the monochrome guild

back alley

back alley

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Jul 30, 2003
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a friend of mine shoots medium and large format film...he's pretty good...last night the small group that he belongs to had a very informal gathering/show of their work...it was a mix of street work and landscapes with a bit of portraiture thrown in...mostly silver based prints but there was also albumen prints and tintypes as well.

it was very nice to see hand made film based prints hanging on a wall.
some were gorgeous with the kind of detail and texture that only large format can show.

i have to admit that i was pleased that i now have a film camera again and even missed my old mamiya 6 a bit...that was a great camera with superb lenses.
 
Define hand made!

I was browsing the Piezography site the other day and the level of skill and knowledge required to produce the quality that they achieve with this system is very different to loading a sheet of Ilford into the Epson/Canon whatever and pressing print.

Bad darkroom printing and bad digital printing have a lot in common ... as does the other end of the scale.
 
when i asked my buddy about joining the guild, he reminded me that all prints needed to be made in a darkroom, by the photographer...no lab, no machines...and then he offered his home darkroom to me...
 
Take him up on it. Release yourself, even temporarily, from the grip of a computer. Just get the music and safelight going and zone out making prints. This is freedom.
 
Time to come back to the fold, Joe!
After sowing your digital wild oats, its time to get serious again.
Digital, even with its convenience and instant gratification, just leaves you feeling empty and unfulfilled.
;)
 
FrankS said:
Time to come back to the fold, Joe!
After sowing your digital wild oats, its time to get serious again.
Digital, even with its convenience and instant gratification, just leaves you feeling empty and unfulfilled.
;)
Click to expand...

that is just not the case frank.
i don't feel empty or unfulfilled at all.
digital is the norm, get over it!
 
I can't believe it's been 5 years since I went into the darkroom and made a print. (Job change. No convenient darkroom at the new place.) There is nothing like seeing an image appear on a blank sheet of paper in a tray of Dektol.

I told my wife I'm building a room in the basement for the cats. I should probably tell her it's to keep the cats out, not a playroom for them...
 
I can't express the importance of needing to disconnect from the electronic world and computers on a consistent basis and focus purely on art. It's good for your eyes, your soul, and well being. Just you, the negative, and a piece of paper.
 
Keith said:
Define hand made!

I was browsing the Piezography site the other day and the level of skill and knowledge required to produce the quality that they achieve with this system is very different to loading a sheet of Ilford into the Epson/Canon whatever and pressing print.

Bad darkroom printing and bad digital printing have a lot in common ... as does the other end of the scale.
Click to expand...

When I make a good digital print, I'm happy.
When I make a good darkroom print, I'm elated.

Maybe it's just me, but I highly doubt it.
 
back alley said:
when i asked my buddy about joining the guild, he reminded me that all prints needed to be made in a darkroom, by the photographer...no lab, no machines...and then he offered his home darkroom to me...
Click to expand...

Very cool!
Wish I had a guild like this nearby.
 
I was invited to consider going down the medium format path when I met Stephen from the Monochrome Guild at the Folkfest last year. It's very tempting and I am sure I will try one day - as soon as i can afford the costs.
 
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