A new kid on the block

 The arrival of a new baby into the family is a big cause for celebration, even more so when it's your first grandchild. Of course, it is also a fine opportunity to take some photos - these moments simply have to be captured. Everybody says "they grow up fast", and it's true, so getting images of the first few weeks was something I was keen to do. It's probably true to say that of all the pictures I have taken, and will take in the future, these are the ones which will be looked at the most in 10, 15, 20, years from now.

Daughter Sally gave birth to little Stanley at the end of August, and spent the first few days in a hospital room with hardly any light at all - a couple of flourescent tubes, and a small frosted window covered with a net curtain. Still, I managed to get a couple which passed my test of "worth keeping". I just opened the lens right up, took the shutter speed as low as I dare, and crossed my fingers.

 After that, Stanley has been snapped a number of times, every time indoors, without flash, and a few more half decent results have emerged. (More on flash, or the lack of it, at a later date.) I read somewhere that the meter in the OM1 is not too reliable in low light, but it seems to be close enough for me. 400 ASA film has been used every time, and once again the formula of wide-open and 1/60 has been the starting point, but requests to move towards the window are a big help too.




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