In conversation with ....... Geoff F

[Donald]

©Image, Steve (Wirefox)

In conversation with... Geoff Foale (Geoff F)
Location: A small coastal town near Plymouth. (the English one, that is)
Website: www.pbase.co.uk/crustacean

CiC: Geoff, thanks very much for taking the time to do this interview with CiC

You're welcome, Donald - that is a fine bottle of Malt Whisky you have there.


Perhaps we can start by you telling us something about your general back-ground. What about your work history – anything interesting?

I was born, at a rather early age, in this area and have lived/worked within a 20 mile radius ever since.

In those days a child's future was decided by one exam when aged 11. Anybody, like me, who failed were sent to a somewhat bleak concrete establishment where your education was based on eventually learning a trade. Or becoming a labourer if you were in the lower forms.

The main occupations were the building industry or farming. I was considered to have done rather well to become an apprentice printer.

In those days, if you were from working class stock, this was virtually all that was expected. Further education was principally seen as something for the middle classes, and above.

While learning my printing trade I built myself a fishing boat and, aged 23, switched to doing that for a living. I had been interested in boats and fishing etc., since about 12.

I continued with that career pretty much unchanged until I was 60 and started getting regular problems with my back and knees. So early retirement seemed sensible. Regretfully, I sold up; but decided I must avoid the downward route into being another overweight 'barfly' which had happened to a few friends.

The biggest problem I find with retirement is that it is so exhausting – and you never get a day off!

I found that recording and photographing the local wildlife and landscape was a good way to force me into a reasonable, although rather gentle, walk several times a week.

While there were plenty of people 'chasing the birds around' I found that other species, and insects in particular, were mostly ignored. So I developed an interest in the fascinating world of 'miniature monsters'.


And what about your family life?

As a young man I was, like most of us, keen to marry and settle down to a family life but for various reasons it always seemed to elude me; so I virtually gave up trying.

Eventually I entered into a couple of relationships which both lasted several years. However, in each case, we gradually found that we wanted to go in different directions but remained good friends.

Now, apart from an elderly cat, I live alone, but don't really have enough time to consider changing the situation. However, who knows what may happen in the future if some attractive lady appears; and is sufficiently wealthy to keep me in the manner to which I wish to become accustomed.

EDITOR'S PICK #1

If you were staying in tonight, what would you choose as one of your favourite books and/or films to keep you entertained, and what you be having as a favourite meal?

Most of my reading nowadays concerns technical stuff. Once when recovering from a particularly bad back strain I bought a 'job lot' of Tom Sharpe and P. G. Wodehouse books. But I recovered before finishing them all and haven't had the time to read the others.

Most films have never interested me but recently, I tracked down a secondhand dvd of The Supergrass comedy, which was shot in this area and a couple of my fishermen friends appeared briefly in it. Very funny, but also a good tale.

I don't really have a favourite meal and just do basic cooking, which includes home grown vegetables when in season. Tonight's meal, for example, consisted of roast chicken thighs with potatoes, runner beans and French beans from my garden.

I am a bit limited in what I can eat. Nothing serious, just a problem with garlic, which rules out 'modern recipes' including most of those supermarket frozen meals and many restaurant dishes. Also anything acidic gives me a touch of migraine. But as long as I am careful there aren't any problems.


OK, photography is a given, but what about other hobbies or personal interests?

It depends on what you call a hobby. At the moment I have managed to keep my old fishing boat dinghy so I still do a little bit of fishing for personal consumption.

And I suppose learning about insect identification, and other wildlife issues, is a hobby. Not sure if growing vegetables counts as a hobby or a necessity.

I still represent local fishermen on a few committees and do a bit for our regatta and music festival. Also the local History Society.


Let's get on to photography - how long have you been a photographer, and what got you interested in the first place?

I always had some interest but in the past shortage of time, and often money as well, meant that I never did much. Eventually, pre digital, I bought basic cheap secondhand film cameras to use on my boat.

