If you are truly interested in photography and you have the chance to try black and white film, TAKE THAT CHANCE.

If you skip out on it, I will find you and I will smack you for being stupid.

Now, this will probably seem out of the blue because I haven’t used this blog in far too long. Photography is my passion, but at this point in my life, college comes first. Meaning I haven’t had much time to take photos as of late.

Anyways. The reason this post is happening is because one of my friends recently got a new camera. It’s a DSLR made by Canon and from what I can tell, it’s nice. She said she still needs to figure it out, so I gave her this tip: Never use automatic. I told her to start out with something like shutter priority, just to get the hang of using her camera. Once she figures that out, I told her to learn manual. Because as soon as you learn how to use all the settings on your camera manually, I guarantee you will know more about your camera than most people with the exact same equipment.

As for my comments about film, if you’re serious about photography, you will try film at some point. Taking photo classes in high school is one of the better things I’ve done. Granted, in high school, our film cameras were shutter-priority. Not manual, but it weaned me off of automatic. By taking another photo class in college, I was able to use an all-manual camera.

Using film, you really have to think about your photos. You’ve got a limited number on a roll of film, so you want them to count. Manual settings make it more difficult. You have to get everything right in order to get one shot. Hell, in a roll of 36, you’re lucky if you get two fantastic photos. Not having the instant gratification of seeing your photos right after you take them is, in my mind, a good thing. It means you’ll make those 36 photos count.

You’re going to grow as a photographer. I promise.

If you never have the chance to try film, that’s fine. It’s expensive and not everyone has access to a darkroom. Just learn how to use your manual settings. It may not make you the next Ansel Adams or Annie Leibovitz, but it will make you better. The more you know your equipment, the more you’ll be able to focus on the subject matter and the ideas.

And those are my photography thoughts of the day.

2011: A Year in Review

For the past few years, I’d been doing a “Favorite photos from 20-whatever.” I’d put them in a set on flickr and post the link in a few different places to say, “This is how I’ve grown as a photographer and these are the photos that are significant to me.”

This year, though, I have a feeling quite a few of my favorite photos are from the photography class I took this fall. And those photos, unfortunately, aren’t scanned into my computer. Plus, it’s been awhile since I’ve used Flickr, so that’s a little pointless.

It’s seems a little strange to me, looking back at my year in photos. Maybe it’s because I’m still in school, but it always seems easier to track my progress along a September to August calendar versus a January to December calendar. I look back at my year in photos and some of them seem like they were taken so long ago simply because they were taken in the spring semester or the summer. School always seems to go by so quickly, but previous semesters always seem decades away.

Even so, I think it’s safe to say I’ve grown as both a person and a photographer. For instance, near the beginning of the year, I started experimenting with curves and that has probably been the biggest change to how I edit. And this semester, I found a tutorial on editing skin and once I experiment more with it, I have a feeling my process will change in a big way.

Also, the darkroom changes everything. When I took a couple photography classes in high school, we used shutter-priority cameras and I’ve been incredibly comfortable with that ever since. This fall, I used a fully manual camera. In fact, I used a Pentax K1000, which can probably be considered the mother of my current camera, a Pentax K100D.

Using film always seems to reassure myself as a photographer. It causes me to think more about my photos and the lighting and everything that goes into what makes a photo good. That, in turn, translates into my digital photos. Film always seems so much more complicated because, well, it kind of is. So to feel like it’s something I’m good at, that makes digital seem simple, like it’s something I can get the hang and it’s something I can be good at, too.

When it comes to photography in 2012, I hope I can continue experimenting with film. I won’t have access to a darkroom anymore, but there are always places who will develop my film for me. I’ve got a couple old rolls of color film, plus I will have a couple black and white rolls left. I also hope to go on photo adventures around campus, the arboretum, and of course, St. Joe. And maybe a couple photo adventures in Minneapolis over the summer? It’s stuff I always talk about doing, and yet it never happens. This is the year I want to make stuff happen.

And that, my friends, has been a year in review.

This one time, I took a crappy cellphone picture of my final photo project on the wall of the art building because I forgot to take a camera with me.

This one time, I took a crappy cellphone picture of my final photo project on the wall of the art building because I forgot to take a camera with me.

One week with an art major.

Time spent in the darkroom this week: Aprox. 12 hours (Or, three hours a day since Monday. But probably more than that.)

Rolls of film developed: 4

Contact sheets created: 4

Time spent scouring contact sheets for possible prints: 30-60 min.

Time spent cleaning negatives: Too long

Total number of final prints created: 6

Number or reject prints and text strips: Oh, God, I don’t even want to know.

