While Jeremy & I were in College together we took a B&W photography class (the old school kind... with actual film) anyway it turned out to be one of my all time favorite classes. A few times Jeremy & I drove downtown to capture that perfect urban setting. I love the delicious moodiness of dark alleyways, oily streets, smoke and fog. It is especially beautiful to me in B&W. We would spend hours shooting everything from the trash on the streets to each other posed next to the expansive city backdrop. Every setting, every adjustment I made with my dad's old 1970's SLR was dutifully recorded in a notebook.
Playing with silhouettes
Playing with shadows + my Hitchcockesk cameo
I couldn't wait to get back on the school campus to the photo lab to unlock those small rolls of film and peek at the hidden images within. Every step in a pictures development took precious time and careful skill. I would process my negatives with just the right amount of chemicals that I had to agitate for the perfect amount of time. By the time my negatives were dry, cleaned, and cut my excitement was palpable. Finally I could take my negatives to the light table and see my images for the first time... well in reverse B&W, but it was so thrilling to see those tiny images!
One of my favorite photos
In the dark room the air would be crowded with the smell of chemical and nervous excitement. When it was time to project my image on paper I think I held my breath every time. With a soft click the projector lights would pop on and then all to quickly, another click, and the projector lights and the image would disappear. Then to dip the blank white paper into the chemical bath and to watch the picture suddenly appear, was either exciting or frustrating. This was the moment of truth, to see if all the hard work is paying off. I would tweak my light time, adjust my dodging & burning, and religiously clean my negatives of dust (all things that could make or break a photograph) with the hope of an image worth the investment.
In the end, after hours of time in the dark room (because I might be a bit of a perfectionist) I would go home with a small collection of beautiful, glossy photographs that I still treasure today. Not to mention, it kind of worked out that I married my main photography subject too! By the way, Jeremy and I both got A's in the class (this is Jeremy's comment)
Isn't he cute
Photography with a standard SLR and the development of photos is an emotional journey. At any point something could go terribly wrong and ruin your images forever, from improper loading of film to accidental light exposure. When you can finally hold a developed image in your hand it feels like gold.
Today I have a DSLR that has seemingly blotched out the old art form creating a new one in its place. (While I do miss the old film days, I have to admit I do love the almost instant gratification I get from my digital cameras).
To add a sweet note to my reminiscing, while we were in CA over the Christmas holiday I had the chance to walk some of the streets that I use to photograph and though the back alleys were not our destination this time, I couldn't help to stop and snap a few pictures.
Still my favorite subject
Adam & Jeremy in Santa Monica
Our true destination, the Santa Monica Pier, was enveloped in fog while we were there and set the perfect stage for some other really amazing photo moments, coming soon...
