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Old 22nd April 2011, 02:08 PM
GeorgeH GeorgeH is offline
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Default George H near Atlanta, Georgia USA

I'm returning to the darkroom after a long absence, about 30 years. My father and I had a darkroom from my early teens til graduated from college. He was a chemical engineer so it only seemed reasonable to mix our own film developer, the Beutler soup. He had done his own printing in the 30's; I have a lot of his negatives and some prints from then.

I also sampled Ektachrome processing, the E-2 process I think. The reversal was done with a PHOTOFLOOD lamp! Looking back our enlarger was really crude, but we did some nice work.

Much later a dear friend and I shot semi-pro, weddings and sports, but we could never make the jump and quit our day jobs. Joe was a wizard color printer, so we had the Vericolor processed by others and did our own printing. When we acquired a Mamiya 645 kit and a dichroic Omega B22 weddings became easier than with 35mm! We did make enough to satisfy our BW habit.

What with child rearing - daughter Becky, now a PhD - and career concerns the darkroom was put on hold until just recently when with my retirement from public library administration my dear wife Flora ceded the upstairs guest bath for a darkroom, where the Beseler 23cIII looms over the counter.

I shoot primarily Pentax: K1000, ME-Super, MX, and a pretty sizable LX kit. I've just jumped into medium format with a Pentax 645n and its 35mm, 55mm, 75mm, 120mm macro, and 200mm. Of course I had to find a carrier for the Beseler and a used 80mm Componon.

On impulse I bought a Busch Pressman C, a 2x3 sheet film camera, much like the better known baby Graphic. I had used a baby Graphic some in high school shooting for a local paper and enjoyed it, so when I saw this cutie at Wings Camera in Atlanta I helped the local economy. This purchase necessitated a new (to me) Fujinon 105mm lens for the Beseler and a carrier.

Good thing I bought the Beseler instead of an Omega B22!

I also shoot with a Pentax K10d and print to an Epson R1800. Digital is great for shooting the grandkids but I have yet to see a digital BW print that could compare with Ansel Adams or Cartier-Bresson's silver gelatin fiber prints.

Alas, how many digital family snaps are ever printed? I'd wager that most reside on a hard-drive, which WILL fail at some time. The shoe box or photo album seems an endangered species, and this is sad.

Cookery and gardening and the grandkids fill out the time. Flora has been most understanding and supportive of my hobby. And photography is, really, far cheaper than that favorite avocation of the southeastern United States, bass fishing!
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Old 22nd April 2011, 02:33 PM
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B&W Neil B&W Neil is offline
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Hello George and welcome to FADU, Many thanks for your introduction which I enjoyed reading. You have a wealth of experience in colour as well as monochrome and I am sure you will enjoy participating in the forum discussions on FADU. I also look forward to seeing some of your work in due course.

The guest bathroom is much more useful as a darkroom

Neil.
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Old 22nd April 2011, 02:38 PM
Dave miller Dave miller is offline
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Welcome George and thank you for taking the time to provide us with a comprehensive introduction.
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Old 22nd April 2011, 04:19 PM
Richard Gould Richard Gould is offline
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Hi George and welcome to fadu, great introduction, I'm sure your input will be really usefull, and I look forward to it, and to seeing some of your work,
Richard
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Old 22nd April 2011, 05:42 PM
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MartyNL MartyNL is offline
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Hello and welcome to the forum George.
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Old 22nd April 2011, 06:58 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Hi George and welcome. Great to see you are getting back to the darkroom and now have a bit more spare time.

I have a P645n myself so I am glad that's now three of us here with P645s. it will be helpful if any of us has an issue to discuss.

Mike
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Old 22nd April 2011, 09:46 PM
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StanW StanW is offline
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Welcome, George, and thanks for sharing your history.
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A sad case of GAS - 8x10 pinhole down to 35mm slr and rf
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Old 23rd April 2011, 06:19 AM
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Welcome to the forum George. Thanks for the comprehensive introduction.

Bill
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Old 23rd April 2011, 09:27 AM
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Welcome to fadu George, I'm sure you will enjoy yourself here.
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Vincent - Not afraid of the dark
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Old 23rd April 2011, 10:01 AM
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Hi George, its a friendly place.
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If you eliminate the impossible whatever remains no matter how improbable must be the truth.
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