Making Crazy Camera Plans

So, it being a quiet Saturday night here in the guard shack, I am having wacky thoughts. 

When I shoot the huge and heavy (150lb) HF3535 (35x35 inch view camera) in the field for the AMBROTOS KANATA project its is going to very physically demanding. I have not shot the camera yet but in my head, I keep going over scenarios, trying to figure stuff out. How can I make this work?

Because the camera is so massive, and because I will need to do all the physical work myself. I need to figure out working systems that will allow me to do that. Systems that will allow me to continue to photograph into my early 70s.

I think to use the camera effectively.

1) I need to find the perfect shooting situations. A place where I will have a great photo, lots of space, and plenty of set up, shooting and take down time.

2) I need to be able to shoot from that set up for at least 4-5 days, a week or longer would be better. Only with time can I do the work that needs to be done and make the Ambrotypes that can be made with this wonderful tool. 

3) I will need to have the camera out in the elements for a week at a time or longer. How to do that? A tent structure of some kind needs to be set up around the camera. The tent will protect the camera from wind, rain, dust and other damage. It will also protect me while I am working. Especially in situations where I might be photographing in Canada's vast landscape, potentially places near major Oceans, Mountains or up in the Canadian far North.

4) I will need to support the camera inside the tent. Something strong and if possible adjustable to a degree. The only thing I have come up with so far is sawhorses of various heights. Thou this will require lifting the camera on top of them by myself. I will also need to transport the camera to locations, to and from the darkroom trailer.

To figure out this wacky plan, tonight, at work, I am looking at tent structures and sawhorses!

Note* This project, this crazy, wacky AMBROTOS KANATA project, is a first in Canadian history. Trying to do stuff here that has never been done before (at least mammoth plates, on a national level). I need to think outside the box a bit. Lots more crazy ideas, plans, failures and successes ahead!

Fanny the RV and Freddy the darkroom trailer in action, last year.

Foldable sawhorses $25 a piece, can hold 300lbs

HF3535 camera

One option, a inflatable tent like device 13x13x13 feet, cost $1400 USD plus shipping from China

Another inflatable tent option, 13x10x7 feet, $1300 USD plus shipping form China

Bought Me A Trailer Hitch Cupler Lock

A few years back my father's 1/2-ton truck with canopy was stolen from the driveway of our house here in Edmonton. Eventually the truck was recovered minus the canopy and with quite a bit of damage. I needed the truck so had it repaired at a substantial cost. 

Ever since that time I have been worried about things being stolen from the driveway. Fast forward to today and I have my darkroom trailer (cost $8700 plus improvements and gear) parked on that same driveway. I have implemented a bunch of security measures, but I still constantly worry the trailer will be stolen. Every time I drive home I kind of hold my breath hoping the trailer is still in the driveway. I worry about it being stolen all the time.

I have so many dreams connected with the trailer and what I can create in that darkroom. Losing it would be devastating. All those possible Ambrotypes would be lost forever. It would be heartbreaking.

Today I finally decided to go ahead and buy a top end "Hitch Cupler Lock"(I currently have a cheaper one installed). This new unit will provide max protection against theft. It is very expensive, but maybe it will allow me some peace of mind, maybe it will allow me to make my ambrotypes! I need to stop worrying about the trailer being stolen.

Thinking Of Sally Mann

Am thinking a lot this week of some of Sally Mann”s wet plate imagery. Some of the photos from her DEEP SOUTH project keep rattling around in my mind. I mind them so mysterious, provocative and beautiful.

 

Photos by Sally Mann from her DEEP SOUTH project

A Fun Work Night

Sometimes it’s good to be a guard. Getting paid tonight yet on the side lots of chances to do personal work and self-improve.

Studying John Coffer’s wet plate book and Sally Mann’s “A Thousand Crossings”. Also working on my AMBROTOS KANATA project PowerPoint presentation.

A fun work night.

Note* Also watching a streaming NHL game, stretching, doing a treadmill walk and some pushups. Life is good!

Note** The last 3 days before work I did a 1-hour bike ride. Hope if I can keep this up it will help with my overall conditioning.

Got the John Coffer book last week as a freebie. Thanks Ann M!

Mr. Nadar an interesting fellow, as of course is Mr. Poe

PowerPoint seems to work better on the new/used Mac Air computer.

New Tent Toys!

 Am preparing to use the new washing/drying tent this year. The idea is that in the field I can use the tent to wash and then dry the mammoth 20x24 inch and 35x35 inch Ambrotypes I will be making. To that end I bought another agitation pump, my third, 2 are already mounted in the trailer. Also picked up a unique little inverter linked to Dewalt 20v batteries. 

