My First Darkroom Endeavors

not sure how much will this influence my interest in photography on the long run, but in the past few weeks, i spent long hours every Saturday in Tashkeel’s darkroom, developing b&w rolls and making b&w prints and getting soaked in chemicals. below are selected negative scans out of few Ilford Delta 400 developed rolls, all shot with a Nikon F80 and a 50mm prime lens. obviously, these are not the finest film development results, handling wet negatives wasn’t as easy as I thought it could be.. scratches, dust, finger prints are clear in many of the frames below..moreover, only those who know can tell that these scans are nothing but a preview compared to actual darkroom prints..

a couple of prints are mounted as part of Made in Tashkeel 2010. and only if you get the chance to go to the exhibition, you would appreciate the b&w film tones when printed on b&w paper in the darkroom compared to some ink-jet digital printing.

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this frame was the highlight of my first attempts in the darkroom. printed it on a 12x18in which took me over half a day of testing and the print is currently exhibited as part of Made in Tashkeel 2010. Needless to mention how flat the tones and details on this negative scan are compared to the actual print.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

even a random highway shot at night looks different on film (mind the dust and scratches).

 

not an expert yet to explain why did this frame come out this way..

the leica M6

and its Ammaar..

 

 

praying? to a tree?

i tried to log my exposure settings since there is no EXIF data on film, but it turned out to be a waste of time.. not sure how important it will be on the long run capturing my exposure settings..

 

Jalal Luqman's giant..

film shooting digital..

stopped sideways once to finish a roll on the way to Tashkeel..

and tested mastering how to maintain the horizon horizontal whilst shooting moving objects..

reflection more than double exposure..

dead bugs and dirt more than rain drops..

and some shots IN the darkroom..

here is some hanging laundry to dry..

and here is Ammaar, hanging laundry..