VIDEO: Lisa Portrait #1

This shot is from the recent trip. Looking to figure out the best combo of lens, exposure, composition and sharpness. 

Trying to find that look u see in my mind. Getting closer.

Will post a variant tomorrow.

Lisa 63, 11x14 Ambrotype on clear glass, AMBROTOS KANATA, July 2026, Gull Lake, Alberta Canada

24x24 Portrait? Ambrotype

Will do some testing with the 24x25 inch Ambrotypes, with the current set up. I do not believe I can shoot these, but will try. Figure out what I got with the camera and the vintage brass lens.

Chamonix 24x24 with a Voigtlander 655mm F6

Various Ambrotypes

Some Ambros from the last bit...

These images do not have thee proper black substrate backing yet. Will work on that soon. They are just sitting on a black garbage can.

Mom at 90

Northland's Coliseum

Lisa

Trying Ambro Head Portraits AGAIN! Testing

Will try again to capture the type of wet plate collodion image I see in my mind on 11x14, 14x14 inch glass tonight. Hope these tests work!

I am pulling out all the guns tonight. 8000 watts of flash power over 7 flashes. 800w (ring flash)+ 1600w + 1600 w + 1000w + 1000w + 1000w + 1000w.

Will give the Schneider Xenar 360mm f4.5 lens a go.

Chamonix 14x14 camera.

Portrait in the bath with floating collodion pieces

Ambrotypes of the High Level Bridge

 

Monet and Me, The Rocks at Belle-lle

One of the problems with wet plate, or at least a difficulty, is the length of exposure needed. Because of the long exposures, there is often blurring in the moving areas of the shot. I want to photograph the oceans of Canada, but how to do that? Will everything not be a blur of motion? Indistinct, confusing, mushy? Then I thought what if I photographed rock formations within the ocean, the ocean can move all it wants, but the rocks will remain solid and sharp in the Ambrotype. I thought, would that not make a beautiful looking Ambrotype? A feeling of both motion and strength. I could even try it as a diptych or triptych.

Then yesterday I came across this painting by Claude Monet.

The Rocks at Belle-lle by Claude Monet

Mom Shoot!

11x14 and 14x14 Ambrotype portraits of mom today, aged 90.

 

Will try 2 at a time, with an elevator trip and walk down to the darkroom trailer. Hope the plates do not dry out.

Will sync 2 1600w flashes (my last test used 1) along with the 800w ring. Total 4000w.

 

Note* The mom shoot was basically a failure. First 2 images were under exposed, later the flashed created multiple esposures, that were different looking but for the most part failures. A good learning experience, it was difficult to get back and forth from the cameras to darkroom as she lives on the 7th floor of her building.

 

 I will try again.

 

Update* I need to do more testing, I can brink in 4000 watts of more power flash, with the Speedotron heads I got from the the same seller a while back. I can use the same 1600x2 white lighting heads plus the 800w ring flash, and add up to 4-1000w Speedotron heads. 

 

The flash is going to have one hell of a kick thou for the subject, and draw a ton of power, 6000w to 8000w. 

 

Cutting More Glass

 

Cutting the farm glass up, at least a bit of it. I have so much glass now, I am a bit overwhelmed. I will use most of it eventually. Today cutting to sizes 14x14 inch and 11x14 inch 3mm and 4mm.

When I make mistakes I can recover some of the plates with uneven cuts, using a used ceramic saw I picked up. Not as pretty as a clean cut but usable!

 

Note* I feel down that most of the sheets I brought in were tempered glass, so useless to the project. I did get some small pieces that I was able to cut today, but all the tempered glass was a waste of time, and effort, plus diesel to go pick it up. 

 

 Cut sheets of 14x14 and 11x14 inch glass. I placed many in the holders to make sure they fit.

Ceramic saw for roughly fixing my glass cutting errors

My cutting table, got off market place cheap

Some marked refrigerator glass, that I will try to paint black for use as background substrate for the plates.

Fuck Tempered Glass

Turns out about 3/4 maybe more of the glass I got last night is tempered! Which means it cannot be cut, which means I cannot use it to make ambrotypes.

