Photo by me, Styled by Linda Portman Sagum, hair by KIYO and make-up by Mia Yang
Whenever I have done something entirely awful in the darkroom I become unbearable.
This is, as it stands, more often than not. This is, because I now spend more time in there than anywhere else.
I have had a darkroom since I was very young and still, I learn everyday that I will make new and very annoying mistakes.
I suppose what I am saying only really applies to the photographic darkroom geeks like myself but here is a list of the idiotic things I have done in the darkroom just this week alone.
1.
Whilst shooting for a fashion magazine about 2 days ago I decided to do half the shoot nude and the other half with a stylist the magazine had designated. I developed one half at about 3 in the morning that night after a very long and tiring day of shooting and hung them out to dry. The next batch I developed at about 4 in the morning, somehow I poured fixer on first and developer on next. Needless to say the second batch where unusable. I was furious and tired so I went to bed when I woke up I looked at the negs that did come out and they were all nude. So the only images I had for the fashion magazine where nude!
2.
My day started with a model not turning up for the shoot so I sent my team home and I decided to develop my film from the shoot a day before (I should add that a model not showing up is one of the single most aggravating feelings a fashion team can experience). The shoot from the day before had been for a relativly big magazine so I had to make it count. I loaded the film (I have those large bulk film tanks) and I poured in the developer, all was fine apart from the fact that I was talking to the stylist on the phone so when the buzzer rang for my chemical change I poured out the developer and filled the tank with water(its the same as using stop don’t let anyone tell you otherwise) and tipped it out thinking that I had already added fixer (I had not) I then unscrewed the lids to see white film glaring at me. It took me a second to realise what had happened, I dropped the phone screwed the lids back on and threw in the fixer. Luckily they were ok.
3.
After running out of room to hang many many rolls of film I had started to sew them onto hangers and let them dry over night, I woke up to find several conjoined together in the morning.
I suppose film isn’t the most reliable source for an industry like fashion. But I would have it no other way.
Please do share your darkroom related horror stories, they may well make me feel better.
Posts
Underexposed, no flash, Fuji 1200 speed b&w - then push process to increase contrast and graininess. Central image of the project became instantaneously clear in proofs; the shadow of a cross-dressed hooker on the street with her shadow on the brick wall behind her. Test prints were good enough for it to be requested for two gallery shows and a museum piece before I'd managed a quality print for the class.
ReplyDeleteLife ensued (dislocated shoulder), but I pulled two all niters in the darkroom anyway, probably 40 sheets of the high contrast bromide paper, but not a single good print. It finally dawned on me that the paper wasn't bad, the developer, etc was. Mixed fresh chemicals from a new batch out of the storeroom at 3am. 8am class/critique - I had to get this print. A few tries later (it needed more burn-in on the background brick wall to pull the shadow of hir shadowy figure out) and I had one good print. But I needed 5 perfectly matched prints. So I poured all the chemicals into storage bottles and stuck them under the developer I had setup, leaving the negatives in place & adding a huge note: touch this and die.
Critique = everyone hated the series except the prof and the only other decent photographer in class (they loved the image). Rushed back to darkroom, poured chemicals back into clean trays, pulled 5 identical prints. Perfect. Except that I hadn't managed to square the print properly, and with the exposed bleed lines I preferred this was not good. Fortunately a friend did the mats and framing and managed to minimize my imperfections. My one professional sale while I was in art school; all 5 prints sold; I have the framed original from the class critique over my bed.
Darkroom horrors be damned; I miss having the access, health and time to work like that.
Hello alumiere!
ReplyDeleteI think this is definitely a success story. But a wonderful story never the less.
Is there any chance I can see this photo online? I wish I could afford to frame and mount my work, alas photography gives me love but little money. Although it is great that you have a friend that can frame!
I love film but like you say there is a time limit on being able to work like this. So I guess it is best to do these things will we can.
Thank you for your story!
Ellen