My Way Going Forward, MAKING AMBROTYPES TECHINIQUE

Brought 2 friends to work tonight. It is fun to look at them and dream of the ambrotypes to come.

Will go out shooting for the week on Tuesday. Did not go out last week off, I need to do some good AMBROTOS KANATA stuff this coming week.

I feel that I have a look I like now and a technique that can sometimes get me that look. Need to dive in, to work harder, continue to improve and move up in format sizes along the way (up to 35x35 inches). I also need to figure how to shoot in cold winter weather. Canada is cold a lot of the time, to do a photography project on the country and not include cold weather images would be ridiculous!

After a bunch of thinking and testing. I will try to make my ambrotype plates as follows. Things are likely to change, but for now, this is the way I will go.

- Clear Glass Ambrotypes (looking through the glass with everything reversed to the proper orientation-no backwards writing).

- G Collodion (no extra ether added)

- Hypo fix

- Hypo clear (trying that for the first time next week, better archival quality).

- The plate washed and dried to completion in the darkroom trailer (Important for the longer 4 month Canada trips to come).

- Modern Liquitex varnish (which I can use more easily later with 35x35 inch ambrotypes).

- A second sheet of glass with black spray paint on it to give deep blacks placed behind the ambrotype (the painted side away from the collodion).

- Will log the GPS location of each plate made for the AMBROTOS KANATA project and log it into the title.

I will store/file and name the work separate from the black painted glass and only use the black painted glass in exhibitions or when showing the work. Because the ambrotype will just have varnish on it, I will have the later option of covering the plates with asphaltum if I eventually change my mind.

I want to eventually make wet plate collodion negs as well but that's another story.

I also need to figure out how to make the portraits. I need, have to make portraits for the project. Portraits and social documentary photography is where my true love of photography is based. Got to figure how to do documentary/portrait work in ambrotypes! GOT TO, GOT TO, GOT TO!!!

Note* The no added ether and the no KCN is partly a safety concern, partly cost savings. Also thinking of using only white vinegar to eliminate the Glacial Acetic acid from the trailer, not sure that is technically possible.

Crucifix Mundare Cemetery, Forest Trees Lake Louise Campground, AMBROTOS KANATA, June 2022