[LargeFormat] Big Old Cave

[Leigh Solland (on Chickadee)]

DigitallyScenic Photographer wrote:

> Hi - I'm new to the list to and have tried posting messages only to 
> have them bounce because of the html problem. So I'm trying again. I'm 
> brand new to LF, and have just taken my first 20 shots with a Toyo 
> 45CF with Rodenstock 150mm lens. Unfortunately, the first 10 I had 
> processed can back a bit buckled, which means I have to find a new 
> lab! Options are limited here in Thailand, which could mean sending 
> film via courier to Singapore, Hong Kong or elsewhere. Good news is 
> that the focusing was spot on and exposure within acceptable range. I 
> shoot landscapes and ancient temple structures, and am itching to try 
> some B&W. 


John, if you want to try B/W, are having trouble with your lab, and are 
feeling isolated in Thailand, it sounds like a perfect time to start 
doing your own development.  You will have to get a few things, but you 
don't even need an enlarger with LF negatives.  You can develop in 
kitchen utensils if you don't have tanks or trays, and contact print (or 
even scan the negatives and print on a computer printer, if you don't 
mind that).  All the chemicals and paper are available by mail order, if 
you can't find them locally.  When I started doing my own processing, I 
was living in a mobile home that couldn't be darkened properly, so I had 
to do my "darkroom" work at night, after dark, with blankets hung on the 
windows to keep the streetlights out.

Just a thought.  Good luck.

Leigh