DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Discover the darkroom secrets of legendary photographer Edward Weston

Sep 4, 2017 by John Aldred 2 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

I’ve been fascinated with the darkroom ever since I started shooting film. For years it was this mysterious thing that I’d never be good enough to justify having my own. It took making the complete switch to digital, and the rediscovering film a decade later that got me hooked. Having now built my own darkroom, I love seeing videos like these, and seeing what new information I can learn.

Marc Silber has covered many wonderful analogue photographers over at the Advancing Your Photography YouTube channel. Most notably, his series on Ansel Adams. Now he’s taking a deeper look into the world of Edward Weston, one of the great masters and pioneers of photography.

Marc, as he did with Ansel Adams, goes to visit Edward Weston’s relatives to find out more about him. In this case, Edward’s grandson, Kim. To see the room in which Edward worked, the tools he used, and how he used them.

What amazes me about Marc’s series on both Weston and Adams, is how well the darkroom and the equipment within is preserved. Looking today exactly as it did then. It’s fortunate that somebody’s been around to give things a dusting off every now and again.

The video is a mix of modern interview, and clips from an old documentary on Weston, showing how he works. As somebody who primarily shoots 35mm and medium format film, watching how Weston worked with large format was particularly interesting.

Equally as interesting was learning about his developing processes, which could take half an hour or more. Using a very slow developer, regularly checking the progress under a special light until it was just right. And then, there was the retouching.

Weston made the majority of his income shooting portraits. And people were just as self conscious then as they are today. So, despite the lack of Photoshop, retouching still happened.

But he did love his landscapes and abstract work. Seeing him work on location, I’ll never complain about the weight of my gear again.

 

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailEdward Horsford Creates Amazing Bursting Balloons Photographs (Interview and Tutorial) Discover The Beauty Of Hairless Cats In This Striking Portrait Collection Of Sphynxes Discover the fascinating beauty of chemicals crystalizing with this gorgeous timelapse Go Behind The Scenes Of A Vogue Fashion Shoot With With Legendary Photographer Horst P. Horst Circa 1946

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: Analog, Analogue, Edward Weston, Film Photography, large format, Marc Silver

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« Photonicz is a Strobe/LED hybrid that can take a splash and keep working
The Nude Blogger scores a point against Instagram and social media censorship »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Sony’s ZV-E1 is a cut-down FX3 in a vlogging form factor
  • Watch: How good (or bad) is an $8.50 tripod?
  • How to light and photograph Lego building interiors
  • Lighting Setup: How to light your portraits with £50 LED tubes
  • Review: Insta360 announces its first gimbal – The AI-tracking Insta360 Flow

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy