John Kasaian
3-Nov-2007, 23:22
I seldom develop film as soon as I get home--it is kind of like the lottery I guess---maybe my photograph will be a 'winner' and as long as I postphone the inevitable there is still a chance, a dream to hold onto. Well, this time I've held off on developing a huge stack of holders that has accumulated since my darkroom was out of commission for several months and I'm just getting back into using it, Most of my negatives are well recorded but some are just identified by location "Santa Cruz Boardwalk--Night" stuff like that, and some film holders I've neglected to record anything at all other than the film used. This evenings developing session dealt with them. Actually only two film holders, each with only one sheet of film exposed.
So I souped them.
The first negative was quite nice--a redwood tree I'm guessing from either Mariposa Grove or Nelder---it is a nice dense negative with lots of detail though nothing inspirational as far as composition goes. Maybe after I print it I'll like it better--who knows? I vaguely remember the morning I shot it---I'm pretty sure I used the 240 G-Claron. Other than that I'm at a loss. The second negative however, was entirely fogged. I must have forgotten to close the shutter after focusing, I'm guessing. So my photography rewards me with little mysteries like that!
Why two holders with only one exposed sheet on each?
That is something I'm not likely to do, especially since both holders came from the same stack.
Where exactly was that redwood tree?
In Yosemite or the SNF?
What exactly did happen to that fogged sheet?
Did I neglect to close the shutter after focusing? Or did I stumble into a silver halide eating vortex? ;)
That is something delightful for me, an amature (if I were getting paid, that would be a different matter!) It is a wonder that I get any image at all and even going through a stack of my own negatives or prints really makes me smile. A lot. The whole process is both an adventure (out in the field, being surrounded by natives wanting, nay demanding that the 'dorff must be a Hasselblad) an exercise in patience (as piles of film holders "age," waiting for a time when I'm sufficuently motivated to soup film) a detective story (when and where did I take that?) and a sense of wonderment (there actually is an image!:D )
I was wondering what darkroom thoughts any of you might have had on a November night?
So I souped them.
The first negative was quite nice--a redwood tree I'm guessing from either Mariposa Grove or Nelder---it is a nice dense negative with lots of detail though nothing inspirational as far as composition goes. Maybe after I print it I'll like it better--who knows? I vaguely remember the morning I shot it---I'm pretty sure I used the 240 G-Claron. Other than that I'm at a loss. The second negative however, was entirely fogged. I must have forgotten to close the shutter after focusing, I'm guessing. So my photography rewards me with little mysteries like that!
Why two holders with only one exposed sheet on each?
That is something I'm not likely to do, especially since both holders came from the same stack.
Where exactly was that redwood tree?
In Yosemite or the SNF?
What exactly did happen to that fogged sheet?
Did I neglect to close the shutter after focusing? Or did I stumble into a silver halide eating vortex? ;)
That is something delightful for me, an amature (if I were getting paid, that would be a different matter!) It is a wonder that I get any image at all and even going through a stack of my own negatives or prints really makes me smile. A lot. The whole process is both an adventure (out in the field, being surrounded by natives wanting, nay demanding that the 'dorff must be a Hasselblad) an exercise in patience (as piles of film holders "age," waiting for a time when I'm sufficuently motivated to soup film) a detective story (when and where did I take that?) and a sense of wonderment (there actually is an image!:D )
I was wondering what darkroom thoughts any of you might have had on a November night?