On December 15th I spent a couple of hours in the darkroom and made a bunch of unsharp masks. This is essentially a sheet of film, with a slightly out of focus positive image. When it is properly registered with the negative from which it was made, the two are printed together. I use a pin registration jig which punches some very small holes on the edge of the negative, to insure perfect alignment. When the two pieces of film are printed together, it gives the illusion of increased sharpness due to the edge effects between light and dark areas. It is very difficult to explain, and to understand, but it's real.
On December 16th I returned to the darkroom and printed three negatives using those unsharp masks. The first one is a shot of Bryce Canyon down in Utah, that I photographed back in 2013. This one will be included at the upcoming InFocus exhibition in early 2025. The other two were both taken in the same abandoned house, back in the summer of 2023. There is a pair of pants hanging on the wall, and a bunch of neckties, strewn on an old bed. I am considering one or the other or perhaps both of these for the Apparitions project.
Below are some phone snapshots of the three prints, sitting in a tray of fixer. They still need a second fixing bath, hypo clearing agent, selenium toner, and final wash. I will have to get after this right away and finish these prints.
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