(Above Mayor & Mayoress of Taunton and Sam with the old camera)
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Taunton based photographer Sam Burton opened his Somerset Arts Week exhibition at Bishops Lydyard Station with a demonstration of how photographs were made in the early days of the medium. Using a mobile darkroom and an antique bellows camera Sam made what are quite likely to be the first wet processed photographs at the location since the practice was common in 19th century. A photographer would have used a horse drawn wagon as a mobile darkroom and produced images on sensitized paper or glass, as technology progressed the practise died out by the start of the 20th century. Mayor (Dave Durdan) and Mayoress came along to open an exhibition of Sam photographs telling the story of a day in the life of West Somerset Railway engine driver Alan (Alan Dorrington) and to take part in the workshop by having their portraits made and processed. The mayor commented (Its just unbelievable to see this process take place.)
(Mayor of Taunton developed as a negative and converted to a positive ) Some 70 people attended the launch at the small museum and a steam locomotive and the Victorian sleeping carriage were open for tours.
(Alan the driver had his photo taken )
Sam’s exhibition will run until October 5th open daily from 10am-4pm at Bishops Lydeard Station Museum on platform 1, TA4 3RU
A FULL GALLERY OF IMAGES TAKEN ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WILL BE UPLOADED LATER THIS WEEK.
The exhibition is completely free.- Kindly supported by ‘The Golsoncott Foundation’
Directions:
Follow signs for A358 and once you get to Bishops Lydeard follow the brown signs for West Somerset Railway at Bishops Lydeard, the station is not in the village itself but is off the main road. The exhibition is in the Gauge Museum on platform 1.
More details on www.zummerzetphotography.co.uk and more of Sam’s work at www.exposure47.com