Hauling crabpots, which was always the main fishery, gets a bit boring. To quote the old adage, 'You need to be strong in the arm and weak in the head to do this job'. So I also wanted to record the wildlife and other boats which were passing by.


What type of photography are you interested in, and why?

Local wildlife, landscape, events, boats and scenes around the harbour, etc. I try to keep portraits to a minimum and rather casual. And I wouldn't touch wedding or baby photography with the proverbial 12 ft barge pole!


Any particular photographic influences?

Indirectly, I suppose much of my 'style' is influenced by those 'professional critics' that inhabit my local pub (bar). Their comments tend to keep me concentrated on good quality straight forward photography that appeals to the average person.


What do you hope to achieve through your photography - or what have you achieved already?

I don't deliberately set out to achieve anything except to faithfully record what is happening around me.

Although, while I'm photographing wildlife/landscapes I often see people walking past and looking straight ahead without seeing the wonderful world around them. I suppose that getting them to stop and observe once .in a while would be an achievement.

Some of my photos do get used by the more realistic local environmental organisations, which probably have more effect on children than adults. So perhaps the next generation will be a little less self obsessed and actually see more of their surroundings.


What you think of CiC? Any way it could be improved? Where should it go from here, in your opinion?

Keep things basically as they are. Somewhere where beginners can ask 'silly' questions without embarrassment. And that means more about technique than just 'which camera /lens should I buy'; although those questions are still important to many people.

I have seen other sites degenerate into a parade ground for the collective ego of a small clique of elitists who merely pixel peep perfect pictures.


Getting more personal if you don't mind...what keeps you awake at night, apart from Photoshop?

Just backache and indigestion.

EDITOR'S PICK #2

I have to ask this…. What photographic gear do you own, and what software do you use for editing?

I first went digital with a secondhand Canon Powershot G2 around 10 years ago. It is staggering to remember that the new price was £700 then.

Later, I purchased a secondhand Canon 10D with a rubbish cheapie lens. Gradually I replaced the lens with a Canon 28-135 IS and 70-300 IS which also doubled as a macro lens, with a 25 mm tube. Then I decided that I wanted to do more macro work so I got a Sigma 180 mm macro lens. After that came a new 40D.

Money was a little tight (as often happens in the fishing industry) but I was also finding that as I grew older I couldn't work quite so hard in a physically demanding occupation. So it was all achieved by purchasing one item per year.

After I sold my business I was able to purchase, as a one off investment, a few decent lenses. Sigma 150-500; Canon 24-105 IS and 70-200 IS (just the f4 model) which mostly replaced my earlier lenses. But I still have my previous equipment which I keep it in my vehicle and sometimes use in riskier situations.

For many years I edited with Serif Photo Plus software but recently obtained CS5.


It’s a tough one to answer, but how would you rate your photographic skills and ability?

Compared with friends who shoot everything on full auto settings then get 6 x 4 ins prints direct from a developer, I am quite good. But compared with real professionals I am still rubbish!


What will the digital camera be like in 2020? And will you still own one?

It rather looks like the average camera will get smaller and more automated. And with a ridiculously excessive number of pixels for those third rate 6 x 4 prints or web use. However, there will always be a few of us 'old farts' playing around with our 40D's etc. and refusing to 'modernise'.

There will still be expensive professional kit but I suspect even this will start to get smaller and lighter.


Are you in a position to help or encourage others in their photography?

I'm always willing to help friends and total beginners. I remember how difficult it was to learn digital editing 10 years ago when help wasn't so readily available. Besides this site, the wildlife forum which I regularly use has a photography section.


Another tough one for you…do you consider photography to be art?

You need to define art first.


How do you feel about having your own shot taken?

I'm not photogenic; too average to be interesting.


What single piece of advice do you think is most useful to someone starting out with photography?

