equipment

Some early photographers were interested in documenting the patients and equipment in hospitals. I found some good examples online.

Babies in incubators. Crystal Palace Hospital London, 1910.

An early form of X-Ray machine being used, 1913.

Lydia Ward for children. Guy’s Hospital, London. 1907

An experimental ECG machine being used for heart tests. National Heart Hospital, London. 1916.

Children outside on a hospital balcony. Salford, Lancashire. 1905. At the time, great emphasis was put on fresh air to aid recovery.

The new operating theatre at Dollis Hill Hospital, London. 1920.

The Canadian Military Convalescent Hospital in Epsom. 1918

The Whirlpool Bath at Manor House Hospital, London. 1920. The man with his leg in the bath is wearing Army hospital uniform, so is likely to still be receiving treatment for injuries sustained in WW1.

The Women and Children’s Hospital in Leeds, Yorkshire around 1916. Once again, they have wheeled the children outside for ‘fresh air’.

President Ward at St Bartholemew’s Hospital in London. 1909.

The Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, Shropshire. 1910. The ward is open to the elements during the day for more of that ‘fresh air’.

Finsen light treatment for Lupus. The London Hospital, 1906.

No photos!

Just to add some photography trivia and details, of interest only to those who like that sort of thing though.

Everyone else can just delete this post, and wait for more pictures.

For anyone who doesn’t know, my camera is a Fuji X30 compact.

It has a 28-112 lens (35MM equivalent) and a small 2/3 size sensor. The secret is in the chip, and the film simulation modes. The chip renders ‘Fuji colours’, favouring reds and blues. The film simulation modes include ‘Velvia’, which replicates slide film, and ‘Classic Chrome’, which mimics Kodachrome 64 slide film. Other than occasional and very rare use of these modes, all my photos are straight J-pegs from the camera, with no post-shooting manipulation on Photoshop. The camera is light to carry, easy to understand, and only costs £280. I shoot in Aperture Priority, and let the camera choose the relevant shutter speeds. Occasionally, I employ Exposure Compensation, to create shadows or to avoid overexposure. Other than that, you get what I could see when I pressed the shutter.

By contrast, Antony carried some serious kit. A Nikon D3s full-frame SLR, with an assortment of lenses. He also had two tripods, and only shot in RAW, which he later sorts out in Lightroom, or Adobe Photoshop. For every shot I took, he took at least ten, maybe more. He also carried the small but powerful Sony RX1R. This is a full-frame compact camera, with a fixed 35MM lens, capable of stunning results with practice. It will take him some time, maybe a week, to sort out all his photos. But when he has done this, I expect to be able to put some on this blog, and I will also link to his site, which I really hope you will visit.

After half a lifetime carrying around huge amounts of photography gear, I was pleased to only have one small camera, and to ponder my limitations accordingly. I only shot around 230 images in a week, about 30+ a day. From those, I spent some time choosing the right ones to illustrate what I was writing about on the blog, as well as deleting a few on the way. Overall, I am happy enough with my choice, and can really recommend my camera as a reasonably-priced option that fits into a large pocket, or small case. Given good weather, is it an excellent little carry-around camera at a bargain price.