First Ever Darkroom Session

Dun Telve, Glen Beag

Today I had my first ever experience of film processing and printing.  Thanks to my wonderful wife for organising a day session with Simon Larson in Sleat so I could learn some darkroom skills.  Also, this meant I had the chance to develop my first ever shots taken with my fabulous Christmas present, my 4x5 View Camera.  We had a few issue to deal with including my getting the ISO of the large formaty film I had used wrong and a little bit of light seepage on my older film holders, but otherwise a great and instrcutive day.  Simon is a wonderful and inspiring teacher and I will not doubt struggle to remember it all, but I now know where to start.

In terms of images, we manage to print one 8x10" print from my View Camera, see above.  This is only a very poor scan of the original print so the quality does not do it justice.  Also, given that we developed it for ISO 200 when it should have been 400 means it was under-developed and so is a bit paler than ti should be.  The is a little bit of light fogging at the top right side and the top left area of the broch, and on this scan the sky is completely blwon out apart from the top right where something has gone very wrong, nothing like the original print.  I have a lot of other negative to try printing myself once I buy the requisite chemicals, etc., so watch this space.

Happy Day  and a huge thanks to Simon and Aileen.