I enjoy the darkroom, but... by Jason Garcia | Canvas Tokyo

I enjoy the darkroom, but I won't be burning and dodging photos anytime soon.

As you can see by the edits from Dennis Stock’s portraits of James Dean and Audrey Hepburn, many adjustments were needed. I'm amazed by the details that the photographer captures while on location and in the darkroom.

Ten years ago (I can't let this die) I asked to take photos of a '60s Lambretta for a magazine cover. The setting was inside and I had one large tungsten open-face light and very little natural lighting, so I made do with what I had. As the shoot went on, the owner of the Lambretta became very agitated that I wasn't shooting with film. Of course I wasn't. I didn't have a darkroom to go to and I didn't know of one in my town. He thought film would capture the moment and set a tone for the subject matter. All I remember was my comment, "I'll make adjustments in Photoshop." A brawl almost ensued, not by instigated by me, but by a friend sticking up for me. It all got out of hand and things still aren't the same.

Here are a few edits to one of the images that I caught that day. Also, here are a few from my latest photowalk. I hope it shows a bit of what some photographers do, not just behind the lens, but in front of the computer.