Bill Kirk – Med format slides

Bill Kirk worked for the NI Tourist Board in the 70’s and 80’s; ‘I had the hardest job in photography at the time; finding photos of N. Ireland that would entice people to holiday here’

One day, I was asked to get a nice picture of Dunluce Castle on the North coast, the car was packed with kids and it lashed the whole way but just as we reached he castle, the clouds parted and the sun shone, some sheep came up close and helped make the photo reach the cover of the brochure! I would always get the ‘Board’ work done first and if there was time, I would have my own take on things.

Besides having to haul his kit up the Mourne Mountains for the Silent Valley scenes, he was then confronted with the next task of exposing the positive film correctly, conscious of the notoriously small leeway given by Kodachrome. (back-up 35mm were taken ‘just in case’)

Bill loves challenges like this, he tests the camera to its limits, knows the qualities of most films, is exact in the execution of exposure and composes with trademark empathy, whatever the subject.

Here is a selection from 140 of his medium format (6×6 6×4.5 6×7 and 6x9cm) images shot on Kodachrome.

Digital cameras would give a different colour and are as true as our equipment will allow.

There’s not too many people shooting medium format transparency film today!