Scattered around Istanbul are small patches of Ottoman graveyards from bygone glorious days, that are accepted - with reluctance or reverence, I'm not quite sure - to exist in close proximity to the wild urban sprawl. If I'd consider this photo as evidence, I'd hazard a guess that neither the living nor the dead are happy with this arrangement.
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In this bizarre case I found a sycamore tree determined to take some kind of revenge from the dead...no matter how long it would take.
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The first photo is from 2022 and I printed it back then in my darkroom in Istanbul. The second one is from 2023 and I printed it for the first time just a week ago, in my new darkroom in Düsseldorf. It always caught my eye on the contact sheet, but for one reason or another I was never quite sure that it was worth printing. Now that I've printed it, I'm convinced that it was worth it...go figure. That's the power of contact sheets; you come back to them again and again, and you might decide to give a picture a chance after all. In comparison, I've no idea when I'm going to look through all the photos from my digital camera again. I make a cull immediately after I’ve downloaded them, and that’s it. Those that didn’t make the first cull I put in other folders. They might as well be lost forever.
By the way, the second print is on graded Fomabrom N 111, a paper new to me. I'd decided to give it a shot and ordered a 24x30 cm packet of 25 sheets. It took some time to getting used to, but I like it now.
I was surprised to see how fast the Foma paper is. I have to expose Ilford MG Classic around one and a half stops more. But then you don't have a filter in the light path of graded paper. So I guess it evens out.
And although it's graded as Normal (hence the "N" in its name), I find it's still slightly soft, even with the condenser light of the Focomat. The Foma webpage says they produce a C(ontrast) version as well, but my retailer doesn't stock it. Still, all is good, because these days I like my prints with a longer grey scale anyway. And I haven't explored selenium toning with this paper yet. I expect a good response, so this should be another option if I want a slight contrast increase.
When dry, the surface is slightly duller than Ilford's glossy FB, which I actually prefer.
FWIW, here's an iphone pic of the wet print.
Hi Omar - firstly apologies for being so tardy in making a comment, but I only just saw this - your previous post was the one that kept coming up for some reason.
ReplyDeleteGraveyards and neighbourhoods? Well, at least you don't have to worry about too many raucous parties and even then, graveyards being graveyards, it's rare for one to be built over, so to me, they're almost perfect things to live next to!
That is a very long grey scale on that print - I've always thought you printed with a very decent amount of greys - I've never actually been able to do it that well myself - it's sort of timelessly based on the old masters isn't it, and I like that very much.
The speed is probably the lack of filter . . . I'm sure I have found even MG Foma to be quite fast, though nothing like the old (Lake District) Kentmere which was the fastest paper I have ever used.
It's very good to see you back printing though - I hope the new darkroom is a joy for you!
All the best from a lovely cool Scotland as always.
Phil
Oh and I meant to say - Contact Sheets - I really cannot understand how people operate without them. To me they're an easily accessible window into the past, and also a window into one's frame of mind (literally speaking) at the time - they're invaluable.
ReplyDeleteNice to hear from you again, Phil! Thanks for the kind words. Yes, contact sheets, also indispensable for me. I wish for 35mm they were a bit larger though :) I should get an 8x10 enlarger, if you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteYou haven’t posted for more than two months. I was beginning to wonder…
Yeah they're fine things - if you've got a van I know a man with a spare 8x10 DeVere! Indispensable though.
DeleteAll fine here, just DIY and a lack of inspiration and time, but I'll get there, though to be honest I am beginning to wonder whether there is any point in going on - it's a lot of work, and much like an Instagram account . . is there any point?
Nice to hear from you - feel free to email me anytime you like.
P
Yeah, what’s the point, is also a question I often ask. But then, what do you expect, would be the next honest question. Fame? Nah, not for me. Personally, I like the challenge of mixing pictures with words. There’s a very fine balance there, that I find intriguing.
DeleteIt is hard though - the older I get I sometimes feel I have less to say, or more to the point, that I have said it already.
DeleteI might try mixing it up with prose and pictures rather than an explanation of things - thank you . . you might just have made me feel inspired again.