restart

Just before heading out to Balamer, I finally moved all my contact printing material along with the platinotype chemistry back to the house. This semester my production dropped to the point where nothing was being produced with the Bonne Bay 10x8’s.

I noticed at the end of the autumn semester, that I was having all sorts of problems in making prints that at the beginning of the term were no trouble at all. They were becoming grainy. I thought that I was taking the process for granted and it doesn’t like that.

I had tried to get into a rhythm again at the school during the grad selection process as I was down at school early and wouldn’t be bothered in the non silver room – actually during the term it was rare except for the day that the class was taught was anyone in the room. Not only the problems return but also I came to realise that my spring teaching schedule I wouldn’t have the time to make work as I did in the autumn.

While in peasants pissoir I have none of the mod cons of U.V. light – I have been meaning to finish one the same way that some faculty are meaning to make work for some time – I thought that nothing would be lost using natural light – what there is of it this time of year – as while the exposure would be slower at least there would be a progression and who knows one day I would actually go to a lighting shop and buy the remaining U.V. lights that I need – or better simply buy an exposure unit.

This – as does everything – brings into question as what my “official” output is. My statement of purpose was based on large format and the platinotypes but I left it to last. Well not left it seems to have been put aside by default. I am wondering if this is due to the relative ease in which I can edit and print digital work and even “real” darkroom. The colour work could be done on the laptop heading into and away from school and printed while I was doing other things. I have a darkroom ready to go and thus can head down and make the prints needed when I have time.

This theory doesn’t hold though as while it is slower than working digital making platinotypes are remarkably similar, I don’t need to stand over the process while it is exposing, there are no exact developing times. I would hydrate and then start the exposure while I went off to make a grad student cry, between sessions I would head back check the exposure, drop it in the chemistry and do what ever needed to make the next snap. If the theory was ease of making a print the black and white snaps would be the most problematic as I need to devote chunks of unadulterated time but there seems to be no problem there.

I am guessing that what I see as my official/important/sanctioned work is me fooling myself, that my desire to head North (and East this summer via the Big Land with the same equipment as last year, looking into 5x4 inch plate camera and wishing for a Leica or any camera a real photographer would use is in truth not needed at all. I am wondering if what, at one time, a Diana was needed to make my work now it is needed is a consumer point and shoot digital. I also wonder why I fight it.