I would give two pieces of advice. When shooting, always consider your shutter speed. It is too easy to get involved with aperture and depth of field but forget about camera shake or subject movement. This has caused the majority of my total rejects.

And when editing. Learn to use Adjustment Layers plus masks for subtle editing of brightness levels and selective sharpness, etc.


Can we see two of your shots that mean something special to you, and could you explain why.
This shows my fishing boat moored in the harbour after I had sold it; but waiting for the new owner to collect it.

And this recent shot shows the harbour extending towards the sea with part of the town on the right hand side.

Finally, can you give us one interesting/weird/silly thing about you that we probably don’t know?

I did briefly mention previously that I was once in a Monty Python sketch. Accidentally that is, while driving behind a car on a trailer that they were filming.

And I also appeared as an off screen voice, through a VHF radio, in a documentary film about the local lifeboat. We called them out to rescue a dismasted yacht which had fired emergency flares near to where we were fishing. They filmed some good shots of my boat but I was inside the wheelhouse.

So I suspect I have had my fair share of fame now.


Geoff, thank you for taking part in this interview.

Now comes the really difficult bit. Transferring this to the CinC site. I'm not very good at internet stuff. So it's probably goodbye from me as all this disappears into the ether.

Don't worry. It worked perfectly



Read all the other interviews in the series by going to this link

[Dizzy]

Geoff: Thanks for taking the time to give us all a peek at the "real" you. I would have to believe that you also have some incredible stories to tell of your commercial fishing adventures, and hope you will take the time someday and write about them. I can promise you at least one interested reader..

Mike

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Geoff,

Good to learn a little more about you, although I am still wondering what caused you to take the angle grinder to your DSLR

Thanks,

[jiro]

Thanks for sharing something about you, Geoff. Based on your picture I know that you are also a tinkerer. I'm very glad to know you.

[ktuli]

Geoff,

Great read. I guess now is as good of a time as any to reiterate my thanks for all the help you have provided me with equipment purchases and technique improvements to my macro work.

Out of curiosity, can you give a bit more detail about the Monty Python skit? I have the DVD box set and have watched them many times, so it would be fun to point out someone in a scene and say, "I know that guy!"

- Bill

[Sahil]

WOW, Geoff.. That's an interesting read.. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about you.
And yes, same as Dave's question.

what caused you to take the angle grinder to your DSLR

Cheers!

[Geoff F]

Hello Fans.

Thanks for the kind comments. I was busy with the local regatta all last week and now have to sort through 1,000 photos which I took of some of the events and the best will appear on a new regatta photo site on Pbase. So I haven't been putting in so much time here recently.

Firstly, the angle grinder photo. This was originally a humorous reply to a question about being able to do your own repairs and had the title of 'Don't worry - I can fix anything'. It was shot using the self timer on a tripod mounted camera, which is why it isn't perfectly sharp.

When I was fishing I had a reasonably fitted out workshop on the local fish quay but when I retired I moved what I thought were the most essential items to my tiny garden shed and created a mini workshop.

And I left some larger items for the new store owner on the condition that I could still use them if required.

With regard to my 'fishy stories'. I have given a few talks to local organisations in the past, sometimes assisted by other 'old timers'. Recently we have formed a new History Society in our town to try to record anything which is still within living memory, but could soon be lost if action wasn't taken now.

I have also been working with the local AONB organisation (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) which is attempting to create something similar.

Here are a few items http://www.goldendays.org.uk/fishing-from-salcombe/

and http://www.goldendays.org.uk/two-tal...t-of-salcombe/

And there are some interesting items from other people also on that site.

Now, the Monty Python bit. When they were filming some of the later sketches in the Torbay area of UK (south coast) I was working in Torquay, as a printer.

One day I was following a car which was on a low trailer being towed rather slowly by another vehicle, from which they were filming. Two characters were having a conversation inside the car.

A Morris Minor van, resplendent in British Racing Green, can clearly be seen following them before overtaking when the road was clear. I was the driver of that van.