I took this at the zoo. The sea lion was playing with the kids and they were reaching and jumping begging it for attention. Just after I took this picture, the sea lion playfully snapped at the kids through the plexiglass, and they all happily screamed. I hope the picture makes you smile.
My grandpa gave me an olympus om-2n, and a family friend was offloading his entire darkroom, so I ended up with all the stuff for free. Since then I've been blundering my way along, and after a year or so I feel like I'm starting to get some control. I'm not normally an artistic person, but I really enjoy how methodical you need to be with the analog process. If you enjoy this, I will post a few more. I had a manic episode a couple months ago, and produced some pictures that I think are ok.
I feel you, photography is so expensive!! To make a cyanotype from a negative you can still use an enlarger, but you have to switch out the bulb for a cold uv one. I thought this print would look really nice as a cyanotype. It's also easier to dodge/burn with a cyanotype because the exposures are so much longer. I don't know if it's possible to contact print off of another print, but I would guess not because the rc paper is pretty thick.