B&W Final 2014
I finished my first class at Photo Center Northwest last night! I spent a lot of time in the darkroom working on my final prints. Maybe eight hours or so, on four prints. Yes. Four. Prints. I will spare you the details but I have a grand appreciation for film after this. In some ways, I feel more connected to the photographs because I spent so much time creating each one by hand. There was no computer between me and the photograph, neither when taking it or printing it. I had to trust myself that I captured the best moments and had good negatives to work with.
Shooting this final was freeing and I felt I connected more with the subject (Danielle, in this case.), because I was not able to immediately see the photos and second guess myself or the idea. Just shoot and let Danielle and myself guide the moments and photographs.
There is much to be said about all this; I had to present my prints to the class, where my classmates and instructor heard a little more. I enjoyed the feedback; my instructor kept trying to dig deep into all of us, fascinated by what makes us tick. Why we did the things we did beyond the technical realm, reaching for answers in our own lives, and how we expressed ourselves in our photographs. It was all very interesting and helpful! She came up to me afterwards and congratulated me again, which meant a lot. I have been trying this photography thing for years. I am so excited that it is finally taking off in my life. That I am actually living life now.
Anywho, here are scans of the prints! Trust me, they look incredible; digital scans will never be able to replicate the tones. I have to admit I attempted to fix some of the imperfections in Lightroom, and tried to replicate the scans as close as I could to the prints. The prints themselves are not perfect; they still need to be touched up. (Dust on the film or the paper that need to be spotted.) By the way, they are laid out below just as I presented them, if I remember correctly.
Thanks, once again, Danielle! You are amazing, and I appreciate you helping me out with my classes! I am finally on the right path as an artist and a person; thank you for being a part of that!