Thread: A winter stale

I just finished my new (and much smaller) darkroom, and spent time printing last night and this morning for the first time in a couple of years. It just felt so comfortably familiar, in a way I suspect digital never will to me. I love my digital cameras, and Photoshop lets you do things that you end up having to do handstands to get done in a darkroom, but I don't believe I'll ever be as good at "post processing" as I was as a black and white printer with some good fiber paper and a bit of selenium for the final treatment. It felt grand to be doing something I know I can do well, even if, of course, if I do screw up sometimes.

Originally Posted by BBW

Congrats Paul - I've been watching your film photographs as I am slowly catching up.

You guys do make me laugh...and smile. My darkroom days are long over, however I do have many fond memories and a good old friend had a beautiful Hasselblad that I coveted greatly.

I'm happy for you, Larry and love your description.

Originally Posted by Lawrence A.

I just finished my new (and much smaller) darkroom, and spent time printing last night and this morning for the first time in a couple of years. It just felt so comfortably familiar, in a way I suspect digital never will to me. I love my digital cameras, and Photoshop lets you do things that you end up having to do handstands to get done in a darkroom, but I don't believe I'll ever be as good at "post processing" as I was as a black and white printer with some good fiber paper and a bit of selenium for the final treatment. It felt grand to be doing something I know I can do well, even if, of course, if I do screw up sometimes.

Congrats. I haven't been in a darkroom in decades. I hope you get years of pleasure.

Gary

Paul.
I think you'll like that Fuji GS645S. I shot this with mine about a week ago, and it is one of the first prints I made in the new darkroom. The flaws in the image are not the camera's fault, and bear in mind I haven't been in a darkroom for a while, and I'm working with a new enlarger. All that said, it's a fun camera to shoot. And it's sort of "compact" for a medium format.

I'm enjoying it a lot, quite a few rolls have gone through it already, and have been posted both here and on my Flickr stream.

I'll probably have a darkroom session in the next few days and see if I can get a print off a frame or two. But enlarging is pretty new to me and my facilities are not conducive to a calm approach (yes, I know Weston could print in a cupboard with an Edison lamp and a bit of glass, but my knees hurt like hell after half an hour crouched on the floor in my bathroom and then I start to forget to stop down or count or something; and I'm not Weston)

Stand by for the next instalment, however ... there have been developments (pun unintentional)

I eagerly await the next installment. The Flicker set is lovely.

So ... anyway ... I ended up deciding that though I had the Fuji, I could live with another 6x6 folder, and of course they are pretty common on expensiveBay ... so I kept my eyes peeled, and this little sweetie arrived the other day ...

I Can't Help Myself ii (Agfa Isolette II) by _loupe, on Flickr

Luke will remember that I have always rather scorned the idea of the TLR, regarding them as I do as "old men's cameras" ...

And then, through a chapter of accidents and a desire to acquire some paper suitable for lith, I ended up in the house of a recently deceased professional printer/photographer.

This was in a cabinet.

It looked shiny and pretty.

I bought it.

A couple of minor problems which I didn't spot at the time so I probably overpaid, but nothing that stop it working properly. And I got a set of genyouine Rollei Bay-1 filters and hood with it.

I Can't Help Myself (i) (Yashica MAT-124) by _loupe, on Flickr

I now have more cameras than I can carry (and less money than I need to live).

Originally Posted by pdh

I now have more cameras than I can carry (and less money than I need to live).

I understand completely. I hate the second part but love the first part; what to do??
I had a Yashica mat 124G at one point. Nice little camera.
The Agfa Isolette is sweet -- but don't isolate with it.

TLRs are to my retro-fetishised ideal, the ULTIMATE camera. AND that one looks damn nice. The Agfa is pretty sweet, but I'd pick that Yashica.

I don't know who said it, but it's been quoted so many times it makes me throw up a little bit in my mouth, so I'll give it a twist......"The most important camera is inevitably the one you couldn't carry with you (because you have too many)"

Congrats on your new acquistions.