Gave a client a skin fade with my new Wahl Detailer and it came out patchy

I was sure the smaller blade would give me more control on the blend line, but it actually left a weird, uneven strip right above his ear. I think the motor might be too strong for such fine work, or maybe I just need more practice with it. Has anyone else had trouble switching from a regular trimmer to a detailer for fades?

Tried stand developing with Rodinal versus my usual D-76 routine

The Rodinal gave me way sharper grain and held the highlights better on a roll of HP5 pushed to 800. I'm sold on it for high contrast scenes now. Anyone have a favorite dilution for stand developing with 35mm?

Cloudy nights got me stuck between waiting forever or just fixing shots after

I planned for six months to photograph the Pleiades cluster, but weather kept ruining my chances. On one side, I feel like holding out for a perfect, clear night makes the photo special because you earn it. Last spring, I finally got that night, and the raw image felt amazing. On the other side, a friend showed me how to stack fifty short exposures from a hazy evening, and it came out sharp with software help. Now I wonder if all that waiting was worth it when tech can save time. Some folks say true astro photos need patience, while others think getting any shot is fine if you can clean it up later. My own tries leave me unsure which path is better for learning and results. How do you balance waiting for ideal conditions versus making do with what you have?

Heads up, the way 'Coco' wraps up ignores a huge family risk.

Honestly, if the music had won over memory, the whole clan would've faded.

When I trained, we did consultations with actual conversation. Now it's all mood boards on tablets. Better client vision or losing the personal touch?

PSA: My new habit of marking heat zones with soapstone changed my forge work

I used to just eyeball where to heat the steel, which often led to cold shuts or uneven bends. So last month, I started using a soapstone marker to draw lines on the metal before putting it in the forge. I mark the spots that need the most heat and where to avoid overheating. This simple step has made my bends cleaner and reduced the number of times I have to reheat a piece. But I'm still figuring out the best way to do it for different shapes, like scrolls or twists. Do any of you use something similar, or have other tricks for marking metal? Also, does soapstone wash off easily after, or do you have a better marker idea? I'd appreciate any pointers from folks who've tried this.