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I suck at this! I'll take up knitting!

Mats_A

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Jan 31, 2010
Messages
570
Location
Finland
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Multi Format
AAAAARRRGGGGHHHH!
I just spent 3 hours + in my new darkroom and absolutely everything I printed was rubbish. I managed to make some semi-decent prints earlier in the week so I thought I was "the man". But no. Nothing worked. Dust, negatives out of focus, no contrast. Ok. More time. Less time. Higher filter. Lower. I'll try split grade printing. How did it work now. Something about filter 5 and 0.0. More crap. Great, I'm running out of 5x7 paper. I'll cut up some 8x10. Open the paper safe, retrieve paper, notice that white light is on.

I swear, I'll start knitting. Because I absolutely, positively suck at this B&W printing.

Sigh!

I'll now make some food for the missus and my son. Later on I will order some anti static brushes and give the dark room a good cleaning. Or maybe..... this site http://knitting.about.com/ looks interesting....

r

Mats
 
Thanks for the knitting link.

Dust has been the bane of my existence this last week. Actually have the image looking good except for the spots.
 
Mats

There is a list of mistakes all photographers make - you can now cross out 'open paper with white light on.'

My favorite was shooting a whole roll at a BBQ - every shot was great! Or would have been if I had made sure the film was advancing. I still can't talk about problems concerning batteries and the ways you can install them, or forgetting to set/check flash synch.

Relax, in time you'll laugh at it. At least it was in the printing stage - you can have a 'do-over!'

The next time will be magical.
 
RalphLambrecht said:
Watching my wife knitting, I think you are about to move from the fire right into the frying pan.
Click to expand...

At least the yarn can be re-used when I screw up.
 
It's funny how the (my) mind works. When I'm in a rut like this I know deep down that I need to stop running around trying everything in the book and go back to the basics. Or stop completely and clean the room. Or something else. But no, I'm not capable of doing that. I keep running around looking for ever wilder solutions until something really big hits me smack in the face. Like opening the paper safe in EV 10 condition.

It is excellent that there exist a place like this where you can went your frustration at people who know what you are talking about. Thanks all.

r

Mats
 
Mats: you began with "new darkroom." Does that mean that it is a recently constructed or renovated space? If so, dust from the construction may have settled on everything and you are stirring it up when you move around. Perhaps your first job should be a thorough wiping down of everything with a damp cloth.

As far as the rest of it, you answered your own question: go back to the basics that you know work for you, fix one problem at a time then move to the next, and know that some days you are the windshield, other days you are the bug...shit just happens sometimes.
 
Mats_A said:
I swear, I'll start knitting. Because I absolutely, positively suck at this B&W printing.
Click to expand...

well - my girlfriend is now a master in a darkroom (she's a member here)..

BUT she is also fantastic in knitting!

So you can do both!!
 
In the process of creating photographs, I have found that there are almost limitless opportunities to make mistakes along the way. Their shear number makes learning from all of them and remembering how not to repeat them a daunting task. I sometimes think it might be interesting to create a sort of chronological catalog of them all, starting with the inception of a visual concept, ending with the hanging of the print in a gallery, and with everything in between. Everyone from APUG could contribute to the list, which would somehow magically be sequentially collated into its proper place in the process everytime someone made a new entry. It would be a sticky thread that would eventually grow into dozens if not hundreds of pages. And, depending on your mood at the time, it could read as an enlightening source of useful information, as lighthearted self-depricating humor, or as your absolute worst nightmare.

The downside might be that if newcomers read it, they could be overwhelmed and quit before they even start, thereby stiffling any possible growth in film sales.

Regards,

Dave
 
Okay Mats, you are now oficially a printer of the best kind, EXPERIENCED! You managed to consolidate most of the worst mistakes all at once. Before you start printing again, clean your DR. Its a good idea to buy a small Hepa filter unit and run it full time. Winter is the worst for dust because of the reduced humidity, causing static electricity to make dust cling to everything. Add some humidity to the room, run the hot water to release some steam if possible. If you vacuum the room try to keep the machine outside the DR and just run the hose and wand inside it. Let us know how the knitting is coming along.
 
