I’d like to give a big shout-out for (and sincere “thank you” to) Steve Sherman, for so superbly hosting his “Power of Process” open house at his wonderful darkroom/gallery/teaching facility in Rocky Ridge, Ct. last Sunday.
After 47 years of staring at 250,000+ negatives (with a good half of these having been souped in pyro and pyro-derived chemistry), plus another few thousand negs (and prints) created by students, teachers, mentors, and dedicated masters…I approached Steve Sherman’s “Power of Process” open house with a sense that I might not see anything of significance. And I was more than a little skeptical about all of this hoo-ha about stand development…my own success with (relatively more aggressive) minimal agitation notwithstanding. Boy - was I wrong!
On Steve’s lightbox lay a stand-developed negative which embodied everything that is so wonderful about pyro (and pyro derived/related) developers. A top-to-bottom, edge to edge feeling of absolute tactility, and yet delicacy…the resolution of even tiny details simply breathtaking, and yet not overcoming the larger meaning/feeling of the image as a whole. Highlights well separated. Midrange a smooth continuum. And the shadows…which at first glance without my reading glasses seemed a bit thin - jumped to life on closer inspection. It was all there! This is exactly how a (perfectly stained) pyro/pyrocat negative needs to be…at least in the context of further interpretation using today’s better VC papers…which was Steve’s intention with this particular negative. It just does not get any better than this. (Caveat…you’ve just gotta see this up close in person - no way that sharing on a forum could ever do this negative any justice!)
Furthermore, Steve is a complete natural in his ability to present and share information, and this in a manner that is both engaging with and responsive to a group of otherwise diverse individuals…the further result of which became an obvious sense of bonding within the group as a whole in the space of but a few hours. Very impressive!
How nice…in the midst of today’s internet-obsessed culture - where those who speak the loudest are often those who have the least to say (and who, despite this, often get the lion’s share of our attention) that there still exists some great opportunities to have some real, genuine “face time” with some truly knowledgable and dedicated practitioners such as Steve Sherman. I strongly urge those who seek to further their knowledge…specifically regarding Pyro and Pyrocat developers, and/or for a more generally inspiring/motivating shot-in-the-arm - to give Steve a call!
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