Contrast

First of all - thank you to everyone who left comments/hearts/stars on yesterday’s Blip.   I will get round to replying.

We’re back at the hospital today.  I get a message inviting me for a CT scan, with contrast.  My response on seeing the word ‘contrast’ is Proustian.  Within seconds I’m thinking of Tri-X 400.  It’s the first thing that comes into my head. And stays there.

Suddenly, I’m about 18 or 19 and looking in the window of a camera shop at a second-hand Pentax S1.  With an all black body.  Cool or what?  

It’s the mid-late 60s and the camera is £55.  I had to sell my scooter to pay for it. The deed done, the camera shop owner gives a free roll of Kodak Tri-X 400. I have no exposure meter so he gives me a tip along the following lines; set the shutter speed to the same (or nearest) number as the ASA (ie 400)  and then read the instructions for aperture settings on the film box - the ‘sunny 16 rule’.  “That way you only have to think about one setting.”

Before long, I set up a darkroom at home and learn to develop the film and print (grainy) B&W images.  Dodging and burning soon becomes a piece of cake…….  

I’m still thinking about all this in the scanner, when I hear a voice “ that’s it - all done”.  Now I want a cup of tea and a piece of cake. At least it stopped me thinking about what they were looking for.


PS; the eagle-eyed among will have noticed that the shutter speed in the photo is not actually set to the appropriate number.  It’s been a long day ……