My first camera’s industrial spark
How photography quietly shaped my curiosity for maritime and industrial innovation—before I, or anyone else (unconfirmed to this day), saw it coming.
A good old photograph has always caught my eye, but it also sparked my passion for industry as a young boy. Each time I visit my grandparents’ farm in England I get the urge to wander around the house to look at old photos. From the drawing room (overlooking the garden pond), onto the breakfast room, dining room, and the living room. The journey feels endless. However, there’s a few images I keep coming back to.
Behind the door in the drawing room, there’s a large aerial photograph of the surrounding farmlands. I was taken when I eight and I’ll never forget the day when the pilot circled above us to take the shot. A month later, my grandpa, 1 an incredible engineer, brought me a tiny but important present. Inside the box was my first camera. Just a simple analogue film camera. That afternoon, he showed me how to frame and expose shots.
Years later, my grandpa brought another gem from his archives: a black-and-white photo taken by his uncle H.M. Wright, a mid-ranking officer in the Royal Navy, of King Haakon VII of Norway during the Norwegian Government’s evacuation from Tromsø on June 7, 1940, by the H.M.S Devonshire.
The Devonshire later returned Crown Prince Olav V to Oslo on May 13, 1945, and escorted King Haakon VII back on June 7, 1945, marking Norway’s liberation by the end of World War II.
Intrigued, we sent the photo to The Royal Court of Norway in 2008 with a reply from Cabinet Secretary Berit Tversland: “H.M. The King has asked me to thank you for the photograph taken on board H.M.S. Devonshire which you have been kind enough to send His Majesty.”
Fond memories: looking back on the aerial photograph in the breakfast room, learning to operate my first film camera, and my grandpa’s photograph of the Norwegian Government’s evacuation abroad the HMS Devonshire. Without doubt, these mementos have seeded my fascination with maritime and industrial innovation, both in my work and writing. Looking ahead, I’m considering how I might inspire my future grandchildren with some of my own photographs. One day, I’ll let you know how it goes.
My grandpa (1933-2025) was an incredible engineer who worked on everything from steam engines, to jet engines, nuclear energy, shatterproof glass, and hovercraft. His patience was even more remarkable; he spent countless hours showing me the mechanics of small cameras, and gigantic engineering feats. ↩︎