young'un joining the ranks

[spiritlake]

Hello hello!
I'm twenty-two, living in Texas, been shooting film for about five years, and in the process of setting up my home darkroom. I had a great, classic university photo experience -- shooting 35mm on all-manual cameras and printing on RC under the guidance of good teachers. After a two-year delay (moving and getting a darkroom setup) I'm shooting with a Yashica Mat 124g (my grandmother's!) and a Mamiya 7II and getting into FB printing. I spent most of my time shooting candid, natural-light portraits, but am not sure what direction my photos will take now that format, process, and environment have changed so entirely.

This forum is such a huge resource, I'm so grateful for it! I'm fairly isolated, living as I do on a ranch in rural Texas, and I don't know how I'd get the darkroom set up without APUG!

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Hello and a warm welcome to APUG. Sounds like you're off to a great start!

Jeff

 

[Selidor]

Welcome to APUG, hope to see ya around

 

[Klainmeister]

Welcome to the forum! 23 over here in NM and also shooting the M7II and printing on FB. Glad to know there's more out there!

 

[zsas]

Welcome. Wish you the best on your darkroom building! Just recently got mine into production, a very fun process. Hopefully you can find darkroom goods nearby on Craigslist but suspect you being rural limits what you can buy local vs mail order.

 

[spiritlake]

Whoah, thanks for the warm welcome! How encouraging y'all are.

I have been extremely fortunate and privileged in the "big metal chunks" area -- a friend had an unwanted Beseler 23cII, I've inherited or been loaned cameras over the years, and Ebay has been kind to me (updating lenses and neg carriers on Bessie, old Kodak tray siphons, etc.) but the b&h cart still adds up a bit frighteningly.

My biggest difficulty has been extreme age of my little cabin home. The bathroom is all concrete, and perfect for wetlab work, but the building near-decrepitude assures that little shifts, cracks, and pinholes are everywhere. I'm using a changing bag for film loading, and will penny-test for fogging.

 

[papagene]

Hello and welcome to APUG from western Massachusetts.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Welcome from Washington, DC! If you think things have changed going from 35mm to 2 1/4 and RC to fiber, you'd better stay out of the Alternative Process sections of APUG, otherwise you'll find yourself shooting Ultra-Large Format cameras and printing platinum, gum bichromate or albumen, or eschewing printing altogether and doing wet plate collodion positives on black trophy aluminum. Enjoy and welcome to the madhouse - there's always room for more folks here!

 

[spiritlake]

So true!
I actually hope to move into platinotype at some point, and may fall down the rabbit hole from there. I had a fun season building pinholes and playing with junk and instant cameras a few years ago, but decided to strip down and stick to a really simple system for a while to concentrate on my processing. Not that I have to reach some abstract level of accomplishment to "earn" the right to start playing with gum prints or anything, I just want to develop a good foundation of consistent shooting / developing / printing technique.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

First, pick up pyro development You'll see a big change in your silver gelatin negatives. Then you'll be ready for alt process. It's all easy, trust me And depending on where exactly you are in Texas, there's some great APUG folks in the center of the state who would be great resources for you. And they do get out and drive around the state a lot so it wouldn't be hard to entice them out your way wherever you are.

 

[K-G]

Welcome from the west coast of Sweden and congratulations to your new darkroom. It's good to see that there are more of the Yashica Mat cameras still in action. I have an old Yashica Mat EM from late fifties or early sixties that once served in the US Army. It's still in perfect condition. May you have many wonderful dark hours by the enlarger.

Karl-Gustaf

 

[Chazzy]

Welcome to APUG. It's always encouraging to hear about young people doing film photography.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[guitstik]

Welcome to APUG from the other "T" state.

 

[mooseontheloose]

Welcome to APUG! We're glad to have you here.

 

[gordrob]

Welcome to APUG from Western Canada - and good luck with the darkroom - it will be worth it

Gord

 

[Katie]

Hi and Welcome! Where exactly are you in rural TX? I'm in La Grange ... kinda right in the middle of nowhere between Austin, Houston and San Antonio. I just built a darkroom in my turn of the century garage/shop/building behind my house (which is also 100+ years old). I drool over the Mamiya 7ii ... but currently shoot Hasselblad and Bronica (MF) and lots of various 35mm (canon, minolta, etc...).

Although it's been at least 15 years since I've seen 22, I still think most would call me a "youngun" when thinking of analog photography and darkroom printing.

 

[Valerie]

Howdy neighbor! Welcome home!

 

[arpinum]

i'm also in the under 30 crowd with a Mamiya 7ii. Glad to know there are others out there

 

[tony lockerbie]

Welcome from Australia, and great to see a young-un come on board. I'm still working on my son who is your age....not successful at this stage!

 

[JBrunner]

Welcome.

 

[ChrisBCS]

Welcome! Please never never let film die!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Old thread. If my math is correct he'd be about 28. I wonder how he's doing...

 

[mvierow]

I wonder too. Would it be weird to try and reach out to him/her?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Welcome to APUG