FUCK!! A lot of work for nothing. Live and learn! 

I knew tempered glass was no good for me and I have been asking people on marketplace if their glass was tempered or not. I just was shitty at identifying it. There is usually a white label, sometimes very hard to read on the corner of the glass. I did not know that until today.

I need to be smarter and not waste energy and resources on things like this!

Note* I will likely throw away this useless tempered glass at a big bin event.

Note** Tempered glass is made by heating the glass, it becomes about 5 times stronger than normal glass. It shatters into 1 thousand pieces when broken

More FREE Glass in the House!

 

FREE glass for Ambrotypes. Second time in a month I was able to score some. Mostly 4mm, some 3mm. I will cut into 14x14 inch plates, some larger some smaller.

 

Not as much glass as last time but still probably $ 800-1000 CAD or so worth. If not too scratched, it’s a go!!!!

 

Thank you Doug and Emily

 

Loaded on the truck!

Wet Plate is Pretty Easy

 

Re-Using Honey!

Trying to reuse my honey. I cut the dilution to 50/50 honey and water. It still worked well for a 2 day later wash time. Not sure how it will work at that dilution if I store the plates a week or longer before washing

As an added bonus I am trying to use the used honey for a second run of plates, then maybe a third. The used honey seems thinner so will add a bit of pure honey to each bottle to even things out. 

 

I am also filtering the honey thru a metal screen to pull out the bugs, and other debris.

 

Will need a Lott of this stuff as I am moving up to 24x24 inch plates! 

 

the used honey

Expensive Gear to be Used Soon

Expensive gear central. Hoping to use the lens and camera this week and the press to make photogravure prints all winter!

24x24 Ambrotype landscapes of good quality on this years agenda with some attempts at portraiture.

Gear/tools are expensive but necessary at times.

Voigtlander 655mm (25.8 inch) F6, $4350CAD

24x24 Ambrotype landscapes of good quality on this years agenda with some attempts at portraiture.

Voigtlander 655mm (25.8 inch) F6 Lens, $4350 CAD

Chamonix 24x24 inch camera, $12600 CAD

Etching-HUNTER PENROSE LTD. No. 8 Etching and Printing Press Printing Press, $3900 CAD

Orange Cat PRICELESS!

Chamonix 24x24 inch camera, $12600 CAD

Etching-HUNTER PENROSE LTD. No. 8 Etching and Printing Press Printing Press, $3900 CAD

 

Orange Cat PRICELESS!

More Free Glass

Found some more FREE glass. Will pick it up tomorrow. It’s on another farm, just like the larger first batch. 

The AMBROTOS KANATA Ambrotype project is becoming cheaper with all this free glass I am finding.

As long as it is not too damaged or tempered, it should work well. I will cut it into the required sizes.

Thank You Emily!!

 

5 Years Later Going Strong!!

5 years and both (Fanny and Freddy)running well. The AMBROTOS KANATA project moves on to portraiture and 24x24 inch Ambrotypes.

Taking the 24x24 Chamonix out of Mothballs!

I will be working with the 24x24 this season, will get it out of its box. Need to play with camera and figure things out. Find a tripod that works, and lens. Are portraits possible with the ring flash and new mobile flash units?

Flowing and developing plates promises to be difficult! I have made a mess of it in the past. More silver, storing large glass? Larger trays, etc!! Lots to learn and be done.

Step by step lets get this done. 

VIDEOS: First Decent 11x14, 14x14 Ambrotype Portraits

Finally got some decent 11x14 and 14x14 Ambrotype portraits done.

VIDEO: Pigeon Lake

Pigeon Lake!! First time here since childhood. Kinda shitty camping space, last of 2 available  Too open for my taste, with too many screaming kids.

Will spend the day on Sunday making Ambrotypes, not sure of what. Maybe some portrait attempts tomorrow. I brought the new-used flash gear to play with.

 

Buy More Gear!

 

When in doubt buy more photo gear. Total cost $240 CAD. A super cheap, sweet deal! Will try using the gear to make Ambortype portraits.