I’m always fascinated by the running gear of a steam locomotive. Unlike internal combustion engines, all of the cranks and rods and eccentrics and more is out on display. Even at rest, it’s fascinating to look at and ponder. That’s why I think I gravitate towards detail photography of this area of steam locomotives. Sometimes the photos turn out. Sometimes they don’t. This shot is one of my favorite examples of this kind of exercise.
I actually made a darkroom print of this image, something really rare for me. For a couple of months, I had a membership at the Denver Darkroom and spent some time making prints down there. While I really enjoyed the experience, their hours didn’t line up with my schedule and I didn’t make it down there enough to justify the cost. Beyond that, I’ve never really done much darkroom work. I’ve always lived in small places that didn’t really have the kind of space needed for making prints.
The switch to 8×10 was actually driven by my desire to do more printing. As counterintuitive as it sounds, the big negatives would be easier to print than anything smaller. 8×10 contact prints are a thing of beauty to behold and require no enlarger. Edward Weston famously used a bare lightbulb for making his prints. Alas, even getting that set up in the small apartments that I have lived in has been a challenge and I still have yet to do much of any real printing. Someday…