Picked up a camera a few years ago from a yard sale--it was a mamiya c3--had several odds and ends, developing kit and some old chemicals--along with an old kodak darkroom book. Took the stuff home fumbled around with it all and shot a roll of trix x, waited till it got dark shoved towels under the bathroom door and somehow got that film loaded onto that wire spool and loaded in the drum. I then following the recipe for that d76 developer made a batch of chemicals...and somehow got through the developing process...what a mess!!! I pulled the film from the reel and was dissapointed the first frames were really dark and crinkled from fussing with the film trying to load it, but the middle 3 pictures looked wonderful to me even though I had know idea what a negative should look like. I hung the film up to dry and called a few labs the next day to see who could make a print--found the lab and 1 of the negatives printed so well I still have the picture hanging today. I have been immersed in the photographic process ever since, Started with and still use a mamiya c3. Since I decided Mamiya, Nikon, and a Graphic View II would be me friends. I shoot digital as well, but always find myself being pulled into the slow and reasonable approach to sorting out my exposure taking the shot, and hand crafting the print. A camera is a tool for me to find somthing deeper within myself. I do quite a bit of model portfolio work, and I dabble in near infrared film, but my passion is becoming more and more evident to me that I love portraiture. I do plan on expanding into more alternative processes wet plate, etc,but right now it is just fun for me.
