Back in May (I know I’ve taken ages to get these photos sorted) Haworth held its annual 1940s weekend where it seems that the whole world descends on the village in Yorkshire to celebrate that particular decade. The event itself is not without controversy since many of the people who come in costume come as German soldiers (see below for an example).
While I understand that this may be offensive to some people I am of the opinion that you cannot really reflect the 1940s without Nazis, it was largely their actions and the response to their actions that defined the decade.
Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on the weekend is a superb event especially for photographers. Squeezing through the crowds it always surprises me just how many people are wandering around with digital SLRs, in fact it often seems like there is an unofficial competition to see who has the biggest lens.
Completely disregarding all the other photographers and their digital cameras my companion and I decided that since it was a 1940s event we should use black and white film – I took along my Nikon FE and my friend took his Mamiya 645 1000s which the people who we were taking photos of seemed to appreciate.
The reason why the event is so popular with photographers is that there are so many people who have made an effort to get dressed up, and they are all more than happy to be stopped and photographed, that you could come away with hundreds of great shots.
As is usually the case with me though other commitments prevent me from spending much time photographing people -specifically my twin boys who get easily bored and don’t like huge crowds. Never mind, they are worth it really!
Looking forward to next year already!
