Sink Stand FINALLY Finished!!!

After weeks of effort, multiple design changes and six or more trips to three stores for parts, this thing is  done! It looks great,and should do the job nicely. I will add some cushioning to the contact points and a clamp or two and she should be ready to go. Now I will try and return the multitude of left over peices of all shapes and sizes, to get some money back. Will call the plumber in my next week off, to hook up my sinks. Then darkroom, #2 will almost be ready to go.

My new sink stand

New White Board And Cork Board For Darkroom #2

Yesterday before I did all the window stuff I drove down to the Westend of Edmonton to pick up a 3x4 foot white board and a 3x4 foot cork board, cost was $50 for both. I put them up in the darkroom last night. Had a few issues finding the damn 2x4-joists but eventually got it done. Persistence is sort of my calling card, it overcomes my incompetence!

My newly added white board and cork (bulletin) board

Darkness Seems A Success!

My plan to block light from the darkroom #2 windows seems to have worked. I am able to open and close 2 of the 3 windows and they seem to be light tight. The third window was of a slightly different design and had no window screen so I just completely blocked that window out, covered it with black plastic, it cannot be opened or closed. The other 2 windows thou are basically the same as any window but light tight. They can be opened or closed as needed to let beautiful fresh air into the darkroom! I have to confirm that the windows are now light tight (hope the plastic is light tight as advertised) tomorrow during the day (it is 2am now in Edmonton), but so far so good, am quite happy the way it all turned out.

Lots and lots of pics of my windows :)), 3 different windows now covered up, 2 can be opened for fresh air!

I Need Darkness!!

Well have started to light proof darkroom #2. I have 1 small and 2 larger windows in the space (1 is very large). With my light proofing I wanted to try something a bit different this time around. Instead of permanently sealing up the windows I wanted to try to rig up something that would allow me to open the windows and get some fresh air flow. My neighbourhood is fairly dark, there is only one house nearby, so I might be able to open the windows on nice summer nights while printing. I could also open the windows during the daytime when I am not printing but need some beautiful fresh air flowing through the space. Darkrooms do not have to be clinical autopsy places, they do not have to be dirty dark chemical smelling holes in the ground, they can be beautiful and friendly, in fact they should be that way, it helps inspire the soul!

Here is my plan, not sure it will work but going to give it a go. I bought some light proof plastic material off Amazon that is white on one side and black on the other. I am cutting the plastic to fit the individual window panes then attaching it with non sticky residue black gaffer tape (expensive stuff). I am not sure the back glass pane piece of plastic will allow for the top window to slid over top of it, back and forth, but it might, here's hoping!!

Some photos of the first pane (smallest window) covered in the material along with some links to the plastic and tape, in case this works and you all want to give it a go!

Plastic Material
60 Yards Gaffer Tape

Views of the window

Latest Darkroom #2 Add

Here is the latest darkroom add. Put up a photo from the sex worker series shot in 2007. Two workers from Pattaya a short time sex bar.

20x24 print from a 8x10 neg

Latest Darkroom #2 Update

Well the painting in darkroom #2 is finally completed. I think I painted everything 5 times in every colour of the rainbow! Now am starting to bring in all the darkroom gear as well as more personal touches, the room is becoming quite congested.

I picked up a small Sony stereo today (CD player, cassette player, radio) for $25, an excellent deal. I hooked it up to the Sony speakers and added in 2 Pioneer speakers I got from the same seller for $10. The sound quality is pretty damn good, not bad at all, certainly good enough for me. Was listening to the Beatles Anthology CD tonight as I cleaned, and mopped and arranged the room. Music will make the room more alive. Later on I plan to hook up my cordless headphones (got from work for free) to the system.

In the darkroom I also have a reading area, complete with comfortable chair. I will be browsing my art-photo books as well as reading some poetry and novels in my darkroom down time. I will also just go down there to read when I am not printing. Added a TV with DVD player to the room on dad's old swing TV stand for $40, and a small fridge ($65) for storing film and some cold water (will keep all the drinking liquids and glasses etc. always inside the sealed fridge for health and safety reasons).

Also put up some of my old pics found from younger days as well as some of the higher quality, framed, newer stuff. Tonight I brought over a bunch of my show posters-adverts from various galleries that I have exhibited at since 2013. It sort of gives the place a bit of movie poster feel to it.

The darkroom is feeling very nice and cosy, and will be a very personal and fun place to hang. I cannot wait until I make my first Platinum-Palladium print in the space.

"Ain't Photography Grand!!!"

Note* The next step is to make the 3 large windows light tight, and then finish my sink stand. Next week off I plan to bring in an electrician for an estimate on putting in some ventilation and will call in the plumber to hook up the 3 darkroom sinks I will have in the space (2 older sinks also on the other side of the room). The darkroom should be completed, by March 1, at least I hope so. Spring is on the way and I have a new darkroom to create, print and dream in. Does life can any better than that? Not for me!!

Note** The cat is from my Baba and Gido's (grandma and gramps) old home.

Enlarger table, have 3 set up, might bring in another 2 or possibly 3 more

Largest sink, will use for washing film, trays etc.

