west germany

Nikon D300 & SB-800 Speedlight Flash Diffusion Test

On camera flash photography has always challenged me. I learned photography, in West Germany during the early ‘70s, using natural light only, black and white film and developed my own prints. My first experience, in the early ‘80s, with a flash gun was a reunion of flight school classmates and our families. We paraded the kids through the living room, onesies, twosies, you know the drill, and I took whole family photos too. The garish, over exposed pictures with that damn hard edged shadow (like the top center picture) was embarrassing when the color prints arrived. Who needs a flash? Not a REAL photographer anyway; so, back to natural light for more than 2 decades.

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West Germany in the early 1970s

I was stationed at Dolan Barracks in Schwäbisch Hall, West Germany with the US Army. This is where my interest in photography began.

Photos scanned from self developed prints made during the time they were taken. Pentex Spotmatic and Spotmatic F.

Thank you Herr Ritter.

August 2008:

One thing about this WordPress blogging software; it logs the search terms people used to find my blog. I have been amazed by the number of searches for Dolan Barracks and/or Schwäbisch Hall. There have been a lot of us.

So, if you were stationed there; how about leaving a comment with the dates and unit?

2818895549 fd6dfef0c3 m West Germany in the early 1970sAdded: John Hill was kind enough to send along a few of his photographs from his time at Schwab Hall; thanks John.

The construction of an air force base by the Germans at Hessental was started in 1934. During the war it was garrisoned with bomber and night fighter squadrons. Dolan Barracks at Schwäbisch Hall was closed by the US Army on 30 September 1993.

If you were stationed at Dolan Barracks and would like to contribute please contact me.

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