Completed

SilverEF88 · May 22, 2011

So I have mentioned it in a couple of posts and I thought I would offer an update just in case someone actually cared. I have been working on a medium format project shooting with a Hasselblad 500c. After 6 rolls and about 60 hours in the darkroom I put together a series of photos that are being submitted to a juried show at my university tomorrow. It has been fun, painstaking and now I have to send my child off to be critiqued and judged by people who may or may not like it. Whichever way the coin falls I am happy with my finished product, I love it even. I have been considering posting some pictures of it on here but I don't believe that any justice would be served for my 16 1/2" square prints to be scanned and posted on the internet. So for that reason I apologize but I do encourage everyone who is adamant digital shooters to go develop a roll of film and make some prints in the darkroom, there is seriously nothing like it.

Bitter Jeweler · May 22, 2011

Good luck!

I wish had time to develop my own film.

SilverEF88 · May 22, 2011

Thanks Bitter, I am just glad I did it. You know I don't really have the time either, 4 kids, my wife, being a fulltime student...but being in that darkroom with nothing but the red light and my music is the best possible escape from a day of insanity and headache. Thanks again, I think there is a $100 prize for first place but I don't really care about that, just seeing my work on the walls of the gallery wil be plenty for me.

Josh66 · May 23, 2011

Bitter Jeweler said:
I wish had time to develop my own film.

It doesn't take that long. Maybe an hour and a half, start to finish. And that's including the stuff where you can be doing something else, like rinsing (just let it sit in the sink for 20 minutes) and drying (hang it up and walk away).
There's maybe only 10-15 minutes of actual 'work' that you have to do - the rest is just waiting. Waiting, and staring at a stopwatch. :lol:

Printing, that might be a different story... I don't have an enlarger, so I don't make prints. Yet.

I plan on buying an enlarger as a Christmas present to myself if I don't already have one by then. I know that's a long time away, but I'm trying to be realistic. I will have one by 2012 though - that is a promise. :lol:

edit
Realistically, starting from having nothing - I think it would take $250-300 to get everything you need to develop film. That includes chemicals, and assumes that you are buying new stuff.
You'll also want a film scanner though, which will be another $200-1000 depending on what you get/need. Or an enlarger, if you want to keep it all analog.

SilverEF88 · May 24, 2011

One of the really great things about analog though is that people are straying away from it and it is very likely that you can come across a complete darkroom that someone inherited for pennies. Most people think that it is archaic and out of date and therefore not worth a dime. I am picking up a complete setup so that I no longer have to use the schools for $150. That is trays, enlarger, everything.

Alex_Holland · May 25, 2011

I have an enlarger, but it just seems a bit daunting for right now. I've got the 35mm and 120 lenses and everything... paper, all that. Just rather scan. It's easier.

SilverEF88 · May 25, 2011

Oh Alex but where has you romanticism gone if you don't go through the entire process?

Paul Ron · May 26, 2011

So how about a link to the pictures so we can see what you did?

I agre posted pics of prints or scanned negs never do em any justice.

You kids growing up in digital have no idea what it is to play in the dark. You really don't appreciate film till you've tried it.

My son, a young 30, has grown up with film and now shooting digital says he has to slow down a bit and start shooting like he did with film. Buring up frames is easy but later having to review all the images is a PIA. He also noticed that knocking off frames makes no difference in the picture. He says the difference is a slight shrug or a tilt of the head that is almost neglegable.

So slow down, think you shots through and take that money maker, award winner picture.

Glad you enjoyed areal film experiance, it makes us film heads very happy.

.

.

c.cloudwalker · May 26, 2011

SilverEF88 said:
You know I don't really have the time either, 4 kids, my wife, being a fulltime student...but being in that darkroom with nothing but the red light and my music is the best possible escape from a day of insanity and headache. Thanks again, I think there is a $100 prize for first place but I don't really care about that, just seeing my work on the walls of the gallery wil be plenty for me.

You know, this is so beautiful I would almost make it part of my sig. Fook me, the smell of the darkroom is so exhilarating in the wee hours of the morning :lol:

O|||||||O said:
It doesn't take that long.

Right. If you scan and print digitally. But then, what is the point? There is nothing like a real print coming out of the fix bath.

And that is not fast.

SilverEF88 · May 26, 2011

Cloud, I completely agree about the smell of the darkroom, it is intoxicating. As far as scanning in one of my prints I will have to find a scanner big enough or do it in multiple passes and fix it in photoshop. That feels so wrong "fixing in photoshop" when it concerns these prints. Anyways the gallery opening is tomorrow night and I am so excited I could s***. It turns out that there are some very reasonable prizes including a couple of $500 dollar scholarships. Whichever way the coin falls I don't care. My print was chosen to be apart of this small show, only 20 pieces, and there were over 70 entrants. Thanks to everyone, and I will attempt to get a copy on here. I just hope that the extensive negative manipulation that I did shows properly on this screen. Thanks again.

c.cloudwalker · May 26, 2011

SilverEF88 said:
As far as scanning in one of my prints I will have to find a scanner big enough or do it in multiple passes and fix it in photoshop.

I get you. Most of the work I could actually show here is too big to fit in a scanner. Not to mention that I
1/ do not know how to scan in a way that gives me the results I want
or
2/ I have no interest in spending the time to do it.

SilverEF88 · May 26, 2011

Exactly, how do you scan an image that has a level of intrigue from the size and clarity, and then show it on a monitor and shrink it down to 800 pixels square? I may still just to try and show people what I have been working on, although people will probably scratch their heads and wonder.

SilverEF88 · May 27, 2011

Gallery opening tonight and yes I am a little excited ("little" being the understatement of the year). My first time putting anything on display in a gallery. Also excited because my next project came to me last night, one of those lying in bed moments, staring at the ceiling with a smile from ear to ear because what I have been obsessing about finally made sense.