This dozen 5x4” transparencies are test shots and rejects that have survived five decades hidden away in a box. Back in the age of film, all approved trannies were precious one-offs that went straight to the client and were never seen again by the photographer. Monochrome work was manipulated in processing and printing and could be retouched, but commercial colour photography was specialist work where everything had to be picture perfect in-camera. There was no Photoshop magic to finish the job, so we used lights, diffusers, reflectors, baffles, filters, camera movements, multiple exposures and other tricks of the trade. Finishing touches like synchronising watches or filling displays were done, not in post but in the final shot. My day rate was around £4,000 in 2020-money, plus film & processing, model fees and other expenses. Usage fees had not been invented, but prints made good money, not least volume printing for press releases and murals for exhibitions, so I had four darkrooms nearly matching my studio space. Most work was monochrome, but I had in-house colour processing and could have transparancies like these ready for clients little over an hour after exposure, which was pretty cool 50 years ago.
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