Recent Entries
Review: Ilford Multigrade Developer
**Since I use mostly Ilford multi-grade papers I decided to try out the Ilford Multigrade developer. It is similar in chemical make up to LPD, being a Hydroquinone + EDTA acid, so I did not expect much difference. The developer comes as a liquid concentrate and is mixed 1:9 or 1:14. Working solution should last […]
Helton Creek Falls
**I found a couple of negatives I shot 2 years ago stashed in a box of rejects. I may have initially thought these negatives too contrasty or improperly processed. However in the darkroom I was able to pull out the details using split grade printing and a bit more skill than I had in the […]
Review: Bergger Prestige Variable CB Warm
**In my recent experiments Testing LDP vs PF106 developer I decided to try a different brand of papers than my usual Ilford products. Bergger Prestige Variable Contrast CB Warm Glossy is a heavy weight (280 gsm) Chlorobromide fiber based paper with a white base. The manufacturer touts it has six grades of contrast with a high […]
Film Processing Guide
**I created this card to help with film processing. I practice Steve Sherman’s minimal agitation technique with diluted Pyrocat HD and usually Ilford FP4+ film. The times and periods reflected on the card are designed to help me create negatives that print well on Ilfords MGFB Warmtone papers with a #2 filter. The chart is […]
Sepia Toning with Thiourea Part II
**Today I engaged in further experimentation with Thiourea toning. I changed the mix that I used in my earlier article from 20/20/400 to 10ml Thiourea, 40ml Sodium Hydroxide, and 500ml water. The tone was not the yellowish brown of sepia but a much richer chocolate brown. The dark shadow areas were the color of coffee […]
Printing 35mm vs 4×5
**When I first began taking images I used 35mm gear and printed them using a 35mm enlarger on 8×10 paper. My setup was small enough to fit in an apartment bathroom with the enlarger by the sink and the trays in the bathtub. It wasn’t too difficult to set up due to the dedicated enlarger […]
Testing LPD vs PF106
**I love experimenting in the darkroom and recently sought out a brown tone developer. Photographers Formulary had a similar developer to an older Ansco formula which was supposed to have been a brown toned developer on certain older papers like Kodak Ektalure which is no longer made. So I ordered some PF106 (link) to see […]
Graphlex Optar 90mm W.A.
**I feel I have a curse when it comes to shooting 90mm. Either the lens is not wide enough, the shutters acts up, or other problems abound. Despite having my Schneider Super Angulon 90mm shutter cleaned twice it still sticks at 1/2 and 1 second speeds. So I purchased a used 90mm (3.5″) Graplex Optar […]
Reshoot day
**9/1/2017 – I took a day off work and was in the mood to go reshoot the tunnel at AT- Byron Reece Trail. It was raining for the past few days due to hurricane Harvey in Texas. I also had a new-to-me 90mm to try out. When I arrived it was pouring rain. I waited […]
AT Rocks and Roots
**Details of the Appalachian Trail – Rocks and Roots. The ability for roots of trees to take hold in rock crevices has always amazed me. This particular pair of trees did so with tremendous style, creating a nearly abstract artwork within the rock cliff. The colors of the tree roots is almost the same as […]