It is past midnight and I'm sort of reliving a time in my life that I've spoken often about and reminisce. After I visited Japan for 3 weeks, decades ago, I left a body of work I needed to take care of when I got back. Jetlag was killing me for weeks, so I thought of, instead of fighting it, I would work thru the night while I was at my finest, which happen to start around 11 p.m. Darkroom set up, windows open bringing in fresh air and since it was mostly dark outside, I didn't have to worry too much of my leaky dark room contaminating my film and paper. For weeks, I would get my late start and print thru the morning, often finishing up at 3 or 4 in the morning.
I loved the solitude, the quiet and aloneness. I was freely able to process my film, make prints, tone, alter my images without any distractions. It became somewhat of a ritual for me to start late, finish later...
Since finally figuring out my lighting scheme at the studio, I've been again starting somewhat late, setting up my still lifes and setting up the trays and chemicals to shoot wet plates. The bathroom has become the darkroom once again, with way too much light leaks for me to work with during the day. However in the evening, it is perfectly operational, even with a nice exhaust fan.
I shot my aged pomogranate the other night and worked on and completed a squash this evening. The plate is in the wash rinsing away as I type... It feels wonderful to be shooting again!!!
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