Hello you good analog people, happy Thanksgiving to y'all!
Today I want to give thanks to the gods of light and dark(rooms), as I have just re-emerged from my second day of color printing in my first self-built custom-made super-duper light-tight extra-nice good-looking great-working DARKROOM, and, can you tell? am on cloud nine-and-a-half.
Between prints I was looking at the set-up (two color enlargers, an angled board for print viewing with color balanced light fixtures above, my little Fujimoto processor securely and PERMANENTLY installed above the ole bath tub, humming away, water filter gurgling, the trusted fan sucking fumes out, paper boxes stacked on the table, enlarging lenses lined up waiting to be used, the black wall, the ipod playing cool jazz ....) and realized: I never had it this good darkroom-wise!
After moving away from NY (and its great rental facilities), I have printed in tiny bathrooms, with the processor needing to be set-up and broken down for every session, I've printed in other people's outdoor shower stalls, stinking hot in summer and freezing cold in winter, I've printed in a friends laundry room, tiptoeing around folks eating dinner (thanks Joel!), and finally feel like I've arrived: Space! Good equipment! Proper drainage! Balanced light! And: a little kitchen to make espresso!
So, I've hugged all available roommates already (I am sharing a house with 4 painters, the house is all studios, nobody lives there permanently), and still have excitement to share, so I thought I'd do it here.
(And hope I've landed in the right forum.)
Anyway, thanks to all who've shared their knowledge along the way, directly and indirectly, and again: happy Thanksgiving!
And Niko: trust me, it gets better!
Imke