Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 5
how to develop your photos
I kinda like that subhead above—How to
Develop Your Photos—because even though
it sounds like a direct reference to Lightroom's
Develop module, the name of that module
itself is a direct reference to what we used
to do in the darkroom—develop our prints.
Of course, this chapter isn't about prints,
which pretty much throws that whole line
of thought out the window, but we're not
going to look that closely at things like that
(or grammar, spelling , or ending sentences
with a preposition), because instead we're
going to bask in the fact that now we can
develop our photos without having to mix
dangerous chemicals. Now, of course, back in
the old days (which was only about 10 years
ago), we didn't realize these chemicals were
dangerous, so we'd be in the darkroom, devel-
oping some T-MAX P3200, and somebody
would get thirsty, so we'd just take a big swig
of some Hypo Clearing Agent (which was a
chemical we used to remove the fixing agent
from fiber-based paper, but doggone it if that
stuff didn't taste just like Welch's grape juice,
so we'd usually finish off a bag or two before
coming out and grabbing a Reuben and a bag
of Doritos). Anyway, it seemed like a pretty
good idea at the time, but then my darkroom
buddy Frank got this huge goiter in the shape
of the Transamerica building, so we backed
off on the Hypo Clear, and just stuck to
chugging the Indicator Stop Bath (we loved
those little salmon-colored bottles. We'd
keep 'em in the fridge and even take them
on picnics). Anyway, that was a different
time. Now we know better, and so we stick
to chain smoking and strutting around in
our asbestos photo vests.
