All right -- it's time for another update!
I've now completed 3 classes and a darkroom session. I've learned how to process my own film and make my own prints. I can tell you that it's the most amazing experience as a photographer - to go out in the morning, shoot a roll of film, come back and process it, and then make enlargements -- all in the same day. There's nothing like it -- creating, processing, and printing my own images, with my own hands.
Oh sure - I could take my D70 out and do the same thing - and avoid all the chemicals and mess - but it's not the same. It's just not. We're talking lost art here -- we're talking keeping a wonderful thing alive. For me, there's NO comparison between the images my D70 spits out and any one of my film cameras -- there isn't.
I will say that working in Photoshop is much easier than trying to accomplish the same thing in the darkroom -- if what you're trying to do extends beyond dodging, burning, and masking. For right now, I like the purist side of things -- I like to compose the image in-camera, properly expose and focus the image -- and then print - with minimal intervention. A chance to see what my mind's eye is seeing when creating an image.
It's not all pretty, either -- I've processed a few rolls now, and I'm amazed to see distracting lights above a subjects head -- or a flag pole sticking out of an ear --- things I don't remember seeing when I composed the image in the viewfinder -- Nope, didn't see them - but seeing them on the negative makes you THINK about the next time you make an image -- to make sure the frame is clear of 'debris' you don't want showing up on your negative. It's a great exercise. Especially for someone like me who loves both digital and film -- it keeps me from just firing off 50 shots of a subject, reviewing, and then reshooting. Instead, I'm more aware of what's going on in the frame - so I have minimal work to do in Photoshop.
I'll write more about this later -- and I want to write about how EASY and inexpensive it is to process your own film. I've had lots of emails asking me about this -- and there's a great misconception about the expense involved. Some will say it's much cheaper to shoot digital -- but I'll tell you this -- I can process a hell of a lot of film for the price I paid for my D70 and associated lenses/cards. More on this later...