If this works (for how long?). I can have a pump power supply in the tent without tripping on inconvenient cords running all over the place, less difficult, less of a falling on my ass hazard. I will give this a go this year, if it works, will buy more in the future. I will probably need the ability to wash multiple plates at a time on battery/inverter power. I will need enough battery power to run the pumps for many hours.

I also picked up a fan thingy, I was overheating in the trailer last season, trying to find good ways to cool things down a bit. I will need fans both in the tent and the trailer. 

The advantage of this system is that I can charge multiple batteries and reuse them as needed.

Buying all these gizmos and gadgets is expensive. If it leads to strong Ambros, then it is all worth it! The end pic is all that matters.

Note* It is time to push harder. I need to be making 20x24 Ambrotypes, complete in the field by seasons end! If I can do this, then next year I can try to make 35x35 inch Ambros.

Mellif DC Power Adapter for Dewalt 20V Max Battery, 20V to 110V Voltage Converter with Dual USB AC Output, 200W Inverter

YeaTek 110V Magnetic Beer Pump Food Grade Stainless Steel Head with 1/2'' Inch Thread

ohyes Cordless Jobsite Fan For DeWALT 18V 20V 

Ordered The Trailer Kit

Ordered the do-it-yourself bike cargo trailer kit from WIKE in Ontario. Cost was $199 plus $35 for shipping. I will need to buy aluminum tubing form Home Depot and build the cargo trailer by hand. This way I can get a flatbed trailer big enough to haull my HF3535 holders my HF2024 holders and my HF2024 camera plus tripod.

Hope the kit arrives soon the shooting season is upon me! I want o use it this year to haul the HF20x24 about, along with the heavy tripod and the 20x24 wet plate holder. I will use the my new DJ Fat Tire electric bike to haul the trailer.

Note* I will take off the wheels for easier storage in the darkroom trailer when not using the bike cargo trailer.

Pictures Next Week Off?

  Hoping to make Ambrotypes, next week!!!!!!!

Cargo Trailer Hauller

The Fat Tire DJ Bike should work for the wet plate project. I put it together and drove it about the last 2.days. I will need to custom build a bike cargo trailer for it. The trailer needs to be is big enough to haul the very heavy 35x35 inch plate holder flat, to help avoid dripping silver nitrate. 

You can accelerate the bike from a stop without peddling using the throttle and the 750w electric motor, which will be good for short distance old man plate holder hauls. 

Am trying to develop systems that will allow me to make complete ULF ambrotypes across Canada into my 70s.

Canadian Tire Bio Ethanol Try

My Eastern Canada source for Eco-Fuel alcohol (bio ethanol) raised their prices dramatically. I bought extra bottles earlier. I believe I have around 49-3.75 bottles in reserve. I anticipated a price hike so bought more than I needed. I want to use those bottles to make Gerry Collodion with. Collodion is the  most important thing the alcohol is used for.

To that end yesterday I bought a $45 CAD bottle of Canadian Tore bio ethanol to try out. I will use it for my plate washer and developer to start. If this works, I can save and use my stock of Eco-Fuel bio ethanol a bit longer.

Setup Drying Tent

Set up the wet plate drying tent for the first time today. They said 45 seconds, took me 10 minutes. Probably will take 30-40 minutes in the field, where I will need to put in the tent stakes and attach the tie down ropes.

I will need to figure out the best way to secure the zipper front door out of the way, so I can carry the large mammoth plates in without damage. 

I will place plastic shelves and tables inside the tent for the glass plates to dry on. I might need to do washing in the tent as well. That will require me to figure out how to run the agitation pumps and hoses to the super large washing trays. I will also need to carry a ton of water.

The tent will prevent debris from falling on the plates and give me some privacy and protection. It will give me a larger work area for the mammoth work ahead, 20x24 inch and 35x35 inch Ambrotypes.I have cover sheets for all the screens if necessary.

I might end up buying a second tent if needed. This one is the cheaper copycat VEVOR version. It seems well made. 128 inches across, 89 inch middle height, 70 inch wall height.

Hope this works!!

Facebook Talk Announcement

 

Talk For The St. Albert Photography Club

Got asked today to do a talk on the wet plate photography project AMBROTOS KANATA. The presentation will be at the St Albert camera club, sometime in the winter of 2024.

This sounds like a fun event with good photo people. It will allow me to develop and refine my new AMBROTOS KANATA project talk, with the eventual goal of presenting at major galleries country wide. Who knows maybe we can someday speak at the national gallery in Ottawa (dream Gerry dream!!).

