Uncle Jonesy's Cameras Podcast #37: Speed Bumps in the Dark(room)

Shutter Brother Kevin here.

Three weeks - three shows! What's going on here? I don't know, either, but I am going to do all I can to keep it up and make a new show each week until the end of the year. This week's show features an update on my journey into large format photography, and my attempt to make 4x5 contact prints at home in my small bathroom (one bedroom/one bath). Being able to make contact prints at home was one of the main reasons I wanted to try large format photography in the first place. My ideas on how to accomplish this were based on a video produced by large format photographer and YouTuber Mat Marrash, in which he makes contact prints in a darkroom using a bare bulb as the light source instead of an enlarger. His results looked so easy and good that I thought, "Piece of cake!" When I tried it, however, all I ran into were speed bumps in the dark. In the end, I gave up, because it just wasn't as fun when paper is being wasted and no usable prints are being made. "Now I know why darkrooms are dark," I said to myself as I transitioned my homemade darkroom back into a bathroom and put away my useless homemade contact printing frame. While I will continue to develop film at home, I will continue to make my prints in our community darkroom. And, no, this is not the end of my large format journey. I haven't even tried to make an enlargement of one of my 4x5 negatives, yet, and I am really looking forward to doing that.

My curtain worked just fine . . . 

 . . . but this small bathroom does not make a good
darkroom . . 

. . . and that crappy homemade contact
printing frame is going down the toilet.

In other news, our 2021 Photowalk with Wayne Setser is less that three weeks away, and I am getting really excited. If you haven't listened to show #36 yet, I highly recommend that you give it a listen and here Wayne and I discuss all the reasons why you should participate if you can. Saturday, December 11, is going to be quite a morning of photography and fun, and it all starts at 9:00 am EST at Laurel Snow State Natural Area near Dayton, Tennessee. We will meet in the parking lot first, then Wayne will show us one of his favorites places to photograph (you can see some of his Laurel Show work by going to his Flickr page here). When we are finished with the photowalk, we will gather at Monkeytown Brewing in Dayton for lunch and fellowship. You can see the Facebook event page here.

Finally, since this is Thanksgiving week in the USA, I reflect on all the photography-related things for which I am grateful, and there are plenty. I think that it is always a good idea to count your blessings and give thanks. Oh, and you are on my list!

Please drop us a line at unclejonesyscameras@gmail.com and consider following us on Instagram and Facebook at @UJCPodcast. And as always, please subscribe to the podcast, so that you won't miss a show!

Thank you listeners, and Happy Shooting!