Hello from Cincinnati

[hodapp]

Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio... anyone else here in my neck of the woods?

I'm young enough that my first camera was digital - if we ignore some cheap disposable film ones. I didn't start doing anything with film until around 2010, when I started working a little bit with cyanotypes and shooting some 35mm and 120. This wasn't the best time to start doing that, as over the next 2-3 years every single lab in the area that I knew of stopped processing film.

In 2016 I bought a used Omega 4x5. In 2017, I actually bought some sheet film and attempted to use it. I tried making Rodinal developer (parodinal?) from acetaminophen, lye, and potassium metabisulfite (which I just happened to have sitting around for some home brewing I did) and was very surprised it actually worked wonderfully the first time.

I now have a somewhat better DIY-darkroom space to work in, and would like to get back to using the 4x5. Current project is to repair/replace the bellows on it, as my last few shots had some defects that looked a bit like light leaks, and I can see pinholes around the corners when I point a flashlight at the bellows.

[Alan Gales]

Welcome to the forum, Hodapp!

You can repair pinholes with black fabric paint. It's easy to do. Of course replacing the old bellows would be best. After you compose your shot it's a good idea to get into the habit of draping your dark cloth over your bellows to help prevent light leaks. Just a tip that I learned here. You will learn lots of tips here. It's a great forum with some really good and knowledgeable people.

Alan