Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/01/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]In September, I posted the text below, and now I found the pictures to go with it: <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Alan+Magayne-Roshak/Gear/PostLab1.jpg.html> <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Alan+Magayne-Roshak/Gear/PostLab2.jpg.html> The first darkroom I worked in was at the UWM Post student newspaper's basement (an old laundry room) in a house off-campus that was next to an alley. There was a ventilating fan above the sink, covered in black paper to keep the light out, but it didn't do much to stop cold air in the winter. On cold days a breeze would sweep down over the developing trays, and form a thin sheet of ice crystals on the chemicals. I used my hands to develop prints, so after a while the warmth of my fingers would melt the ice, but until then, I'd have to crunch through with each sheet of paper. The Beseler 4x5 enlarger was a a wreck, with a lower negative stage that hung down so that for each negative we would have to use a C-clamp to bring it back up tight and parallel with the lens plane. This also meant dusting metal filings off the easel every now and then. And the PAKO rotary print dryer was all rusty, could barely turn, and had a stained canvas belt. I think learning how to make decent prints under these conditions helped later when I got to use good facilities. And seven images from New York City in the sixties start here: <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Alan+Magayne-Roshak/Travel/TimeSq1968B_R_AMR.jpg.html> Alan Alan Magayne-Roshak, Senior Photographer UPAA POY 1978 University Information Technology Services University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Alan+Magayne-Roshak/