James in the Darkroom [Guest Post by Lynsey]

My wonderful wife Lynsey, a brilliant Family Life Photographer, documented me making my first ever paper negatives with a camera I borrowed from my friend Alastair Cook. There were so many unknowns (like the lens aperture) and challenges I was amazed the first negative worked so well. It was a great experience; both making the negatives and being photographed and I LOVE the results – you can certainly see the genuine excitement and wonder on my face. Thank you so much Lynsey! xx


Hello, film enthusiasts! I’m James’ wife, Lynsey! One evening in the Christmas holidays, James was keen to try out a wooden field camera from the late 1800s that he had borrowed from a friend. Usually James’ evenings are spent alone in his darkroom, rushing to get something finished before I start hassling him to come in and watch an episode of Homeland before it’s past our bedtime. That evening, I decided to follow him around with my trusty DSLR whilst he did a couple of test shots of me, and developed them in his darkroom. It was fun! I’m a photographer too, and I love to capture people just as they are. This is James:



































3 Responses

  1. Simon Kidd

    The photos say it all, that excitement of seeing the print not only appear but dark bits!!!
    Like I said in my tweet excellent photos by Lynsey, the Sonny and Cher of photography it seems!
    Alastair’s camera does look quite special and so does your darkroom!

    Si

    • James

      Hurray for dark bits Si!! 🙂 It was such a buzz that it worked first time. “The Sonny and Cher of photography” LOL 😀

      Alastair’s camera is beautiful and a joy to use, despite significant challenges. I’m so pleased with my darkroom – it’s working out beyond my expectations, which is great. Looking forward to you trying it out!

      • Simon Kidd

        I can’t wait but I haven’t printed anything for a while so it’ll be good fun learning experience.

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