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THE 76 ACTION EXPOSURE SEQUENCE
EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYHICS

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Note the notepaper, boldly proclaiming FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER. Interesting, as few used such an epithet in 1986. Certainly no-one in Europe, unless we missed someone. Elliott was a pioneer and an artist photographer from the late Sixties. He made no secret of the fact that he was not a commercial photographer, like the others. Whilst others boasted their client list, Elliott was only interested in the quality of the art he was creating.

The sheet of paper shows the 76 actions required to complete an exposure., each stage of which had to be perfect. The list looks like Egyptian hieroglyphics in places. Each exposure took 20 mins to execute. Assuming you got it right. Note extreme exposures and apertures - 24 secs at f40 etc. There is no f40 on a medium format film camera. Elliott had the inner cam of the lens ground down to extend the aperture from f22 to f40. This modus operandi list was essential at the time, as it is impossible to remember 76 actions in sequence, never mind execute them perfectly.

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If you count the exposures there are in fact eleven, all of which had to balance with each other. The rear central circle revolved between exposures to achieve the polychromatic colours. The foreground halo was a revolving light source drawn in with a long exposure and a guide rail, which was removed after each exposure. Incredibly difficult.

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