This is Sunderland

Darkroom Build Part 3!!

2010-08-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

Good lord, it's been nearly two months since I was last arsed enough to update the darkroom build blog - shoddy effort. Anyway, lots of progress made, I shall let the many pictures speak for themselves. Lets start with the floor. Damp proof membrane, concrete down and sealed with PVA/Water mix, along with the brick wall at the back. Dries clear, thankfully:

Sink, original Belfast that had been in the Garage of this house when we moved in, date underneath reads March 1936 which tallies with the house build time. From badly painted flaky terracotta:

To clean and white(ish) - note the custom plinth for the sink, sturdy enough and it needs to be:

Interior I decided to go for the wood panelling approach, underneath I stapled a thick black damp-proof placca membrane to keep damp (obviously) and light out from the shed panels outside. Overkill maybe but there's no light (or damp hopefully) whatsoever gets in!

This was all sealed and painted white (satin, mmm) - now some people think darkrooms should be black but that is a common misconception. White (or light colour) means more light reflected and less need for as much lighting. Plus it's clinical as owt so I can see any stowaway earwigs on the ceiling, ugh:

Also came across this nifty little interior concertina door on offer in B&Q for £3, bargainous! I may never use it all that often but I like it very much...

OK, decided to go for carpet in the dry area, and tiles in the wet area - the underlay down as is the carpet, but no pics sadly:

Water supply was sorted by a fantastic local plumber who happens to be the fatha of one of my best friends - if anybody wants his number then I will gladly provide it. He took a T-piece from the garden tap and a flexi hose through the wall of the Garage and into the 'wet' area of the darkroom with another outdoor tap on the end. Basic but works just fine with a length of hose directed into the sink. Also tiled a splashback area around the sink, well me 'expert tiler' fatha has (who has also been a massive help with this project, he protests when I ask him to do stuff while I'm at work but loves it really). Walls have been painted WHITE white since this photo was taken, it looks lovely and er, white:

And finally (if anyone is still with us), not so long back I acquired a highly expensive (and massive) lightbox from a very kind gentleman I work with and had nowhere to put it until now. It doubles up as the white light for the dry section of the darkroom and also as a lightbox for viewing negs before printing. Also got one of the enlargers set up on a folding table which had also been looking for a home:

And most importantly, speakers for MP3 player! Visiting the darkroom of the lovely Brenda this week to compare notes and exchange dosh for darkroom goodies! Getting there.... More to follow soon!!

Darkroom Build Part 2...

2010-06-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

Oops, lack of progress on the blog front. But lots of progress on the darkroom front, to the point that it is nearly ready to start dumping all the photo shit in. But lets see what's been happening: in the meantime. Created a roof with attic flooring panels, some reinforcing bars and a good bit of roofing felt:

Now fitted after an epic battle with the Clematis. Grrr. There were cracks in the existing flooring with moisture seeping up a little so decided to lay a new concrete floor with a damp proof membrane under to hopefully keep some of the moisture at bay.

And an extra addition to 'christen' the build, entombed in the concrete is a roll of my favourite film (Fuji T64) which is now sadly discontinued. Sob. Shame on you Fuji! I can see me chiselling this out one day when I run out...

And also got another fresh air vent put in with a right angle attachment to stop the light getting in, every little helps:

More to follow soon...

Darkroom Build Part 1...

2010-05-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted my own darkroom. Actually...I've always NEEDED my own darkroom. Last time I had access to one was back in college, and that was full of idiots opening the windows (daylight, argh!) or putting unwashed fix covered prints through the print dryer. Still I loved it and used to spend most of my time there but it's probably around 5 years since I've had 'Fix Finger.' Far too long I'm sure you'll agree!

In the meantime I'd picked up around 3 darkrooms worth of stuff from some lovely folks on Freecycle with the intention of setting up somewhere when I could. It would have to be permanent setup though, I'm the kind of person who just won't bother if it involves blacking out the bathroom every time I want to do a couple of prints. Way too much effort!

