It is about Christmas time, so here is my Christmas present to myself, the RH Designs StopClock. Ive been printing with the F-Stop method for a while, as soon as I read about it, it made complete sense. There is less point in printing a test strip at 5 seconds, 10, 15, 20, as photographic paper works the same way as film; in stops. You need 5 seconds, 10, 20, 40 etc. The problem Im having is that my maths is terrible, when you start working in ¼ of a stop; I get in a mess. This enlarger timer works in F-stops by default and has an automatic test strip mode. They do snazzier versions with densitometers to automatically calculate everything, but I wanted to keep things manual. I am also a fan of the Chernobyl control room aesthetic.
The test strip mode is proving a game changer. After last weekends disaster with Bergger WT print developer, I realised I am making too many test strips and often I am using up whole 8x10 pages instead of a thin strip. With the Bergger developer that caused issues as I * think * it can only develop a few prints before it expires, Ilford can do about 100 prints. To save on chemistry and paper I am trying to get better at making more localised test strips. The Test Strip mode just seems to simplify and automate the process to a level where its a major tangable benifit.
After a weekend using the Stopclock im now starting to use 1/4 stop exposure changes where before I was mainly working in 1/2 stops. It just becomes so fast that I can spend more time simply printing rather than making print notes and working out times.
Designing a little jig that can print just one part of the image and then keep printing that exact spot again on each step, ie Just Holly’s face for several exposures instead of printing down her whole body length, is my next DIY project. Im also thinking of upgrading the darkroom stereo, but maybe I am getting carried away.
Further fine tuning my process; I have discovered a slightly expensive yet amazing pencil. Over the months I have tried all sorts of pens and pencils to markup my darkroom prints, everything’s washed off, even the permanent pens. Staedtler Lumocolor Glasochrom Pencils have changed my life. Finally, I can write down the enlarger settings on the back of a print, even if it’s wet. A small issue that’s been creating huge problems as about half of my prints don’t seem to have any print notes connected with them, it would be a big challenge to reprint any to the same look.
The last two weekends have been something of a mystery. Despite devoting two whole weekends to printing, I have somehow managed to only make about 5 prints. This weekend was even stranger as I perfected my prints fairly quickly then spent a few minutes making a couple of nice 10x8’s then it was about bed time. This seems to be a growing issue I need to fix ASAP.
One tactic im now trying is an even stricter social media ban. I aim to bore my life to such an extent that doing any hobby is then 10 times more appealing. Last week I deleted the Instram app, this weekend I deleted the Facebook App. I seem to of now overcompensated with Youtube where I have developed an unusual interest in learning about the latest developments of hypersonic missiles. I may delete that App next week and rely on my desktop for YouTube. YouTube is quite beneficial for photography knowledge and inspiration.
The next thing I am noticing is that any sleep issues or work stress during the week manifest itself on Saturday. It’s a strange concept to talk about on a photography blog but I’ve a feeling good sleep might be a 30+% improvement on my photography whilst technical knowledge 10% at best.
