windmills . collectors &apos; pieces &amp;hellip; for the keen amateur . by Jeffery W Whitelaw . windmills , quaint and picturesque survivals from the past , have always been of great interest to the photographer . unfortunately , however , in this modern age very few of these reminders of man &apos;s early attempts at mechanization on a fairly large scale are still working and in too many cases they have been allowed to fall into disrepair - often with nothing but a brick stump remaining . on the other hand , and to the benefit of the country-lover and photographers alike , enlightened authorities , the ministry of works , the national trust and even private individuals have made great efforts to preserve some of these mills before it is too late . most of the windmills which appear to be complete are more than likely to have been restored and it is these which make magnificent photographs . a windmill in good repair with its bare sweeps against a suitable sky can make a most attractive subject - it may even produce an exhibition picture - and I have been adding to my collection for some years now . it will be useful at this point to give a brief history of the windmill for those who may be new to this subject . the three basic types of windmill are the post mill , the tower mill and the smock mill , and these can be described without the variations in design which are to be found in different parts of the country - some of these variations will be seen from the accompanying photographs . the oldest and most primitive type is the post mill which became known by this name because , in order that the mill should obtain the maximum power from the wind , the whole body was pivoted on a centre post supported by heavy timber beams in the form of a tripod . a long beam projected from the back of the mill and the miller had to push on this to bring the sweeps round to face the wind . a good example of an early post mill is to be seen at Bourn , in Cambridgeshire , and as the records can be traced back to 1636 it is now the oldest surviving windmill in the country , with the Cambridge preservation society making sure that it stays in good repair . although the sweeps and tailbeam are modern replacements , the remainder is the original structure and of great interest . a key can be obtained at the farmhouse and there is complete freedom to go all over the mill with the possibility of photographs from every angle , both inside and out . it began to be realized that it was a great waste of labour and effort to have to turn the whole mill whenever the wind changed and by the end of the 17th century , tower mills were being built . these were solid buildings either of brick or clunch to house the machinery with revolving caps to which the sails were attached . the earliest caps had still to be turned by hand , but what has become known as the fantail was invented in the 18th century , thus removing the need for the miller to be constantly on the alert for a change in the wind . into the eye of the wind . the fantail consists of what is more or less a small windmill set at right-angles to the main sails , and when these are facing squarely into the wind the fantail does not move . as soon as the wind changes , it causes the fantail to start revolving and , working through a series of gears , the cap turns , so bringing the sails back into the eye of the wind . a number of post mills had the fantail added later and this undoubtedly saved many from demolition after the labour-saving tower mills were invented ; a particularly fine example recently restored by the ministry of works can be seen at Saxtead Green , near Framlingham in Suffolk . the third type of mill is in reality only a variant of the tower mill and known as the smock mill because of its fancied resemblance to an old farmer wearing a smock . the smock mill has a tapering timber-framed tower ( usually octagonal ) often on a brick base , and the frames are covered with boards . when considering windmills from the photographic viewpoint , it will soon become apparent that they are not the easiest of subjects , and that if something more than just another record is to be made of each mill as it is discovered , then quite a little thought must be devoted to the problems which may arise . to obtain a really first-class result I consider it is essential to have a bright sunny day with blue sky and good strong cumulus clouds - windmills usually look their best against this cotton-wool type of sky . take it now ! unfortunately , these ideal conditions rarely occur at just the right time , and here I will give a word of advice , which would not be necessary with most other types of subjects . by all means plan to come back another day for another attempt if the weather should not be all that you hoped for , but do take a picture whatever the weather - when you come again it is possible that fire or a storm may have destroyed the mill overnight . recently in the national press there was a sad picture of the wreckage of the smock mill on Outwood Common , near Redhill , after it had collapsed one night at the end of 1960 , to prove that this is a very real hazard . it is quite likely that the mill will still be standing or even have been restored on another visit , but if not , then the picture taken on a dull day will not have been wasted because it was the last one taken before the mill met its end . given ideal weather conditions one must decide what is the most favourable viewpoint - whether to take the mill straight on to the sails or from the side , whether just to take the mill on its own in a vertical format or to include it as part of the landscape as a horizontal . all these minor problems must be worked out as each mill is photographed . a side view is usually