ABOUT THIS DOMAIN
Welcome to MakeshiftDarkroom.com - the photographic domain of Ron Medeiros. Photography has always been one of my passions, here is where that passion is collectively assembled. This ad free website showcases my finest photographic works and represents the sphere of all that is "Photographically" Ron Medeiros.
Photography encompasses a number of aspects - seeing pictures, capturing pictures, image processing / finishing, and finally presenting finished photographs. MakeshiftDarkroom.com is the virtual presentation wing of my official body of photographic work. The photography within this domain is presented to those who understand and can appreciate a good photograph. Nearly everything here is "real" photography and not artificially created "digital wizardry." I use digital image processing technology in a minimalist fashion. Nothing here has been or will ever be created with generative artificial intelligence, which is NOT photography. My photographic techniques and practices remain true and have not changed. By "real photography" I mean that all compositions are made in camera and images are processed in the "digital darkroom" using mostly basic adjustments that preserve the authenticity of what was captured in the field. If you can tear your attention away from social media long enough to enjoy a good photo blog, my long running Featured Photograph page is updated daily.
ABOUT THE NAME
The name Makeshift Darkroom points back to my earlier formative years of photography, where much of the creative process took place in the darkroom. The experiences of those early years and of making photographs with film, paper, and chemistry was the beginning of the passion I still have for photography today. I have fond memories of all the late nights in the amber light watching the images emerge in the developer.
There is perhaps no better word than "makeshift" to describe every home darkroom I have ever had. With the bare essentials I'd mix chemistry and undertake printing sessions that would last late into the evenings. This is where I honed my skills and learned the art of fine print making. Old-school printmakers who have spent years with their hands in the developer tray are a vanishing bread in our rapidly changing digital age.
I chose the darkroom theme as it best reflects my "creative control" approach to photography. The darkroom was where creative control lived - it was where photographs were made. Custom printing my own photographs, to me, has always been quintessential to the photographic process and to achieving the "fine print." Ansel Adams once wrote, "Perhaps the most important characteristic of my work is what may be called print quality."
For many years now, digital photography has been my "new" medium. The creativity that I acquired in the darkroom of yesterday is reflected in my photography today. The name "Makeshift Darkroom," therefore, serves as an appropriate title to encompass all that is "photographically" Ron Medeiros.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
I became interested in photography at the early age of twelve when I saw a clip art advertizement in a department store flyer for a Minolta SRT 35mm camera (which I soon acquired). This led to junior high yearbook photography, adventures with a home darkroom, and a love for photography as an art form. After high school I studied at Rhode Island School of Photography and went on to do my share of freelance work. I prefer not to claim the term "professional photographer" – all that really means is that someone earns a living with their camera. I prefer to think of myself as a true "amateur" photographer. The word amateur is from the Latin verb, "to love" (amo, amas, amat) and it's original meaning has to do with motivation and not quality. "Amateur" does not mean, inferior to professional. An "amateur" is a person who does a thing simply for the love of it – and it is desire that best fuels excellence. Pros are good at what they do because they do it all the time. Amateurs are oftentimes better at what they do because they are passionate. As an amateur photographer I am free - gloriously free to make the pictures I want to make. The definition of a photographer may be as simple as, "one who makes photographs." This is how I think of myself.
While browsing a bookstore in 1982 I discovered a book entitled, "The Portfolios of Ansel Adams." I remember being stunned by the quality of the photographs and immediately became aware of just how bad my photographs were. At the same time I was instantly inspired to raise the bar with regards to composition and print quality. Many photographers have been inspired and influenced by earlier photographers, for me it was Ansel Adams. His photographic style really struck a chord with me and helped define my direction in photography. Over the years I have developed my own style, but much of my work today still reflects this early influence.
With a background of photographic experience spanning more than four decades, I am a throwback from an earlier era of photography. I have learned from masters of photography and was schooled in the days of photography's golden era when Kodak was King, and when film, paper, and chemistry were the sole medium of creativity. Melding this background with today's digital photography makes my work unique among this present generation of photographers.
My work is "real" photography - not fabricated with Photoshop or created by artificial intelligence - which latter thing is utterly ridiculous. I use today's digital technology in a minimalist fashion. I do not use it to create surreal or synthesized computer generated images of something that did not exist at capture; instead I use it as a means to simply accomplish what I always wanted to do, but could not afford to do with the silver based color materials of the past. Practically speaking, I use basic post-processing adjustments to simply remove from my images the limitations of the camera until I have achieved the picture that I envisioned at capture.
My subject matter is somewhat diverse, including human documentary work, but I am best described as a scenic and landscape photographer. I have always been, an avid outdoorsman and free-spirited enthusiast with a love for making photographs. In terms of credentials, my work speaks for itself.
For more about my approach to photography, my life as a photographer, and other "Ron-isms" visit my website's 10th Anniversary page and enjoy a good read.
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