Union Station

Dad

and his kicks.
Other than that, I’m grateful for such a loving and patient dad even though he doesn’t express much. He raised me up and really shaped me to be who I am now. These days, I see his salt and pepper hair, the wrinkles on his face, the crows feet of his eyes, the liver spots on his skin, and the greenish hazel eyes. I feel sorrow and guilt. I believe I aged him so quickly. I gave him a lot of stress yet he put up with my stupidity and immaturity. He never laid a disciplining hand on me since high school. Why? I don’t know… He’s a man that says what he needs to say and then stays quiet. I don’t know what I’m trying to say and I don’t know what I’m trying to prove. I love you Dad. I’m probably going to give you a big hug when you come home from work today and I know it’s awkward for you to accept hugs but I’m going to try to hug you everyday! I appreciate all that you’ve done. You love when I don’t deserve love. You love without wanting anything in return. I want to be just like you when I have my own kids. Stay smiling
P.S. I want to write so much but words can not express what I feel in my heart

Location: Virginia Tech Graduation

Took a week off from work to attend my younger brother’s graduation at Virginia Tech! Congratulations Josh! Welcome to the real world, ha…ha… *nervous laughter* I’m sure you don’t read any of my blogs but that’s okay
On the other hand, I was able to burn through a several rolls honing my skills.

I developed two rolls and haven’t finished the third, which is the important one as it contains my brother’s graduation photos! I’ll upload them later.

 

Roll #1

I recently bought the basic equipment/chemicals needed for my new darkroom…err…basement bathroom from Adorama

• Kodak D-76 Developer
• Ilford Rapid Fixer
• Stainless Steel Tank and Reel (35mm)
• Kodak Photoflo Wetting Agent

I developed my first 35mm roll of film (Kodak Tri-X 400)!!! Yay me! It definitely feels good to be in control of the developmental process. The end result definitely displays what you imagined unless you screwed up during the developmental process. You can increase or decrease the contrast, push or pull the film, and more! Complete control from start to finish.

I burned through this first roll of film for practice and to gain a feel for my new weapon of choice. Heh. Surprisingly, I squeezed 39 shots out of this roll! Here are some shots that were scanned directly from the negatives:

I actually had to tweak the curves after developing and scanning the negatives. The reason was that I didn’t agitate the film in the developer solution enough. As a result, the shots came out flatter than expected or the scanner produces a flatter image.

*Development Process (after film is wound up on reel and placed in the light-proof tank)

1. Using Kodak D76 (1:1 with water) @ 70F for 9.5-9.75 minutes, agitate using 4-5 inversions every 30-45 seconds and tapping the tank to release any air bubbles. Drain once time is up.
2. Use water for Stop Bath, constantly agitating for 30 seconds then drain.
3. Use Ilford Rapid Fixer (1:4 with water) for 3-5 minutes, agitating using 3-4 inversions every 30 seconds. Drain once time is up.
4. Water bath for 3-5 minutes then add a drop of Kodak photoflo wetting agent. Let it sit for a minute with a minor swishing here and there. Photoflo will help eliminate water marks and streaks as it is drying. Drain once time is up
5. Unwind roll and hang to dry. Make sure the environment is dust-free!

As I stated earlier, I was not consistent with the inversions or time! However, the developer or the film was very lenient during the development process based on the results of my photos. It’s hard to mess up if you’re worried about blown highlights or dark, unusable shadows. I can’t wait to develop my next roll!

Wake Up!

“Hey, how is your walk with God?”

Someone has asked me this specific question. This person was checking up on me and ‘observed’ my change (I have no idea how) to know God more. S/He saw the desperation on my face and invited me to eat dinner and catch up, whether it be about my life or God. I am really glad and appreciative of this. I believe in God’s perfect timing and His placement of people in our lives! It’s rare for people to ask my how my walk is with God. I’m only asked during the times when I’m at church or some church-related gathering but never during the times outside of church in my every-day life where I struggle the most. I hope this is a new beginning to God cultivating my life. I’m desperate, I’m hungry, I’m thirsty. This sustenance has been in front of me my whole life and I never even bothered to take it in because I fed on this world and what it has to offer. It’s not enough. It never fills me up. The world is such a dirty, yet enticing place. I hate and love it. It’s time to wake up.