Man, i really punched it... uhm... again. I think it is one of those months that right after salary (Christmas) - I am already down to less than the absolute minimum to get around for the next 4 weeks.

boy, oh boy, oh boy.

I asked Sal if i could borrow some money later in mid-January or so, just to get around in daily life. HE get's it back by 25 January, as I should get more than usual, given that i worked 2 days extra in December. Something i haven't done for years, by the way. But i liked it, i have to confess. It is easy to get overtime in December, when most other people already have worked in most of their overtime hours.

Well, the Photo Studio project

which now finally has taken place, after i announced it back in... what ? Springtime !! The idea of remaking that background paper for future portrait sessions. But - I never did. Now - all of the sudden, at the least expected time of the year - it squirts all out of me, like a Bottle of Champagne. It even took me by surprize. This is normally a sleepy, unmotivated time for me. I barely see any daylight at all - and my energy levels are lower. A typical Scandinavian Phenomena, I would say.

Funny how the universe works - certainly not how the ego mind envisioned it would. Who said, the darkest time of the year would be a dull time. Suddenly - I am filled with motivation and inspiration. Totally out of the blue - believe me.

Well anyway - it is really fun.

Many small (important) changes along the road of 2 years

The Livingroom room where i house my photo studio - has had many small changes that in the end made it possible to make the final photostudo come true.

In order to accommodate a real photo studio - at any time - you need space. Strategically place furniture. Easy to remove stuff. And the broadness in the room allowing the 2.75 meter paper to be rolled out. Believe it or not, it fits absolutely exactly !!! Luckily i had replaced several furnitures and shelves - which happen to have the exact measurements , which now allows me to roll out the background paper. It is almost like a funny coincidence, because I didn't plan it on purpose. Also the space behind the roll paper, was not enough. There was a closet with my negatives, which was too deep. But i changed that into a shelve which is much thinner - and now I can roll down the background paper without obstacle or dents from a furniture behind.

Also other furniture i have bought this year, in order to make order into the room - have helped to keep a nice appereance in the entire room. Making it easy to live and thrive, but also to activate the Photo studio without too much hassle.

So, it is those things, that all together seem to have fallen into place now. And make it possible to launch the photo studio once again. Sal had installed those 3 rolls of paper as early as in 2016 - but i barely ever used them.

• Finished ! April 2016

• Only real photo session in the "studio" i did - back on 31 Dec 2017, with Mary and Sal dancing

One light box

which used to have a honey comb mesh (to limit the light flow to the sides ) - fell apart like powder like. Apparently those simpler honeycombs are made up with some paper-like material plus disintegrating plastic. After 10 years it was all mush. First I didn't understand where all those black stripes were coming from I picked up from the floor...

Until i realized, that it was the honeycomb on one of my bouncers / soft light boxes. Luckily I managed to oder a similar one via Denmark, for just 165 SEK including shipping, suiting exactly the size of my no-name light box with 22x90 cm size.

Illustrating the Mesh

Here, in a photo i can show you what i mean; the grid that you attach inside the light box. The material on mine, was disintegrating. Well, it was a non-brand light box i bought from Swedish Kaffebrus.se back in 2012-13. What else is there to expect. They don't even have that stuff anymore.

Spotlight

Now, some minor utilities are on their way - such as the ability to work with a background spot light. Illuminating a smaller area with a light cone, sometimes even color. I loved that back in the mid 90s when i got a snoot, adapted onto my super old, super simple studio flashes from 1988.

I simply like it.

In a portrait it gives a light sense of depth to a portrait. And it can be used for other things as well, such as a flower portrait. With soft glow from behind onto the background paper.

• 13 March 1996 | Birthday flowers from Julia V
- Mamiya RZ67 studio camera, C-41 cross-processed Kodak Ektachrome EPN 100 film

I almost forgot

That i want to develop film rolls. Testing the new PRIA darkroom helper - a kind of film processor assistant i have bought 1 month ago. In other words, another "project". I bought that one mainly for developing color film, because it works in a way, where the film tanks remains all the time in the processor. This keeps the temperature more stable, as it has some low powered heating, keeping already heated fluids warm during the development time. (which for C-41 film is 3 minutes and 15 seconds at 38.0°C.)

I can of course easily use it for developing black & white film, or whatever process one wants to use it for. (I have to learn the menus / programs of this processor first)

Lots to do.