Thank you so much for both of your responses! I've been working on a single image for the past three hours trying to understand these tools and I think I have made more progress today than I have in the past couple weeks. Would you mind if I DM'd you the workflow and image for a quick critique?

I tried processing an image for #EastCoastKin theme day yesterday but it was not working out to my liking.

I'm very out of my element using Darktable but I'm determined to understand how to use it. Anyone else can comment if they have any tips. Feel free to DM me, too, if needed.

2/2

I'm noticing that and I added it to my regular feed rotation. I found some really nice work in this feed earlier today. One guy was doing an 8x10 wet-plate collodion process on glass. I haven't seen that on Bluesky until today. I love to see it.

Excellent suggestion that I didn't think of. I found and followed this. bsky.app/profile/did:...

Okay, so just the basics. I do have many backlogged images that I would like to bring over here from Instagram. What I also need to do is get a calibrator to profile my monitor. I've been dragging my feet to shoot anything new because I know the colors won't be accurate when I process the images.

I will be sure to do that. Thanks again!

Any specific hashtags that seem to do best? It’s funny that you mention #EastCoastKin. I joined the collective the other day. The interactions with the other artists has been great so far!

Thank you and thank you for the follow!

Thank you so much for the shout out! You didn’t have to do that but I greatly appreciate it!

I am also loving it here on Bluesky. I was never able to gain any sort of footing on Instagram or Twitter. I’ve also been able to find other artists much easier over here. I feel like I have more control. How important are hashtags for traction?

You definitely don’t. It was also equipment I used so there was that sentimental part to it as well. I was able to get a Bessler 23CIII enlarger for $150 which is an absolute steal! I’ve got plans for all of it but some of it needs some care before it gets used.

It needs some love. I bought it and a bunch of other photography equipment from my school. I got a call from one of my instructors a couple years ago asking if I wanted to buy some gear because the school was shutting down the program. I bought a lot of stuff to get myself started.

I look forward to seeing more of your work, too! I have a backlog of things I want to post as I reestablish my photography social media presence and network with other artists. I crave knowledge and I’m just getting started. I’m also still figuring out how to gain traction on this app.

My current little project is trying to learn to recreate my faux IR and regular image processing workflow using Darktable and GIMP. There’s a bit of a learning curve but I think I’m almost there. More tutorials and practice is still needed though.

Mine is repairing the bellows on my 4x5, a colorimeter, and a pop-up darkroom. I’m just getting started with my equipment journey after leaving school. Not having access to a darkroom is the biggest ache for me.