Back In The Darkroom - Jan. 22 - 2018

Back in January, on the 22nd, I ducked into my Darkroom to do some printing for a print-exchange I'm a part of..

The photo I printed is this one below that I shot using my Yashica Lynx 5000 with Rollei RPX 25.. However, I'm not really sure I am going to go with this image after all. I mean, it's lovely, I know, but I'm really thinking I have a better image for the exchange..

Yashica Lynx 5000 - Yashinon 45mm 1.8 - Rollei RPX25 - Printed on Agfa MCP310 Semi-gloss RC paper

It has been quite amazing the experience of selecting the negative to use and the whole process to get that image the way you want it on paper..
So maybe it'll be the image I send off around the world, or maybe it'll be something different..

But when I was setting up to do the actual Print itself, I decided I was going to get a shot for my Zeiss Ikon Project.. Sure enough my Ikonta was loaded with a near finished roll of Portra160NC.  I had my lightmeter on my photo to get an ambient reading with my red LED light... Sure enough it read... ƒ/4 10s ... Crap that's leaving too much to chance on focus and framing being absolutely near perfect..
OKAY stop down to ƒ/5.6 for that much wider a margin for error.. Good 15s... Reciprocity plus less than ideal film colour sensitivity range... frig.. 30s I have to hold still... while depressing the shutter release cable... All the while trying to pose like I was examining a projected negative to try to determine the best framing for a print...

Darkroom Selfie - Zeiss Ikon Super Ikonta 530/2
Novar Anastigmar 105mm ƒ/3.5 @ ƒ/5.6 30s Exposure
Kodak Portra 160

So you can achieve the unlikely in one take on film.. It's the only frame I wanted to use and it worked perfectly the first time around!

Until next time, keep those shutters firing!