Number of ruined prints due to major dust problems: 4

Money spent on 25 sheets of drymount tissue and 25 sheets of 11x14 matboard: $53.69

Prints need for the final project: Oh, crap. 8-10. Why was I thinking 6? Shitshitshit.

A few lists.

Things I need to do today
  • Develop my last two rolls of film
  • Make contact sheets for four rolls of film
  • Start on a few more prints

Things I have time for

  • Probably only the first two items on the previous list

Keegan’s Darkroom Tips for Newbies (In No Particular Order)

  1. Be prepared to say goodbye to your social life (unless, of course, your friends are the subject of your photos). I spent five hours in the darkroom tonight. I usually try to go for two to three hours at a time. But between class, work, food, and homework, it sometimes feels like I don’t have a social life. I’ve had to turn down a few invites to do stuff because of reasons like, “Sorry, but I need darkroom time. My project is due soon.”
  2. Say goodbye to daylight (unless, of course, you’re taking photos in the daytime). This actually depends on the person. a lot of the times, I’ll go to the darkroom right before it starts getting dark and when I leave, oh hey! It’s nighttime. Of course, today, I was there from around 1:30 to 6:30, so that was a whole lot of daylight I missed. Basically, you will feel like you live in the dark and you will probably become a vampire. Maybe. Probably. I don’t know.
  3. Don’t go to the darkroom on an empty stomach. Maybe this is just me, but I hate being in the darkroom when I’m hungry. I’m pretty used to the chemical smell, but I just can’t deal with any of that shit when I need food.
  4. Good music is a must. This is more of a tip for when you’re in the darkroom alone. Being alone in the darkroom for hours on end can suck, especially if you get paranoid really easily. That’s why you put an iPod dock or a radio in the darkroom and blast fantastic music. I prefer music I can dance and sing along to. For instance, Girl Talk or my playlist titled “GOODMOOD.”
  5. Finish projects as early as possible. The darkroom tends to be packed the day before a project is due, so avoid it if you can. Give yourself enough time so you can putz around and get your photos how you want them. If everyone is rushing to get stuff done, that’s going to make you rush to get things done. (Also, this has to do with my own college’s darkroom, but there aren’t enough enlargers for the whole class, so waiting sucks. And when you’re finally in there and it’s packed, you tend to run into people when turning the corner. A lot.)
  6. Pay attention to time. This is mostly when it comes to developer. You don’t want to over-develop your photo and you don’t want to under-develop it. With stop and fixer, you just don’t want to go under. You can definitely under-stop and under-fix your photos, but it doesn’t really seem possible to over-stop or over-fix them. But you should still pay attention to time because you don’t want to leave your photos in the trays for a long time when other people are trying to print photos as well.
  7. Watch it with the phones. If you see someone has undeveloped photo paper, do not start flashing your phone around. Either check your phone outside of the darkroom or wait for them to put it away. Common sense, yo.
  8. It’s war and the enemy happens to be dust and water spots. Sometimes a little bit of dust adds to the effect of a photo. Other times, you will want to murder everything because a speck of dust will not go away.  Feel free to be OCD when it comes to cleaning your negatives because if you’re not, your prof will probably mention it to you later. And when you’re feeling particularly frustrated by a speck of dust, feel free to swear. I promise, it helps. If you’re angry enough, anyways.
  9. Be OCD about borders. You want nice, clean borders. None of those soft edges because unless it’s obvious that you wanted your borders to be soft, it will just look like a mistake you were too lazy to fix.
  10. Test strips are your best friend. Feel free to make a lot. Feel free to make a test strip that’s four inches wide. Feel free to make two test strips at once, but in different parts of the photo. Feel free to make test strips with 1 second intervals when you’re almost there, but not quite. When you want your blacks black and your whites white, sometimes you just need a lot of test strips before getting it right.
  11. When you have a good print, make a second copy. That way, you can either give it away or keep it in case you somehow ruin the first copy.

And that, my friends, are a few of my darkroom tips for newbies. Feel free to let me know if I’ve missed anything. Thoughts?

Gonna leave the darkroom before I burn out.

I could probably try harder, but my motivation seems to have left me and I keep thinking it would be nice to be back to the room before 10.

I need second opinions.

I probably just need more time on my photo. Or maybe I need to burn it? I don’t know. But i’m feeling burnt out and I’ll have most of tomorrow to get shit done. All of Wednesday evening, too. Of course, by Wednesday, I hope I’ll only have mounting left.

I just don’t like spending time in the darkroom by myself. Not when it’s night. I’m fine during the day, but going from outside where it’s dark to the darkroom back to outside where it’s dark is just incredibly soul-sucking.

I’ve spent what feels like 15 minutes cleaning this negative.

I’ve spent what feels like 15 minutes cleaning this negative.

