AMBROTOS KANATA STORIES: Back From The National Park

Back from the park. Exciting and extremely difficult day and 1/2. The motorhome/trailer handled well. I am even SLOWLY getting better at backing up. I feel quite comfortable driving her now, even in convoy mode.

Ambrotype making went so so, had some issues the first and second day. I think it was fogging from the brighter daylight coming through the rubylith. This morning got up at 3am, got everything going in the early morning light and collodion things worked very well, then as the sun came out there were the same problems. Might try blocking out half the big rubylith window. I was warned about the fogging possibility from some Facebook friends.

Got the agitation pump washer working as well, no issues there. I will need to place each plate in its own protective container when washing. Otherwise there are collodion damaging moments. Will also need to carry lots of water if I plan on doing this in the field.

A good all round training experience. The work was difficult and hard to do. When I saw a good image thou, it was all worth it. With wet plate you need to fight through the bad times to get those magical image making moments. Those magic times make it all worth it.

I think with the project I will need to pace myself especially as I age. Maybe drive on certain days and make images on others, not both on the same day. Once I get my working systems down things should flow smoother and easier. Right now everything I do is for the first time, that such a difficult way to do things. Your always over thinking and not doing things the efficient way. Later there will be flow to it all, right now, not a hell of a lot of flow.

Need to go to sleep! Pretty exhausted right now.

Note* The shooting water from the agitation pump helps when washing off the collodion on plates your recycling.