Light table area with Mr. Picasso watching

Sink #2 and Sink #3

View from the far end of the darkroom

$65 fridge and $25 Sony stereo

Penticton Art Gallery "Families of the Dump" show card, and  Rosebud Alberta exhibition for the Families and  Dad

My chess area, want to vastly improve my game, playing online matches as as I print and review  chess books

"The Train is Coming" Bangkok Klong Toey Slum advert

My little library of art, photo, poetry, novels and chess books

Advert, Artist Statement for the Thai Sex Worker portrait show at the VAA

View from the other angle of the darkroom

Another view from the other side, the chair is for reading and resting

Another view of the book area

Stand for trays etc, still needs to be cleaned

Second cupboard with a 4th and 5th sink left over from my fathers cooking days

Movable table with the large $25 UV exposure unit

Final view from the fridge side of the darkroom

233lbs

Did my bi-weekly weighing tonight, am down to 233lbs, that is 3lbs down from my 2 weeks ago when I was 236. So that is 17lbs down from where I started in December at 250lbs.

Not a lot of weight loss, disappointed with that number but at least I am bit closer to my 225lb goal. On the plus side am doing 65 push ups 2 times a night during my work week, along with crunches, sit-ups, stairs and some stretching. I need to figure out some kind of other exercise. Going swimming? Getting an indoor exercise bike?

Hopefully my next 2 week weighing will be down more than 3 pounds and I can enter the 220s. When you lose weight it always gets tougher and tougher, as your body compensates. It is much easier to go from 250 to 240 than from 210 to 200. I am finding it difficult to go hungry at times. Trying to figure out the best and safest way to accomplish my goal. Probably a bit more food but much more exercise is required.

Other Small Darkroom #2 Buys

Here are a few other things I bought off Amazon for the darkroom. Markers for the white board and tape-black and white material for making the 3 darkroom windows light tight. The idea (not sure it will work), is to be able to open the darkroom windows for some fresh air flow, even after they have been taped light tight.

Non residue leaving Gaffer tape, $23 (Free Shipping)

VIVOSUN Black and White Panda Film Roll 10FT X 10FT 5.5 Mil, $20 (Free Shipping)

Buying A 3x4 Foot Whiteboard And A 3x4 Foot Bulletin Board

Picking up another couple of used items next week for darkroom #2. A 3'x4' cork bulletin board and a 3'x4' white board (Dry Erase Ink Marker Board). Not sure I can fit the cork bulletin board into the room but I sure can get the white board in! The white board will help when I am working on various printing projects, can take notes and think things out. It will also help when I am teaching workshops, explaining things to students. The costs of the 2 boards together is a reasonable $50 CAD.

3x4 Foot White Board $25

3x4 Foot Bulletin Board $25

Free Sony Cordless Headphones

I was looking around for some cordless headphones to use with my new-used $25 stereo in darkroom #2. One of the problems I am facing with this new work area is noise. Because the darkroom is located int he basement of my mother and fathers old home there will also be 1 or possibly 2 renters sharing that same basement, in 2 different suites adjacent suites next to the darkroom. I do not want to disturb them, so I needed to figure out some way to listen to tunes in the darkroom at night using a higher volumes without worrying about waking up the renters. I decided the best way and probably only way to go was to use some kind of cordless headphone system. These headphones needed to be the older analog style types, not the newer style Bluetooth types (very easy to find).

Where to get them?

I remembered that at work in my security guardhouse we used to use cordless headphones to give orientations to contractors (keeping things quiet in the guard shack). Several years back, probably 4 or 5 years we stopped using the headphones ( they worked sometimes, did not work others). I asked my bosses at work if I could have those old headphone, and they said yes! So tonight I cleaned them up (inches of dust on them). I now have 1 transmitter and 3 new-used headphones for the darkroom. I will take them home and try to hook them up to the new-used stereo I am getting next week. Hopefully everything works well and will allow me to have a fully functioning darkroom QUIET sound system for $25 only (the price of the stereo).

Free headphones, can't beat that! I think these things retailed at around $100 when they were bought 10 years or so ago.

Set of 3 free cordless headphones from Sony

New-Used $25 Stereo System For Darkroom #2

Am buying a $25 CAD stereo for darkroom #2. It is a used Sony LBT-D115 unit, with a radio, CD player and double cassette deck. I also will be buying a record player of some kind for it as well. I can then listen to all my classical/jazz and other LPs, cassettes and CDs in the darkroom as I print. For $25 even if the cassette player is the only thing that works, it's a good deal. Not sure how old this unit is. I hope it lasts me 5 more years ($5 bucks a year).

My new $25 Sony Stereo

Drug Taking Found Framed Photo Story

A bit of background on the drug photo below. When I was 21 I took a 6 month trip to the USA in my parents 24 foot motorhome. I ended up in San Francisco where I met a trumpet player and heroin addict named Dupree Bolton (since passed away). Dupree introduced me to a man named Sonny Land (ex middle weight prize fighter, world level). Sonny had a closed rundown Jazz Club in a West Oakland ghetto area. I ended up staying-sleeping-eating at the old club for around 3 months.

The drug shooting photograph is of a man who I only met once, he was a Vietnam vet I think, a medic as I recall. The pictures were in the Jazz clubs very small bathroom, which I had converted to a small darkroom. I took off the black sock I was wearing so that he could tie up his arm before shooting up. He heated a nickel bag of heroin in a small bottle cap with a lighter before withdrawing the liquid with a small syringe and injecting himself. This man was nice to me, kind. Such a sad life to live, injection to injection.  I photographed 3 different drug users during this period. After the injection they went from agitated to relaxed, no real high, often they would have to shoot up many times a day as the heroin was cut so much, it had no effect on them.

Drug use, "My Favourite Things Jazz Club' Oakland California USA,  1985