Amateur Hour

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Photographic Clubs

I have called this post amateur hour because I think that’s where these prints originated from an amateur photographer’s collection. 

Many decades ago, I also belonged to an amateur photographer’s club and at the time had some really nice equipment. I wish I still had it. 

Occasionally, the members of the club would all contribute to hiring a model for a club night or special event, the model was more often than not an amateur herself, earning a few extra quid on the side. Members would then get to direct her and take as many pictures as they wanted, all film of course, in those days, so snapping was not quite as mad as it is nowadays. It was all very above board, and topless was normally as far as it ever went, but it was fun and certainly exciting, even though often a little awkward at times with 20 or so men directing their cameras at some poor girl who was trying to follow our very vague instructions for those that had the courage to ask. 

The majority of us just took as many pictures as we could afford. I was fortunate to have my own darkroom at the time, so I did not have to run the gauntlet of the chemist a week later, and at the end of it, there was no uploading to the internet, just hoarding your own prints for your own enjoyment. Great fun.

Who else was a member of a photographic club, and have you still got any of your prints? If I get the time, I will see if I can dig out some of mine.

Discovered Slides - Set 3

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Maureen Stocks

Here are three more slides, all very amateur. These were actually developed by Boots the chemist—remember those days? I like them; they are nice pictures of Maureen posing in her mail-order lingerie and black stockings. The originals are in colour, with her knickers and bra being a very bright red.

I do have quality scans of all these slides and might consider producing prints from them, but I'm not sure how much demand there is nowadays for prints. You can't beat holding a nice print in your hand, though, as it offers something more than an image on a screen.

Discovered Slides - Set 2

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Mystery Model

These slides are very ToCo-like, showing an unnamed model putting on her stockings and later revealing what's under her skirt. Personally, I've never been a fan of white stockings. Again, I would guess these are from the 1980s.

Discovered Slides - Set 1

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Mystery Model

These three pictures come from a mixed selection of colour slides that I recently discovered. I have no idea where they came from or their age, but I suspect the 1980s, just because of the hairstyles and settings. Most are not suitable to be shown here. However, I do have another couple of sets that are suitable and will appear later this month. They're just a bit different and possibly not been shown anywhere else. What I like about them is that they are all very amateur, taken by budding photographers, boyfriends, or husbands, poorly posed in home situations, with a lot of fun being had during and after the taking.

These first three pictures show a young woman posing for the camera in her underwear. She has really small breasts, but what's interesting is that her nipples are pierced. That's not uncommon nowadays, but 40-plus years ago it was more unusual, I'm sure, but she just doesn’t look the type to me. There are a few more pictures of her that are more revealing, and they are actually all in colour, so never judge a book by its cover.

They are all up for sale on eBay, but a few of the sets have already been removed, and I am not sure why, so they will appear on the Brazen sales site.