more sheet film development. this time i have some shots i had in brand new holders. the new holders (fidelity elite) are great, by the way. my resulting negs still have problems. the first one is this great shot of this big red barn up in la honda. i’m sure it’s been photographed a million times. i was quite disappointed to see not only a black dust-like mark on the negative, but white dots elsewhere. maybe the emulsion flaked off? i have no idea what’s going on– and now there are two different symptoms. it’s at least practice handling sheet film. and shooting with a field camera. and everything else.. it’s just all cool. but these things.. argh!!!

looks like i’m getting dust on my sheet film some how. if it were dust in the holder, it would show up as clear on the negative. but it isn’t — it’s black. but i can’t see any dust/hair on the negative when i shine light on it. i don’t understand. it’s too bad, the birdhouse print came out great otherwise. i’m not sure if i’d show this print or not.

yesterday i accidentally developed a sheet i hadn’t exposed. i’m glad i did, turns out the holder it in was leaking a bit. it prompted me to order some new film holders. hey, i’m crazed enough to do LF, i might as well buy some new holders. it’s amazing how much they cost and how much prices for them vary.

guess i have to check out my negs again and think about where it could have happened. i don’t mind, actually. thinkinga bout my processes is how i figured out how to minimize dust when i’m printing.

unfortunately, my apartment is pretty dusty.

i noticed ksp rents LF lenses; if i can find a suitable location i may rent one and use my model guinea-pig for some test shots. 5.6/210 and 5.6/300 look interesting. i’ve been wanting to try some LF model work.

i’ve realized that working on LF is awesome for the format by itself.. but now i think the control you get is even better. i do need to get out more (and shoot) to practice on focus plane control.

this morning was oversized pickup truck race day on montague expressway.

i was over at my mom’s house this morning when i tried my first two-axis focus control shot. this is a birdhouse on the edge of her deck.. it came out so well i shot some sheet film and a color polaroid of it. i’m really liking LF.

their album, the reason still totally rocks my world. i haven’t listened to anything else of theirs. this one just stuck.

so i stand and look around
distracted by the sounds
of everyone and everything I see
and i search through every face
without a single trace, of the person
the person that I need

do you know, that everytime you’re near
everybody else seems far away
so can you come and make them disappear
make them disappear and we can stay

when my first print from a 4×5 came out of the fixer, my jaw dropped. oh man, this is good stuff. now i’m super interested in doing portraits in 4×5. the lens i have isn’t right for it.

my back hurts from doing darkroom work. in closer quarters, i managed to get some stop bath on my tshirt and the floor is all wet.. i’m sure there will be brown and white-crystally spots tomorrow.

LF is totally worth it. i’m sad i can’t do larger than 16×20 now. hamish may have larger trays i can use. but i’d definitely have to move out of the bathroom. four trays in there and two enlargers is way cramped. just imagine 20×24 trays.

but.. ya.. portraits in LF. i need to do it. i need to see it.

i was setting up things and i was wondering where the heck i’d put the new enlarger. i was in the bath–no, darkroom– when i looked down. i could see the floor. i thought about it. i sized up the baseboard and then went back into the darkroom. ya, i think it would fit. so i maneuvered the enlarger and its heavy board onto a towel on the floor so i could scooch it around. sure enough, it fit. granted, there’s not much space around it to walk to the shower/toilet. you know, you have to have priorities.