Even when the camera is focused on a single subject, photographic portraiture rarely, if ever, speaks with just one voice. It is this multifaceted layering, …
Gum printing or, to give it it’s full name, gum bichromate printing can seem daunting. Certainly, it takes more of commitment in time and materials …
Read moreResults WILL vary: An introduction to the endless creative expression of gum printing
Legend has it there was once a film that held in its grasp the bright greens of summer and made all the world a sunny …
Being in lockdown has given me more time to consider expanding my repertoire of darkroom techniques. One of these is something a little different to …
Due to the current pandemic situation and resultant lock-down rules, I’ve decided now would be a good time to learn how to develop film at …
With half the world under lockdown and the rest being advised to implement physical distancing and other measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, a traditional approach to studio portraiture and other relatively close-quarters photography needs a rethink…
“You know me, if something bothers my mind, I have to make art out of it. Sadly at this moment, it’s the virus — COVID-19 …
Going against the grain, the on-set photographer of 2019’s Little Women included the use of traditional wet plate photography – also known as tintypes – …
It was a normal Saturday afternoon in November when I walked into a flea market. I met some friends there and looked around a little …
Read moreBringing a 160 year old giant Petzval lens back to life
ILFORD released a raft of new and updated products in late 2019, one of which was brand new Multigrade RC Deluxe paper. Called “MG V” …
Read moreFour very different darkroom printers test ILFORD’s new Multigrade RC Deluxe paper
In the world of home film development, black and white dominates the market. This comes much to the chagrin of many amateur photographers looking to …
Read moreDeveloping color negative film at room temperature: the best option that nobody uses?
One important voice has been missing from the crowd of new film announcements these past few years, that of 140 year-old ILFORD PHOTO. So, it …
If you’re reading this guide, you’re probably new to RA-4 colour printing. Don’t worry, until recently, so was I. Over the past few months, I …
Read moreMaking colour prints in the darkroom: welcome to RA-4 printing
I’ve been developing film at home for a while now, and I’ve done everything that I can to get my money’s worth from my chemicals. …
Read moreCinestill C-41 Quart Kit: extended development, push and pull processing times
The call came in on the afternoon of Monday 7th October. Shane Balkowitsch would have little under 24 hours to plan a 15-minute wet plate photoshoot with Greta Thunberg at Standing Rock. Naturally, the first thing he did after getting off the phone was to start packing his studio up into the back of his truck — including his portable darkroom.
I’ve been a street photographer and black and white darkroom worker since back when bulk film loaders boasted of “Penny a Frame” – that’s right, $.36 a roll of film.
I really believe that to be a complete photographer it is imperative to either hone the skill set of printing within a darkroom environment or be knowledgeable of the process.
When mainstream photography was entangled with the darkroom, the act of printing a photo would show the artist’s hand as much as what was photographed.
“Oh sure, it may not look like much, but it’s going to be my new photo darkroom.”
I said this, with a touch of nostalgia, a bit of a whim, and the driving force of practicality around the return
I want to spread the idea that a photographic enlarger is fundamentally a very simple thing.
