Saturday, 20th March

Was at the Conquest Hospital last night with a devout family who had just lost a loved one. A strange mixture of sadness, peace, release and hope. No histrionics, in all quite uplifting, a sad time, yes, but also good.

While at the hospital I met the duty chaplain who is also one of the priests at Bexhill, so we had a good natter on the way back to the car park. Seems that we know quite a few people in common - small world the CoE!

Hospitals are very different places at night. It is almost as if the building goes to sleep. During the day there is just so much noise and busyness, people rushing about and so on. At night though it just ticks over. The whole building relaxes. And so do the staff.

Salt print 3

Salt print 3
Originally uploaded by Jack Lusted

Again at Up Marden. Plaque by window.
I was very much taken by the light and the carving on the plaque.

Salt print 4

Salt print 4
Originally uploaded by Jack Lusted

Up Marden. I'm quite pleased with this.

Salt print 2

Salt print 2
Originally uploaded by Jack Lusted

And this is my second 'success'. This time printed on a much nicer paper and using a more contrasty and beefier neg.

Salt print 1

Salt print 1
Originally uploaded by Jack Lusted

Well, here is my first salt print that is a reasonable success. The shot was taken about 4 years ago with my old MPP camera. It is of Up Marden church (West Sussex)

New directions

Well, New Year, new ideas.

By way of a little pressie to myself I got off e-bay at a ridiculously low price a MPP view camera and 150mm lens, and I'm going to give salt-printing a go.

So far some partial success.

Salt-printing is one of the earliest photographic processes - essentially paper is coated with a weak solution of sodium chloride and, when it is dry coated again with silver nitrate. When dry you can contact print on to it.

And it works!!!

Sort of ... if you see what I mean.

After doing a bit of digging on the interweb thing it seems that I need to incorporate some citric acid to the silver nitrate.

So that's the next challenge - I wonder if Sarah has some in her baking cupboard?

One really useful discovery is how cheap raw chemicals are for compounding one's own developers etc.