Something Good This Way Will Come. . .

Field Test Only: Not for Publication

"It’s been said . . . that Montaigne was the first blogger. His favorite subject, as he often remarked, was himself (“I would rather be an expert on me than on Cicero”), and he meant to leave nothing out (“I am loath even to have thoughts which I cannot publish”). Some of his critics accused him of, in effect, oversharing, in the manner of a narcissistic Facebook status update. One was appalled that he should think it worthwhile to tell his readers which sort of wine he preferred. Montaigne also happened to mention that his penis was small. Two 17th-century theologians who were instrumental in getting his “Essais” placed on the Vatican’s index of prohibited books, where it stayed from 1676 to 1854, accused him of “a ridiculous vanity” and of showing too little shame for his vices" (New York Times Sunday Book Review).

Can't help but quote this here.  For too much of my life, I've had to follow Bacon's examples when all I've really wanted to do was follow Montaigne's.

Here's the photo I mentioned yesterday, the first I've done using the one-shot developer/fixer.  I just stuck the film into a round 120 film developing tank and let it flop.  I couldn't keep it from touching the sides of the tank, so there is that.  And the streaky line of weird development at the bottom could be from a number of things.  I don't think the tank was 100% light tight (I forgot to put one of the rods in that makes it so) and I'm not sure if the developing tank was full.  I will try another today with the rod in and see if that fixes it.  But I was merely doing a test to see if the chemistry really works.  It does.  This is another one of the fellows from the complex where my studio is.  They have been great about standing in front of the camera.

I'm getting closer to starting a project with this setup.  Some of you will be glad I'm leaving the girl show behind.  Some of you won't.  Since I have only test photos to show (with all the mistakes) right now, I'll alternate as much as I can and try to keep some of both audiences, though I know moderation is a bad thing and trying to make everyone happy makes no one happy.  But since it has been difficult to make even myself happy of late. . . what the hell.  Something good will come this way again (I seem to remember this phrase from somewhere--I hope it is not somewhere embarrassingly awful).