Search:

It's nearly impossible to seal a darkroom so tightly that dust-laden air can't inflitrate around doors, receptacles, plumbing penetrations, etc. So I think that the best approach is to use a...

Having lived there for a year, my experience is that gray skies are normal in Chicago - - -

Codes do change, sometimes for the better, and sometimes because less expensive methods and materials are available. But you can be sure that if the decision is theirs alone, contractors will always...

When I built a darkroom in the corner of the basement in our former home (built to early 1950 codes), I was faced with this situation, but with the additional complication that there were major...

Many years ago, I attended a workshop taught by David Vestal. The process he taught for spotting was to put a few drops of the appropriate mix of Spottone dyes on a palette (he used a porcelain...

My first response is to ask why you raise this question? If you are seriously considering going out into a lightning storm with a camera and tripod, my answer would be 'Don't do it!'.

But if...

I do like the picture, but I think your wife is right. But rather than the problem being that there are two subjects, I see the fence as a psychological barrier blocking the viewer's access to the...

You problem may be that as you are pulling the darkslide, you are also inadvertently and unknowingly lifting the holder away from the back of the camera. This allows light to get inside the camera...

First, let me say that I understand the challenge that the administrators face. I used to be the administrator of a web site used by a professional society, and faced numerous problems with spurious...

This formula will allow Excel to calculate an exposure compensation with whatever degree of precision you want. You can specify the precision either by formatting the cell in the spreadsheet, or by...

Two profound responses here:

Drew Wiley: "Quite possibly. It doesn't take much. "

Bob Salomon: "Take a sheet of film out of the box with that light covered. Put a quarter on the film and...

for Sheets:

Open trays - shuffling sheets
Open trays - with a 'slosher' insert
Tanks
Vertical tanks with nitrogen agitation
Vertical tanks - stand processing

Yes - but only on line. There are no conventional 'toll booths' at the end of the bridge to accept payments.

You must go on-line to a web site (bayareafastrak.org) to register the plate number of...

Having visited NYC many times (and currently planning a trip for my son's birthday next month), I suggest going handheld. Sidewalks are just too crowded for tripods. Trying to use a tripod may...

It's been a while since I was in the market, but Midwest Photo Exchange used to be the 'go to' place for Omega enlarger parts.

Our son lived in Silicon Valley for a number of years, and that gave us a reason to visit the area regularly. Some additional suggestions and thoughts -

South of San Francisco:

Mission Carmel...

Many years ago, I met a photographer who had an interesting way of recycling old, out-of-date fiber based paper.

He fixed it out, washed and dried it. Then, he dry-mounted fiber based prints to...

Rules about when photography with tripods is now allowed are subject to interpretation - this can be a good thing, and a bad thing depending on the mood of the person you ask.

Years ago, I visited...

If nothing else, seriously outdated paper makes good lightweight mounting boards.

I've never used rainwater directly, but I have used water collected from a dehumidifier. Both rainwater and dehumidifier water are essentially distilled water (ie, water that was converted to the...

I have seen a plain water rinse step inserted in place of a stop bath in film developing, but I have never seen anyone rinse between steps. I have seen people do a pre-rinse before starting...

The traditional solution to the timing problem is to use a timer with phosphorescent hands - that is, hands that are painted with a material that emits a soft glow in the dark. GraLab is the classic...

That's a nice area, but there aren't a lot of truly 'can't miss' type things to see/do. Sure, it's pretty and there are some good restaurants, but the main attraction is skiing, and that's so not...

Any discussion of ventilation must also take into consideration two important factors. First, dust is a problem that must be addressed in the design of the ventilation. Second, it's not possible to...

An interesting factoid - the land on which Stanford University was built was originally a nut farm. Some will say that nothing has changed - - -

Today, the campus faces out on the main...

A few more thoughts -

for redwoods, the most famous place is Muir Woods, but it's crowded. I haven't been there in a number of years, and I have heard that you now need to book a visit in...

Our son lived in the area for many years, so we had lots of opportunity to explore.

Don't forget to wander north into Wine Country. We prefer Sonoma rather than Napa - far less crowded.

If...

Actually, the availability of ABS pipe varies regionally - it all depends on what is allowed in local plumbing codes. Where I live in New York, PVC pipe is readily available, but ABS is very hard to...

I agree that the whole process seems overwhelming, but if you break it down into components, you can find relatively simple solutions for each part.

Like John, my solution to the exposed film...

Look at DeviantArt.

Michael Kenna, Tillman Crane, William Abranowicz, Ernestine Rubin, Jock Sturges, Timothy Greenfield Sanders, Ferit Kuyas, Roman Loranc, David Vestal, et al

Nonsense!

Every society/culture has rules, and if you are a visitor, it is your responsibility to understand and follow those rules.

An oyster card is the rapid transit access card that is used...

I remember the name, and also his book 'Plant Leaves'. That was a long time ago!

Just an observation - in Kumler, we have a man who started out as a photographer, and ended up as a winemaker.
...

Welcome to Curmudgeonhood. It eventually affects us all!

I once had a problem with light leaks when using a Polaroid 405 holder. The leak produced fogging along the short edge of the sheet. It turns out that the problem was that wire handle on the...

Yes - the latest trick seems to be to send out a message that says something like 'click here to be removed from our mailing list', or 'click here to confirm unsubscript'.

Never click anything...

This subject is discussed in Vestal's The Art of Black and White Enlarging, pages 164-165. He noted two practices:
- The Traditional method - the print moves directly from fixer to hypo clear to...

Very true.

I've been there - many years ago, so I suspect that things have changed somewhat.

Obviously, desertscape opportunities abound. And there is some really spectacular architecture,...

Cap from a 35mm film canister hot glued to a piece of coat hanger wire

David Vestal called it 'The Art of Darkroom Photography' for a reason - there are many techniques that can be used to fine tune the final contrast in a print. Flashing is one of them. Flashing can...