So...this all started with seeing one of those metal shed things on offer in a B&Q catalogue...and thinking it would be a nice space for a darkroom. But after a bit of thought I figured it would be cheaper to just reclaim the old outdoor netty in our 1930s former Jewish house. It had been used as an extra shed since we moved in and was overgrown, full of gigantic spiders, mice and lots of dampness. Once the paint was emptied out I evalauated the situation:

First step was to get all of the large insects out, trim back the foliage and get some paint on, in this case a tin of nasty yellow that was lying in the shed:

The walls went white, the floor red just to tidy things up and thankfully drainage for the sink was just a case of hammering through the thin layer of concrete that capped the old shitpipe:

Well the old toilet itself is reasonably small, probably around 4ft x 3ft. A darkroom in this space is possible I think, but not comfortable to be spending long periods of time in which I'll ultimately be doing. So...it was negotiated that I'd build an extension onto the toilet and out into the garden, giving me a lot more space to work in. And a separate wet and dry area which is important in all good darkrooms!

So after a bit of thought and planning, it was decided to build a shedlike extension out into the garden, about 5ft x 6ft, plus the toilet itself, a nice amount of space. I've made a wooden base with decking fenceposts, the posts are concreted in and the sides are made up from 6ft square fence panels cute down to size. Bought the panels from a place down Ayres Quay, good quality stuff and delivered too.

So after relocating the small shed that was on the right, taming the Clematis and generally cleaning the area out this is the frame:

One panel in, ground is sloping so it needed chocking up slightly. Cheap white Caulk is my friend!!

And all the panels in now, starting to resemble something! Note the airbrick in the bottom framework, ventilation is key!

Speaking of which the glass is out of the window and this'll be replaced with a piece of wood used to mount the extractor fan which will keep the chemical fumes down. And the light out:

More to follow tomorrow hopefully, weather permitting...

Middlesbrough = Industry

2010-03-19T08:48:00.001-07:00

Middlesbrough = Industry, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

I love the place, it has a bad reputation but I think the town centre is impressive in parts. And of course the surrounding industry is even better.

Lost Coastline

2010-03-12T12:17:00.001-08:00

Lost Coastline, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

Ah well, a break from Flickr is always a good thing. I've been working hard and taking lots of photos in the 6 weeks 'away' - this is one of them. Taken at dusk, the setting sun reflecting off the clouds was quite a beautiful sight. Only emphasised by the film choice...

It's good to be back. :)

Lucas Renney - Strange Glory

2010-02-28T14:21:00.000-08:00

Just catching up on updating the blog with a few projects I have partaken in the past. Last year I was approached by talented Sunderland musician Lucas Renney, formerly of The Golden Virgins, to supply an image for the cover of his upcoming solo album.Once he saw the photo of the Victoria Hall Memorial statue lit up at night he just had to have it... So an arrangement was struck and below is the finished CD. It hasn't been fully released yet but there is a date set for June I believe. I've been lucky enough to hear it, and it's fantastic. You can listen to Lucas' tunes at his Myspace site in the meantime:

www.myspace.com/lucasrenney

PS

2010-02-21T13:24:00.000-08:00

Forgot to mention the very talented Paul Cooklin interviewed me about my photography and processes not so long ago. He's just got round to putting it up onto his blog, you can find it at the link right here: Paul Cooklin Q&A

Thanks Paul. Once you get bored with reading my inane ramblings then you should check out some of his excellent photographic work: Fine Art Film Photography | Paul Cooklin

Long time no post...

2010-02-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

Well not really...in terms of me and my lazy posting habits this is a normal break between rambling. Nearly at the end of an epic 8 hour film scanning marathon. Had plenty of photos to catch up on and by jove, there's some good'uns. I may even post one or two, watch this space.

Film, beautiful film...

2010-02-05T11:45:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure everyone is aware I shoot film exclusively for my 'proper' photos. In this day and age of digital whitewash it's becoming increasingly difficult to find certain films so keeping an ear close to the ground to find them is essential. Nearly all of my paltry wageslip goes on film purchases and processing, living the life of a hermit is my current state. Well it is normally, money or no money truth be told. Oh dear. Here is an insight into my enthusiastic film 'dedication...'

