splatter effect

I don't know what this is.

It was splattered across the wall of the halfway house near the
Yaarab Shrine. It's not blood, but beyond that, it's anyone's
guess. It's the most interesting shot on this roll because I still
couldn't get access to the barbershop.

I took a couple photo walks and tried to talk to Bobby again.
Bobby is the owner of the barbershop down the street. The
shop is dripping with a classical touches like a rabbit-eared
television, old leather chair and wall decorations that are historic
and important to the barbers and their clientele. I've spent more
than six months trying to get permission to take pictures in there.
First the owner was sick, then he wouldn't return my calls. I sent
him promo postcards to show him that I was a real photographer
but to no avail. Finally I managed to speak with him and he
confided in me that he deserves a cut of my money. I told him
I wasn't getting paid. I told him this was a labor of love; a historic
document of Ponce and the people who thrive here. His story was
some barbershop in Decatur had allowed someone/some crew to
film inside and they paid the owner $300 for his troubles. To Bobby,
I think there is no difference between a video shoot and
documentary photography. Our last talk ended in another stalemate.
I would love to take pictures in there, but I'm not going to
compromise ethics and pay to do so. I'm hoping that with enough
patience, I'll convince him that this is a project worth accepting.

This roll is the first I've developed that I felt actually turned out
well. It's been more than seven years since I processed my own film
and the initial results were disappointing. I went back and reread
the directions and made sure to wash the film longer this time, so
maybe that was my problem. Either way it still takes some time
getting used to a fixed lens rangefinder and knowing that it will be
a day or two before knowing if you took a good picture or not.