Words Running In Parallel

The artist Ann M, also spoke to me of a project she is working on related to a hand made book on Covid and the effects it had on society. She is using photos and written text together but independently of each other. Ann uses  the wonderful term “running in parallel “.

Over night I thought about what she had said over and over.  I had often thought that too much text was a negative around photographs. A distraction if you will. But what if you could run the text as she dies in parallel to enhance your messaging!

More thought needed Can I use this process to make AMBROTOS KANATA better?

Note* I need to spend more time around artists, they are lovely people who express themselves in such unique and individual but universal ways.  They teach you so much not not only about art but also about life. Being around folks like that help you grow as a human being.

Free Wet Plate Things

I got a kindly donation of some wet plate chemistry and gear from a local artist yesterday. The package included some silver nitrate, some varnish, 4x5 tin type plates, a 4x5 silver tank an adapted 35mm camera (for 35mm tin types) plus most importantly a John Coffer wet plate manual with 3 instructional DVDs!!!

The Coffer instructional stuff is especially valuable as Coffer is a wet plate pioneer with lots of knowledge that will help me on with the project. Some of his instruction might prove invaluable for AMBROTOS KANATA. The Silver and varnish will also be used. I need to repair the 4x5 tank which I can use with the future wet plate workshop students.

It was a good day! THANK YOU ANN FOR YOUR KINDNESS

Bought Me A DJ Mid Drive Fat Bike

Bit the bullet and finally bought me an E-Bike. I have been thinking on this for like 3 years. My last 2 normal bikes were stolen, so was a bit gun shy. I missed riding a lot thou. I also wanted to figure a way to allow me to do wet plate easier. This buy might do just that.

The bike retailed last year for $2499 CAD and I almost bought one but backed off at the last minute. I checked the DJ bike website today and they were having a 10th anniversary spring sale. The bike was selling at $1999.98 CAD (with taxes and free shipping $2998.95). I ordered it.

My hope is two fold, one to have fun and get some exercise, and two hook up a bike trailer to my new bike so that I can use the bike to haul large heavy wet plate trailers and possibly the camera/tripods to and from the shooting location. 

So the idea would be to haul everything out to the site using the electric bike motor, set up. Then to travel back and forth from the trailer to the camera then from the camera back to the trailer making pictures. I think the most tiring part of wet plate for me is the walk too and from camera position to the darkroom trailer. You might do it 20 times for 1 picture. With the ULF heavy holder (3mm glass sheets inside the holders) it will get more and more exhausting. I hope the plan works! 

The unit is a mid drive with a 750w motor. The mid drive engines are supposed to have better torque which I will need. 

Note* from the FACEBOOK post buying rational!  

A sale today on electric bikes ($500 off). Got my first E Bike today. A DJ fat tire mid engine 750w. My hope is to use it for the wet plate project. I had been holding off buying the bike for 3 years because of cost, but today decided to "go for it!".

Want to hook a bike trailer onto it to haul the super large and heavy ULF plate holders (20x24 inch and 35x35 inch) to and from the camera position back and forth from the darkroom trailer. I have found that walk can be the most tiring aspect of wet plate, worried about how difficult it will be with the larger plates as I age. With 8x10 I am often doing like 40 walks a day. It might also help with speed, allowing me to get the process done before the plate dries out. The mid engine design is supposed to help with Torque, something I will require.

Hope my evil plan works!!

https://dj-ebikes.ca/products/dj-mid-drive-fat-bike 

Ugly Exhaust Fan And Silver Box Repair

Did some darkroom trailer work tonight during my security night shift.

First off, added 2 new hinges to my 8x10 silver box. Last year one of the old hinges rusted and broke.

Second, I fabricated a half assed cardboard, duct tape box with a 3-inch exhaust hose for a $10 fan-exhaust fan unit I bought at Goodwill. A very ugly job that might not last long, but it seems to work, at least for now. An old fan boxed in cardboard will probably break down this season but for $10 I thought it was worth a chance.

I will run the exhaust hose through the power cable hole in the floor of the trailer. I should be able to use the unit as a exhaust fan or a normal fan. It runs on 110 power. I can use the inverter for the power. Not sure how long it will take to drain my batteries. It might help keep the air flavor in the darkroom a bit fresher.

Not sure if I will place the unit vertical or horizontal. An unused plug on the wall and the exhaust hose hole is nearby, so this location seems best.

$10 Goodwill special, exhaust fan-fan!

8x10 Silver Box

High end carboard box work!!!