Lance and I knew each other from a distance for years, as we corresponded through Facebook about certain photography projects and concepts. As analog photography reemerged, we both took a liking to it, having an affinity for the darkroom process. We have many things in common, including being photojournalists, teachers, and camera nuts.

We finally met in person at an unplanned meeting with the local camera club. He was there with his signature hat and round glasses and looked like the perfect subject for a portrait. He agreed to meet and let me scout the darkroom at the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, where he teaches, for a potential shoot. It looked great!

The idea behind the shoot was to have a strong red light presence since that is typically what you see in a darkroom. While the enlargers wouldn’t typically blast light in the background in a darkroom, it gave some dynamics to the shot. Lance is lit by the glow of a developing tray with a light in it as a sign of his being illuminated by his work. I set a slow shutter speed to expose for light from the enlargers and light bar.

Technical Information- Gear: Canon EOS 5D MK IV, Canon EF11-24 f/4.8L USM @ 15mm

Exposure: 1/40s @ f/4.0 ISO 400 Lighting: Practicals: 4 photo enlargers, 2 red darkroom lights on the ceiling, and an LED light bar in the tray. 2 studio flashes—1 gridded strip box high camera left and 1 red gelled camera right down low bounced off the ceiling to add ambient red.