Are We "There" Yet?
As described in my other posting, this is my first black and white photograph I shot, processed and developed during my first semester in photography school. It was taken under the bridge at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The composition isn't bad, but it's full of rookie mistakes resulting from poor negative processing and print development. I turned it in for our first assignment, but instead of accepting it my instructor gave it back to me.
He said, "It has potential, but it's not 'there' yet. Go back into the darkroom and see what else you can do with it before the assignment is due." I had no idea what "there" was supposed to mean, but I had 24 hours to find out before it was due.
Getting There By Accident
The third time I was sent back to the darkroom to work on this photo I wasn't in the best mood. My instructor kept saying the photo was almost "there" but needed something else.
I put the blank photo paper into the easel and projected the negative image from the enlarger. Something was under the corner of the easel so it was tilted at a slight angle resulting in a strange, elongated image shown above.
This time my instructor accepted the photo. He said that manipulating the image this way made it stand apart from the boring, previous versions. Making that slight adjustment (even accidently) made the difference between an ordinary picture and a better one.
A few days later he sent it back with a grade and his comments. It barely made a C+ due to the poor technical quality that would only improve with practice.
However, I just remember the last comment he wrote, "Don't worry, Ed. We never really get there. Just keep trying."
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