I have been sturggling with a 35mm negative for the last several hours (4 or 5 actually), I find the 35mm images harder to print than my larger negs (120mm, 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10). When the prints from a 35mm negative are done right they can be things of beauty but getting them to that point can be a very difficult process. I am working on what I feel is a important photograph for the show. The shot is of a wide horizontal of a man reading on the train tracks with the slum housing and other local people in the background. Once the viewers see this photograph in the show (I will put it up front) they will have a better understanding of the world the people in the portraits live in. The photograph will help to establish what Klong Toey Slum is and where the people are coming from. I need to get this print right I will use masks, dodging, burning, bleaching, the print will have multiple contrasts (from the multi contrast enlarging head/paper).
Anyway better get back to work, I want to do one more picture before I move on to the bleaching and toning steps. I will then wash and let this print dry before deciding if I need to make more refinements or go with what I got. Am using lots of photo paper up, expensive 16x20 fibre paper but its a necessary expenditure. I got to do this right!
Am working tonight, also need to get some sleep, I hope to do a bit of printing done this week after my 12 hour security nightshifts, I am running out of time, the show is in March!!!
Here are a few more new scans:
