Here Comes the Rain

It has been a pretty dark and depressing kind of a day. I had a couple of jobs on which I somehow managed to get squeezed in before the weather really closed in, although my drone needed new rotor blades by the time the day was done. They were getting old to be fair, but the interface with some power lines when a gust caught the Mavic during a very tight manouver. You live by the sword… not a big disaster though really, it just took the tips off!

I have continued working on ideas for a darkroom at home and think I have something of a plan. I am not quite sure on the enlarger part of the system as yet, my heart says I want a big De Vere or Durst 5×4 - but in reality, I think I should probably stick to 6×9 because of the physical size of the thing. The other issue I have been working on it print processing, the physical space required for trays is an issue… but the AGO film processor can also run prints, and it can do so in a very small footprint up to 12”x16” - and that is big enough for day to day work. Of course, I can still use the WASPs darkroom when I need to print larger negatives or create larger prints where they have the facilities. One of the big reasons I want to do this is to investigate some of the alternative processes which could be hard to do outwith my own space - using coffee based developers for print and film for example - and in particular the more eco-friendly chemistry home-brews that can be devised.

17th September 2026