Fridgid, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

Wall of Film, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

Wall of Film #2, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

Yeah!, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

How cheap?!, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

Randoms:

I think that'll do for the minute...more than demonstrates my hideous addiction. ;-p

AM Burning.

2010-01-31T03:46:00.001-08:00

AM Burning., originally uploaded by chillie 63.

Sometimes it's good to do something a little different and escape the normal routine. Met up with Chillie63 at Seaham for a couple of hours of full moon photographing last night, and had a go at his trademark burning technique. This is me doing the 'burning' in one of his shots, turned out decent for a first go I reckon.

Shot a roll of my 'normal' stuff, was a fantastically bright moon - I'm sure I read somewhere that it was the brightest for over ten years. I'm not surprised. The flipside was that the lack of clouds and it being near enough February meant it was absolutely freezing. Especially after getting my feet soaked from a freak wave...

Worth it in the end though, I'm sure.

Sunderland Arc = Sunderland Farce...?

2010-01-29T11:46:00.001-08:00

Sunderland Arc = Sunderland Farce...?, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

Drove past the new 2018 World Cup bid today which sprung up shortly after I photographed this. Hopefully it shamed the arc into some action, albeit a small gesture. If only they were as quick to sort out the Vaux site...ten years on it's still a pile of rubble in a prime 'City' Centre spot. Can't imagine this happening anywhere else, certainly not in a place the size of Sunderland. Rant over!

Hendon Beach and it's fine selection of clifftop seating.

2010-01-18T12:20:00.001-08:00

Evil Twin, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

My obsession goes back. Way, way back. This is from about 5 years ago. I've not really come that far...different gear, different habits and techniques maybe but still essentially the same photos. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...I just have an unhealthy obsession with shooting certain scenes, locations and 'things' on different formats, with different cameras and film, and at different times of the day and year. Best not to think about these things, just go along with it. I think.

This seat was culled in the regeneration I think. Here's evidence of my obsession with the 'other' seat, not forgetting my previous blog post:

Hendon Beach at night.

2010-01-17T04:45:00.000-08:00

Is a great place to be...there's something unique about the atmosphere there anyway but at night this is even more apparent. It's a strange place, flanked by industry all around and is far from being a leisure beach. But there's always been an indescribable appeal to the place which keeps drawing me back. Anyway, enough rambling shit - here's a couple of photos I took in December '09 - long long exposures they were. On film too, as always.

Night on the Sun, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

Staring at the Sea. [5x4], originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

Roker beach by moonlight, Sunderland

2010-01-16T16:37:00.001-08:00

Roker beach by moonlight, Sunderland, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

Yeah, one of the better shots I've put out in recent times. Makes Sunderland look great. Taken on a 5x4 Graflex Crown Graphic folding press camera, probably built in the 40's/50's. Puts out some quality images, mostly down the the Goerz made Dagor lens. Sharp.

SNAAA!!!

2010-01-16T14:36:00.000-08:00

Snaaaaa! Yippeeee! As Oor Wullie used to say... :P A few images taken in the snow we have had over the last couple of weeks. Some of the best snow I've seen, Sunderland generally seems to miss out on any heavy snowfalls with being on the coast but this year made for some good photos.

They can all be viewed in full size and with more information at my Flickr 'Snow' set, along with my other snowscenes.

Latest industrial images

2010-01-16T14:23:00.000-08:00

Well as I suspected I didn't get round to updating this blog at all in the time I've had it, so now is the time. Here is a selection of industrial images from the last couple of months. All taken in Sunderland, in prominent industrial locations on film.

Dry Dock, Sunderland, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

Gantry Crane, Sunderland #1, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

Gantry Crane, Sunderland #2, originally uploaded by Andy Μartin.

This is Sunderland Blog - the beginning

2009-09-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I've had the TIS site up and running for a good 6 months or so now and the response has been excellent. I've not updated it since it launched so I figured I would enter the world of blogging and that this would be a decent way to keep people informed of what's going on in the world of Andy Martin, photographically speaking.

Hopefully apathy and procrastination won't win (for once) and I'll end up being arsed to update it and hopefully there'll be a bit of interest in things from plenty of people. For those who haven't seen it;

This is Sunderland

For now, ta ta.