun & learn, but find themselves fond of you being there.

Thanks HiHoSilver,

We had two Devil's Slide trail ambassadors with us for the hike, and they took our assignment very seriously - we got as good a beginner's workshop of photography as can be imagined, with handouts specially prepared for us. (Plus we got to learn the local history for example the efforts by local school kids to aid in the return of the Common Murre to the area). Our crowd was like an entourage because with leaders, ambassadors, moms, dads and siblings we numbered 15. Only three scouts were working on the badge but we all got lessons.

It was threatening rain but only light drizzle at the start and end of the hike, gusts of wind throughout. Here's a tip from ambassador Sharron... You know those thin plastic shower caps that you get at some hotels... they are great for protecting cameras from rain.

I shot with my brother-in-law's EOS 650 (the one that didn't work well at the play Thursday night). One scout (with a good eye for photos) picked up the Rebel and when we got to the top, I was about to switch to the 100-300 to catch the storm-driven waves when I decided he should use it instead of me. Instead of aiming in the distance, I saw him focusing close-up to things. He finished the roll and thought the batteries died. Should be interesting what he comes up with.

When I opened the back of the A-1 to load it I could see the back of the mirror. Nothing I tried seemed to bring the second curtain so I tossed it aside and pulled out the Pentax S3. Senior patrol leader was going to shoot slides, so he needed a meter. I figured an incident meter would be best so I set him up with the easiest meter to use, an old selenium Sekonic with the "50" slide. He shot at 1/60 f/4 for most of the day until we talked about bracketing. He still has 12 shots so he's hanging on to the camera until... well I don't care if he keeps it for a while.

The assistant senior patrol leader got the AF35ML loaded with black and white. I didn't watch what he was shooting.

Oh and when I got back I found out the amazing little feature of the A-1 intended (ostensibly) to enable double-exposures... They must have known the second curtain would sometimes fail... Winding for double exposure set the camera back into operation.

 

[Bill Burk]

As a Queen's Scout (1974) cameras were very, very rarely seen anywhere...

Must have been great to be following Baden Powell's lead, in the country where he started it all... they had to change some things for it to work in the USA. Not dramatically, but here we don't follow exactly the lead of the Knights of the Round Table in service of the King and Queen. Stuff like that.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Probably Bill, it's a very long time past.
But talking about this with my (elder) sister this afternoon, she said I got into trouble once in the dorm by reading about the Knights Templar and Freemasonry! Either/both were scorned and scowled at in the movement. I have no recollection now of what went on. I left the Scouts in 1982, and pursued long-haul solo bicycle touring for about 17 years thence. And for a time I joined the Freemasons (!).