more pleasing , but it may be that a frontal view will be more effective in certain circumstances - sometimes the surroundings are very uninteresting , especially if the mill is hemmed in by farm buildings , and because of this a frontal view gives the best picture . take a good walk all around the mill if this is possible : you should be able to make several exposures from different directions and some quite dramatic effects may be obtained . if , of course , the farm buildings are in harmony with the mill , then a very pleasant landscape may result with the mill as the central feature , and , in fact , the inclusion of the mill may add just what is needed to an otherwise uninteresting view . although I have expressed a preference for bright sunny days , quite a different type of picture may , of course , be obtained when photographing windmills in the early morning or silhouetted against a sunset in the evening . contre-jour shots will also be possible , in many cases to good effect . you may be fortunate in having all the sunshine you want but with not a cloud in sight : the careful use of the correct filter will then be necessary to create the right atmosphere in the final picture - perhaps a little shading-in will be required in enlarging . I hope that I have been able to convince you that photographing windmills is both rewarding and fascinating , and as I have pointed out already , opportunities for doing so are becoming less and less frequent . start now on a similar collection and not only will it be of value for record purposes but your skill as a photographer will be tested to the full in obtaining really first-class results . one final word - no special equipment is needed for taking windmill pictures . all the accompanying illustrations were taken on one or other of my two Ensign 320 folding cameras , both being fitted with the superb Ross Xpres lens - cameras which are now obsolete but which can , however , be bought second-hand for about &amp;pound;10 or &amp;pound;12 these days . experiment more with figure possibilities . by Ricardo . why do n&apos;t you tell your beginners how lucky they are ? - to have cameras which do all their drawing for them . this was from a figure artist friend of mine who sees these prints now and then . he went on to say that , being able to shoot off a dozen or so negatives by way of practising composition , the photographer today had never had it so good . by way of comparison , he thinks nothing of roughing out anything up to a dozen sketches before settling down to the real thing - a magazine illustration . when I asked him for some tips on figure work to pass on to my readers , his bland reply was to the effect that good figure form was good composition and that only by sticking at it , year in and year out , could one arrive ! I should like to add that helpful criticism all the way along plus the environment of an enthusiastic society makes it much more of a pleasure . on the beach : Mrs H Saphier . I should imagine that this subject matter looked quite exciting in colour , with the large stones ( colourful greys ) compensating for their prominence by their hues . but in monochrome these stones dominate far too much and detract from the figure design and particularly from the motif - stone-throwing . the fundamental design of the two distant figures repeating the foreground figures is pleasing , and the low viewpoint was an excellent choice . however , the two dark big stones in the foreground , badly out of focus , tend to merge uncomfortably into the dark main figure and so cause a mirror-splitting of the design down the centre . because these two central figures are looking strongly to the right the design also looks too heavy on the right . a sloping horizon does not help either . the second sketch concentrates on the nearer two figures only and a better figure form is given to the stone-thrower . although these youngsters are now placed well over to the left , the design is well balanced , mainly because of the implied interest in the right , and the absence of unsightly rocks . here &apos;s hoping : E Abrey . for a study of concentration and good timing to get the penny so well placed for balance , this is good work . the simple tone of the girl &apos;s clothes is pleasing , and the selective focussing is ideal , throwing the distant trees into an essential diffusion , while the overhead lighting helps to dramatize and so to emphasize the girl &apos;s sharp concentration . one weakness is the superfluous amount of foreground , all the more noticeable because of the out-of-focus numbering , not good in this respect . another fault concerns the arrangement of the girl &apos;s left arm , which contributes nothing to the atmosphere , while it could be quite useful . the figures in the rear , although out of focus , are also mildly disturbing . the next sketch suggests possible modifications . the left arm could be making one of many gestures suggesting excitement , and to link up with it the girl &apos;s mouth could well be expressing . oooh ! a more distant viewpoint could have sharpened up the foreground figures slightly at the same stop , and to further reduce this useful area without resorting to trimming , the cross shadow of , say , an onlooker would have broken it up as shown . this shadow would also help to repeat and to balance the dark trees in the diagonally opposite corner . is this all too suggestive of play-acting - so possibly losing that air of reality which is the strong feature of this print ? it all depends , but a little sensible directing now and then can make a big difference in the appeal of such an idea . let me try it : L Sharratt . the timely shooting of this very boyish trick has secured a most appealing and amusing atmosphere . 