Darkroom
—
7 min read
Back in the darkroom
Back in the darkroom
After ten years of scans, I printed a whole story by hand again.
After ten years of scans, I printed a whole story by hand again.
I
I
had not stood in a darkroom since art school. This summer I rented one by the hour, two streets from the studio.
had not stood in a darkroom since art school. This summer I rented one by the hour, two streets from the studio.
The first evening was a mess of test strips and wrong times. By the third I could hear the timer in my sleep, and the prints had started to look like the pictures in my head.
The first evening was a mess of test strips and wrong times. By the third I could hear the timer in my sleep, and the prints had started to look like the pictures in my head.
Paper decides
Paper decides
A print is slower than a scan, and less forgiving. But it decides things for you — the paper, the contrast, how deep the blacks go — and every decision makes the story clearer.
A print is slower than a scan, and less forgiving. But it decides things for you — the paper, the contrast, how deep the blacks go — and every decision makes the story clearer.
Fig. 1 — Salt, first fibre print
“A print decides things a screen never will.”
“A print decides things a screen never will.”
— Inès Moreau, on editing
Salt is now printed on fibre paper in an edition of ten. I keep the test strips in a box under the desk, because they are the real diary of the work.
Salt is now printed on fibre paper in an edition of ten. I keep the test strips in a box under the desk, because they are the real diary of the work.
Inès Moreau
Photographer & art director, Paris