Fakahatchee 3 ~ Darkroom Work-up

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park ~ 1999

Sloshing around through the lush green summer swamps of Florida fills us with a deep joy of being alive. There is something primal about it. With mysterious names of plants like Guzmania and Ghost Orchid, Clyde and I were easily enticed into exploring the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Preserve. Studded with native Royal Palms and many tropical plants found only in Central America, the Fakahatchee is truly a remarkable place.

Clyde with his 8x10 Deardorf View Camera in Guzmania Cathedral

Fakahatchee Strand 3 —- for sizes and pricing CLICK HERE

Fakahatchee Strand is often referred to as “the Amazon of North America”. It is small, twenty miles long and five miles wide, with a slow-moving watery slough. With the protective canopy of bald cypress and the warmth of the water, the plant life is protected from extreme cold temperatures, and this fosters a high level of rare and endangered tropical plant species. 

One of the special areas in Fakahatchee is the Guzmania Cathedral (a type of bromeliad). Clyde had wanted to photograph the area for quite a while. One early morning, before sunrise, Clyde and I took our bikes and camera gear and headed down one of the tram trails. After riding for a distance, we got off our bikes and headed into the swamp, going in the general location of the Guzmania Cathedral. When we found it, we were enthralled. It was hard to leave such a beautiful, lush area. 

With the early morning sun barely over the horizon, Clyde was able to get even light and capture the lush forest of Guzmania…of course we had to fight off the mosquitoes to achieve the image, but it was worth it! 

WET DARKROOM WORKUP

creating the photograph

8x10 Deardorff View Camera 90mm Super Angulon XL lens T-Max 100 2 minutes

Fakahatchee 3 - negative

All darkroom work, or photoshop, is a creative expression to make the photograph we've taken reflect the feelings we had when we were there. To create a photograph that reflects our emotions means we each go about it in our own unique way. 

This image was created in a wet darkroom; however, its creation somewhat resembles a photoshop technique. Both use burning and dodging. Burning is making the print darker, and dodging is making the print lighter. The difference is that when dodging or burning in the darkroom, Clyde can use his hands to create shapes when working on a specific area. He can also create a dodging tool in the shape he needs. The big difference between photoshop and the wet darkroom is that he has to work on the whole image in the darkroom and make several tests before he gets a final. Whereas, in photoshop, if you don't like the way a gradient looks, you can simply remove the layer and start again. 

Step 1

 Step 1

Clyde uses Ilford Multigrade glossy fiber paper. The paper is sensitive to two different colors. For low contrast, the paper is sensitive to green. For high contrast, the paper is sensitive to blue. Therefore, all of his enlargers have green and blue colored lights in them. 

Both the green and blue lights were adjusted as he made his first test strips. Once he achieved his basic print exposure, he could move to the next step.  

Step 2

Step 2

The second step is to realize where you want to go from there. Clyde could see that the center of the photo was blown out and mushy looking, so he burnt the center. The question is, to what degree should he burn it? The answer took several tests. 

Step 3

Step 3 & 4

After looking at the result of the final test in step 2, he realized both the upper left side and the center top of the photo also needed to be burned. Once again, how much? It took several tests before he was comfortable with the result.

Step 4

Step 4

The upper center of the photo received a burn.

Final Fakahatchee 3

As you read the printing process, each step required a judgment based only on how Clyde felt about the print. A different personality might have had an entirely different idea of how they would create the image. Clyde says that 50% of taking a good photograph is doing a good job out in the field. The other 50% is in creating the final image in the darkroom/photoshop. 

To learn more about Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve State Park CLICK HERE