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PFM's Picture a Week 2024

Mam Tor today, was stunning.
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eternumviti said:
I stopped using a darkroom after my kids were born, just went over to colour prints for the family snaps and lost interest in 'proper' photography to a great degree. I bought my first DSLR in 2007 and quickly picked up interest again. I started to creep back into film about 8 years ago, almost entirely B&W with a hybrid workflow - developing the films and scanning into the digital realm using Nikon Coolscans, and printing using Epson Pro printers. The urge to set up a darkroom has been building momentum for a while. I'm fortunate in that I have a small former dining room which has adapted easily to a darkroom, so everything is ready and on standby whenever I feel inclined to spend an hour or two in there, all I need to do is pour the chems, flick the safelight on, and I'm away.
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Great to see you doing some real printing - always exciting to see a print appear out of the gloom. I am so bored with digital at the moment!

For smaller prints of 35mm negs that had a too short exposure time I used a medium format enlarging lens i.e. 80mm instead of 50mm this was a simple way to increase the exposure times by virtue of the fact it increases the distance the light has to travel. People also used ND filters and even messed about with dimming or changing the bulb - probably OK for BW but probably not for colour!

For flattening fibre based prints I used a Hard Bed Press - I sold mine many years ago - should have kept it but it was a beast of a thing although you can buy smaller versions - an Ademco 1316 hardbed press is relatively small and gives loads of pressure to flatten. A soft bed press may work as well, they are a lot smaller and cheaper but do not get as much pressure.

For a cheap fake selenium/warm tone - I used to bleach the developed print in Potassium Ferricyanide (Ferri) and then redevelop the print in print developer - some prints worked better than others, it was interesting to see the result on prints that look a bit lacking! Ferri is also good for bringing out highlights in prints if used correctly. Obviously as with all chemicals it must be used and disposed of safely.

I hope to start printing again by the end of the year.........
 
idomybest said:
Great to see you doing some real printing - always exciting to see a print appear out of the gloom. I am so bored with digital at the moment!

For smaller prints of 35mm negs that had a too short exposure time I used a medium format enlarging lens i.e. 80mm instead of 50mm this was a simple way to increase the exposure times by virtue of the fact it increases the distance the light has to travel. People also used ND filters and even messed about with dimming or changing the bulb - probably OK for BW but probably not for colour!

For flattening fibre based prints I used a Hard Bed Press - I sold mine many years ago - should have kept it but it was a beast of a thing although you can buy smaller versions - an Ademco 1316 hardbed press is relatively small and gives loads of pressure to flatten. A soft bed press may work as well, they are a lot smaller and cheaper but do not get as much pressure.

For a cheap fake selenium/warm tone - I used to bleach the developed print in Potassium Ferricyanide (Ferri) and then redevelop the print in print developer - some prints worked better than others, it was interesting to see the result on prints that look a bit lacking! Ferri is also good for bringing out highlights in prints if used correctly. Obviously as with all chemicals it must be used and disposed of safely.

I hope to start printing again by the end of the year.........
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Interesting, thank you. I did consider both fitting a 75w bulb, and the use of ND filters. I could yet try the former, but in regards of the latter my enlarger (Durst 605C) doesn't have an above the lens filter slot, and I'm using a multigrade filter holder below the lens. I like the 80mm lens tip for 35mm film, I'll give that a shot. I'm actually enlarging 120 negs with an 80mm lens at the moment, so straightforward.

Good to hear that you'll be heading back down this route too. I think there's an increasing exodus to film at the moment, particularly with the advent of easy and accessible AI.
 
Some of the remains of the huge tree cull at High Wood from a couple of years ago. I'm sure in the long term this will be beneficial but a. it's made a right mess and b. the ground doesn't drain as there are fewer trees to take up the moisture.

This made me think of a horse's head.

Remains by Boxertrixter, on Flickr

Pentax K-1/FA77 Limited
 
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