Been there, done that. OMG I'm still doing that.

Take a break, make a plan. Enjoy it, or ebay it.
 
be careful .. before you know it
you are going to buying feed, goats,
sheep, sheers, cards spinning wheel, and dye
 
jnanian said:
be careful .. before you know it
you are going to buying feed, goats,
sheep, sheers, cards spinning wheel, and dye
Click to expand...

oh no, not one of those analog knitters...
 
I have a saying, and like most sayings, it's full of holes, but here goes:

"Nothing worth doing is EVER easy."

My bane "was" light falloff. Enlargers that really couldn't do what they claimed. I finally got a 23C XL and all is right, except now in the middle of Winter, there's nothing worth shooting. Haven't been in the darkroom in over a month. Dust is always a bugaboo too. And hair. I have a golden retriever. His hair even gets inside cameras and I wonder, cursing up and down, why my negatives keep getting scratched... oh wait, these are black... DAMN. Hair inside the camera! Arrrrrrggggh!

Take it one step at a time and then, once you do master the technical stuff, hopefully your creative eye lends itself to taking photos you actually want to print! THAT is the ultimate, most important part, of this photography endeavor.
 
Thank you all for your encouragement. I will clean the DR, take a break, get some anti static stuff. Rick, I'll start looking for a Hepa filter. It sounds like a good idea.

r

Mats
 
Mats_A said:
I managed to make some semi-decent prints earlier in the week so I thought I was "the man".
r

Mats
Click to expand...

I learnt a few years ago after finding things never quite worked out that I should never presume 'I was the man' - life has a habit of biting me on the backside whenever my head becomes larger than my hat.....
You'll be back - better than before....

good luck
 
Mats_A said:
Thank you all for your encouragement. I will clean the DR, take a break, get some anti static stuff. Rick, I'll start looking for a Hepa filter. It sounds like a good idea.

r

Mats
Click to expand...

That's the spirit, Mats. Over here we call that "gettin' back on the horse whut threw you".

It might be a good idea to check out your enlarger as well, make sure the lenses are clean and that there is no dust inside the light housing or on the condensor. That can cause no end of frustration for printing. Don't give up.
 
Mats,

See my tag line... I'll join you. "ARGHHHHHHH!"

Just recently, I blew through two rolls and 10 sheets of paper (3 were for contact sheets) to find out I didn't like anything in these two rolls. I had everything from way out of focus to everything is great except the scene just wasn't interesting. I can certainly relate to your frustrations. I just was a really REALLY bad day.

I complained in chat-room and said I'll pickup knitting, then someone says, "in knitting, you could knit for days and find out you made a mistake in the first few stitches." ARGHHHHH!

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you, I can sympathize with your troubles and you aren't alone. I have a rule... if a session starts out and stays bad in first hour or so, get out of DR and come back later that frustration is a key enemy. But that can only work if I listen to my own advise. ARGHHHHH!

P.S. By the way... I still love these work and I do find gems buried in my neg strips - but it only happens the NEXT DAY.
 
Maybe time for some additional "tools". Split Grade printing on the manual way is really boring and not so easy at all. Maybe you have to change some things:

Dead Link Removed

Quick, reliable, easy and accurate. So you can go to the final print directly! Apart from saving some time (and paper) printing is a real pleasure with it.

Regards,

Robert
 
Oh... here's a trick I use for not opening paper safe with lights on... I've ALMOST done it many times.

On every paper safe, I have a blue painter's tape across the latch. This is a re-usable low stick adhesive tape that you can (well, at least we can in US) buy at home improvement centers. It's there to slow me down, give me tactile feed back, and be one more step - before I can open the lid. It works for me.
 
Dear Mats,

If it makes you feel any better, we've all had those days and it won't be your last. ;>) I think the worst times are when you think you've created a masterpiece until you look at it the next day.

Neal Wydra
 
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