S.W.Jackson-Early Australian Bird Photographer and Naturalist

I love collecting old photos and in particular like reading about and looking up information about photographers from a bygone era.
Especially Wildlife and Bird Photographers.
One person I have come across was S.W. Jackson.
I discovered him in a book by Bernard O'Reilly.
O'reilly wrote 3 Australian books.
"Green Mountains"
"Cullenbenbong"
and "Over the Hills".
They are classic Australian Stories.
"Green Mountains" is an account of a lost Aircraft ( a Stimson) in the rainforests of Queensland.
Bernard O'Reilly found the wreck and their were two survivors.
"Green Mountains" is an Australian classic and a true story.

Below is an extract from "Over the Hills" about how photographers like S.W., Jackson from the wet plate days went about their business.Bernard O'Reilly is telling about his experience as a young assistant to the photographer. The process is a far cry from our snapping away with a digital camera.

And here is are links to wikipedia about S W Jackson and also some of his work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_William_Jackson

http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview/?pi=nla.pic-an11545585

Follow some of the suggested links in wikkipedia and you will uncover lots of interesting information about our photographic history and the inter action between different practicioners.

The Family Photo Historian.

Are you your family's photo historian?
At this point in time I think I certainly fill that role.
Not something I deliberately set out to do but just happenned as I am and was a passionate photographer.
I have always wanted to document events.
Family occasions
Weddings
Sports
Funerals
Holidays
Vehicles
Babies
Pets
Birthdays
Baptisms
Sermons
The list of human events in families is endless of course.
I have done this for many years with still photography,movie film and video,film and digital,audio recording(cassettes,reel to reel,digital).
Of course before that my father,father in law and uncles did the same with the technology of their  day.
I have recently been going through all my film collection of negative and prints to put together a farewell album for one of my wife's employers spanning more than 25 years.
I am staggered at the extent of the collection.
When you are a blogger with a collection like that your blogging topics and potential articles are endless.
It has been and still is an emotional experience reviewing my collection.
Many loved ones have passed on.
Sadly there are also relationship breakdowns that tug at the heartstrings.
Many of my wedding customers from past years have also experienced both joys and heartaches.
With the accessibility of today's amazing technology many of the younger ones are now doing similar things.
I guess it means I have plenty to do in my old age and some of the collection, as it ages, becomes useful to others.
It's not a high paying job but can become a labor of love.