My sulphide toner went dead, so I decided to try the Russian sepia toner I have sitting under the sink.
I tried the Russian bleach last week and found it to be potent, needing quite a bit of water for an appropriate dilution ratio. So my brain thought it logical that the toner would also be potent, needing quite a bit of water.
After bleaching the prints I submerged the first print in the toner and nothing happened. I added some more toner to the tray and watched as a nice yellowish/pearl tone appeared in the highlights.
The next submerged print did not tone very much, so I added yet more toner, actually adding the entire bottle. This helped, but in subsequent prints the toning times lengthened to over 10 minutes. I obviously added too much water with the starting dilution.
One of the prints was a little light, so I decided to submerge it in selenium to see if the dark areas would become more dense. The combination of Russian toner and selenium was quite beautiful. Normally selenium tones to a reddish hue which I find to not be pleasing, but when matched with the Russian yellow it looked pretty fine.
I ended up toning the 6 prints with the Russian yellow/selenium combination, and I liked them all, maybe because I was not expecting much, as the prints made this week were made in a somewhat uninspired mood.
I need to buy more Russian toner, also gold toner, and some paper, as I am down to 10 sheets of Foma warmtone. The Foma is selling at $115 for a box of 8x10, 100 sheets - that hurts. The box I bought last year, which I am using now, cost $65, so the price has almost doubled.
I had some good luck selling this month, but I think the future months won't be so lucky. I noticed that I am one of the few people selling b/w fiber prints on ebay these days, probably because 99% of photographers are making digital prints. Considering the large amount of good quality digital photographs available, I think the market for the old style prints has dried up, at least ones made by unknown names.
5 years ago it was not as common to find a pleasing print, but today the market is saturated with fine works of photographic art. And my own work, which is pretty good when compared to other darkroom printers, is nothing special against the digital work of today.
I have to face the fact that 5 years ago my future in photography looked somewhat bright, but now it is gloomy and just about extinct. Sure, I can go on, day by day, making prints that have no value to anyone except myself. It works for me, though, as my ambition with the camera has little to do with selling and (nonexistent) public opinion.
My relationship with the camera depends on my feeling deeply about life and nature. As long as I am alive to the visual world, I will always feel a need for the camera, as it helps me to better understand myself relative to time and space.
It's nice to make small change from selling a picture now and again, as it helps pay for the cost of materials, but even if I stop selling altogether, it won't stop me from making pictures.
I have already overcome the most difficult obstacle, which is finding the work itself. Now it flows from me like the unending span of moments, and all I need to do is carry the camera and get into the darkroom as much as possible.
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