RE: some observations (and a question) regarding using the sun as a light source

I meant to post this a few days ago - been very busy.
I used to use the sun as a light source. Here in the south Island of New
Zealand, there is as Catherine says a huge hole in the ozone layer,
which gives us very high u.v. I was able to print between 10 a.m. and 2
p.m. without adjusting exposure - in reflected light only as direct
light would instantly overexpose/fog the print. In the end, because of
the legendarily bad weather here, I was forced to get an alternative
light source. I bought a mercury vapor lamp secondhand and that has been
wonderful.
It's relatively easy to get secondhand lamps here (wish I'd known this!)
as a lot of big manufacturers use them as factory lighting. I'm still
fine tuning exposure times for various types of negative in an attempt
to find the best combinations for my work, but overall the shorter
exposure times have made the whole thing much easier. And also, I don't
have to work to the daylight/weather either.

Kate

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