First print from home lab

[mjs1973]

Here is one of my first enlargments that I made today from my home darkroom. What do you think?

[Chunk]

Here is one of my first enlargment that I made today from my home darkroom. What do you think?

Congrats. If you ever get out of the darkroom to read this, you did a good job. What paper are you starting with?

[mjs1973]

Congrats. If you ever get out of the darkroom to read this, you did a good job. What paper are you starting with?

Thanks Chunk. I am using Ilford MGIV, Multigrade IV RC Deluxe, glossy paper. 5x7 is the largest I have gone so far, other than using 8x10 for contact sheets.

Michael

[Nina]

You could've fooled me. I would've thought that this pic was printed in a professional lab. I think for your 1st print it came out looking great !

[Young Shooter]

Looks realy neat

[FadderUri]

Looks very good. I would have never guessed it wasn't a pro lab.

[92135011]

I think it looks kinda scary to tell you the truth
The left tree has some sort of a vertical white spot that makes it unnatural, but the rest is really good. I think maybe its your scanner thats causing the whiteness anyways.

Photo finishing is real fun. I used to live love it when using the lab at school. Its funny though...you first start with using tongs...then get lazy...and start using hands. Still remmeber when I got developer in my eye. I didnt know what to do...asked the instructor, and he told me to put some stop bath and fixer on it so that I would have a fully developed eye -.-!

[mjs1973]

I think it looks kinda scary to tell you the truth
The left tree has some sort of a vertical white spot that makes it unnatural, but the rest is really good. I think maybe its your scanner thats causing the whiteness anyways.

Photo finishing is real fun. I used to live love it when using the lab at school. Its funny though...you first start with using tongs...then get lazy...and start using hands. Still remmeber when I got developer in my eye. I didnt know what to do...asked the instructor, and he told me to put some stop bath and fixer on it so that I would have a fully developed eye -.-!

Thanks for the comments. I think that white is from the scanner but I will have to look at the print when I get home to make sure. What exactly do you mean by
"scary"? If you mean scary as in haunted, then you are right. This building is supposed to by haunted by the ghost of William Coffee (sp). He was the last man hanged in the area, maybe even the state. Don't quote me on that, my history is a little rusty. As far as being lazy and the tongs go... I used them for a day or two in the lab at school then I said screw it, and just started grabbing them. I keep latex gloves in the lab at home and they seem to work pretty well.

Michael

[92135011]

If it is really haunted, then you did a really good job with this one.
There is definately the feeling that something is "disturbed" in the picture. To me, it screams doom and gloom. Something about the texture and tonal balance that you captured that really enhanced the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words"
Its great that you dedicated your first print at your home lab to such a fine picture.
I wouldnt suggest framing it though...too scary...might haunt you

[efjeld]

Looks great! I took a darkroom class last year at MIAD and absolutly loved it! It was very time consuming, and the time just went too fast! Someday, when the wifey and I buy a house, I'll set up a darkroom. Keep it coming.

[PuckJunkey]

A nice first effort but I think it's fair to say you did too much burning / overexposed the tree on the right and the house behind it, and also some of the limbs of the tree on the left. Out of curiosity, any interest in making your BW with Photoshop? There are some very effective ways to do it, and if you use a good printer like the R2400 you will be very impressed with the results, without exposing yourself to toxic chemicals.

[Lava Lamp]

Here is one of my first enlargments that I made today from my home darkroom. What do you think?

Looks really solid. That's really retro - but cool - building your own darkroom.

[mjs1973]

Wow, I didn't expect to see this thread pop up again. Thanks for looking thru the archives everyone. I'm sas to say that my home darkroom hasn't been used in about a year now. I still have a bunch of Tri X that I plan on shooting some of the historic places in this area with and getting the darkroom up and running again.

PunkJunkey, I do use PS as I'm mostly digital now for both color and b&w. That being said, there is something special about making your own prints in the lab, vs the computer. Watching that image come to life in the devloper isn't something you can duplicate in Photoshop, IMO.