Its been a while!

Its been a while since I have posted on this blog, but I’ve not been slacking – honest!  I think I have only taken three evenings off in the last month.  One of those was last Friday when I was privileged, along with Mina, to be invited to go to Tony Richards studio to meet Shane Balkowitsch, who was over from the USA on business.  About ten of us spent the night drinking and shooting wet plates, each had to both shoot and pose for quarter plate tin types.

By midnight there was five of us left and the decision was made to shoot some 15x12 inch ambrotypes.  I have never worked this big before so was facing the task with some trepidation.  Amazingly all five of us got successful shots and by 2 am we had run out of glass and Shane had an hour to get to the airport.  This was what photography is all about – people meeting and sharing a passion, this is what I want the Engine Room to grow into, a place were people with passion can work, talk and laugh together.

Right back to the real world.  I have just sold my Contax 645 with a leaf 22 wi back on ebay and the young lady who was buying it said she would come over on Sunday so that I could show her how to use it.  The problem was, for the last few weeks I have been filling, sanding, painting and putting up shelves so the place looked like a building site again.  I spent almost the full day on Saturday on my hands and knees with the upholstery brush on the vacuum cleaner scrubbing at the floor.

Since I last posted I have put up shelves in the darkrooms, the hall and the studio.  I have moved my desk, cupboards and bookcases in, plus the A1 printer, with the help of Dave Gee – a hero!  I have put up one set of spot lights ready for displaying work.  I have put a worktop up in the dry darkroom, but this is still a store for tools etc., but will be clearing it shortly.

I now have my laptop and bigger monitor on the desk, and have got my big monitor working at the other.  I now have to get a bracket to mount it between the windows.

The place is starting to feel like home.