With several years of 35mm experience and acceptable darkroom results, I decided to find out what I was doing. In 1966 I began with an AA Yosemite workshop for two weeks (every 3rd day off to do as you please); I didn’t know enough to ask an intelligent question at that point, but befriended and learned from several of his assistants. I came home with a stack of his books (autographed) to learn on my own. The seed of LF was planted. For the next five years and three more of his workshops (each one specializing in different aspects of b/w) I gradually assembled my kit of Sinar Normas (4x5, 5x7 and 8x10) and added to my apartment darkroom a 5x7 Omega E6 enlarger, Kodak densitometer, and simple setup for 8x10 contacts. The densitometer died in storage during a move into my first house and was happily replaced by a much better modern unit. The house was bought specifically with a new darkroom envisioned and has been functioning for years now. In the meantime, all 35mm and MF (Hassy) equipment has been liquidated. Yet the unending learning has continued to this day as materials/processes change. I was amazed once when encountering a frustrating problem and picked up the phone to call Ansel and ask for his help (workshop participants were encouraged to do so); he answered the call and gave an immediate solution to the problem – still hard to believe being as busy as he was that he was so accessible. I think I was just lucky.
Bookmarks