Today, I was printing in the darkroom just for fun. I haven’t really been able to do that yet, so that was incredibly nice.

Today, I was printing in the darkroom just for fun. I haven’t really been able to do that yet, so that was incredibly nice.

The photo assignment has been pushed back!

Instead of being due on Friday, it’s due the class after, which won’t be until Thursday next week.

That’s a relief because if it were still due Friday, I’d have to finish it tonight. Instead, I did my contact sheets and now I have a little bit more time to think about what I want to print and I’ve got the weekend, plus all day on Tuesday, plus whatever evenings work.

Basically, life is good in terms of photography.

Today is going to be a photo-filled day.

I need to shoot 4 rolls of film today and tomorrow. Two today, two tomorrow.Three today, one tomorrow if I’m lucky. All today if I’m super lucky. And them I’m going to develop them tomorrow night and start printing if possible and or maybe printing on Tuesday and I’ll try to finish printing on Wednesday and I’ve got to mat two photos that I print, as well.

I probably won’t have time on Thursday, but maybe I’ll have time to mat my photos that evening?

It’s all due on Friday, so I’ll be working on a tight schedule. Plus, I’ve got other homework.

I need to get outside with my camera.

Tonight’s darkroom adventure is slightly frustrating.

Pretty much everyone from my class has been here tonight. Currently, all ten enlargers are in use. I got my film developed and I’m staring at my negatives in boredom. I can’t make my contact sheet or my two prints until a freaking enlarger opens up.

At least I’m not the only one stuck in the hall waiting. There’s another girl waiting in the hallway with me.

It just really sucks. We get back from break yesterday and now EVERYONE is in the darkroom tonight. I kind of figured there’d be some people here, but I would have guessed a few more people would have finished before break.

Whatever. I’ll just sleep in the darkroom if I have to. I’ve already been here since 6:20-ish.

EDIT

…Now I’m the only one waiting. Why do I have to be a nice person? Seriously. If I weren’t a nice person, I would’ve jumped on that enlarger like it was a pan of cookies fresh out of the oven.

EDIT 2

I have an enlarger to use! WOOHOO!

I… am an idiot.

My photo class is over at SJU, so that’s the darkroom I use. I took the bus over there at 7, got there at 7:15. I probably started developing my film around 7:30, 7:45. That took a decent amount of time. 5 minutes here, another 5 there, plus all the shit in between. I had my negatives in the dryer by 8:30. They’re in there for 40 minutes. They’ll be dry in ten.

HOWEVER. I forgot my photo paper. So instead of hanging around the art building for 40 minutes with my laptop, I had to take the 8:45 bus back to CSB. I got back at 9, but the next bus won’t be here until 9:30. And then it’ll take another 15 minutes to get back to SJU. Plus 15 or so to get to the art building and get my negatives cut up and all the chemicals set up.

So I won’t start making my contact sheet until, oh, 10pm? And then I’ll probably get stuck taking the 10:45 bus back to CSB because I doubt I’ll get my contact sheet done in time for me to catch the 10:15. Boo.

If I would have remembered my photo paper, I could have been done in time to catch the 9:45 bus.

THIS SUCKS.

Darkroom adventures.

Today was the first official day in the darkroom. There are only 8 enlargers, so it’s significantly smaller that my high school’s darkroom. I actually kind of miss Kennedy’s darkroom. For a high school, it was pretty damn nice.

Anyways. It was the whole basic “this is how you work an enlarger” and “this is how you develop your prints” and “this is how you make a contact sheet” type of crap. Basic stuff for me, considering I’ve been in a darkroom and taken film classes before. It was still awesome to develop prints, though. God, I’ve missed that process.

Oh, and a girl fainted. That was… That was actually very worrisome. Last I checked, she was okay. But still. Fainting in the darkroom is scary shit, yo.

Other than that, photo is treating me well. We should be getting our cyanotypes back next week, so woohoo! I really want to scan mine and post them up here because I LOVE how they turned out. Also, we’ve got two more rolls of film to work on. One will simply be taking a whole roll of photos of a goddamn chair. We’re supposed to “try to make it interesting” or some shit like that. The other roll will be of one object also, and we have to use bracketing for it. I’ll probably try to get at least one of the rolls done on Friday so I can get in the darkroom at some point next week. I’d go this weekend, but I’m gonna be gone, dammit.

equivalent exposure value chart (by Meerkat Thunderpants) Our first roll of film focuses on equivalent exposure. If done correctly, it should look like we just have a roll of film full of doubles.

equivalent exposure value chart (by Meerkat Thunderpants)

Our first roll of film focuses on equivalent exposure. If done correctly, it should look like we just have a roll of film full of doubles.