Tired But Making Progress

Another 4 hour darkroom session after a 12 hour night shift. I am about to go to bed just mounting a print for Mondays meeting first. I overprinted yesterdays photographs a bit, I can bring print tonalities out with bleach but I need to make sure I do not go to over board with the dramatic printing, otherwise it starts looking like some kind of stage lighting in a Broadway show. I have to be a bit more subtle in my management of the print.

It always amazes me that no mater how tired I feel once I see that print in the fix I am invigorated and energetic, it's the magic of photography. Today I was tired when I got home after working all night, tired when I mixed up the developer, tired when I put the negative in the neg carrier. Then when I saw the projected image on the baseboard I started to feel better, then in the developer, better still and finally in the fix with the room light on and WAP, wide awake and feeling great. There is nothing that makes me feel better than the creating photographs, a true natural high.

Bleaching has also become a fun process, it feels like your painting right on the print, like your adding your touch, your caress to the photograph, bringing it to life!

Well I need to get back to the dry mount press, and then off to bed, got another 12 hour night shift ahead of me and then probably another darkroom session tomorrow before working again Sunday night.