Goal: To capture Canada on Ambrotype (glass pictures, 1851 technology). To tell the story of the nation, its people, its landscapes, its industry, its beauty and its tragedy.
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Thursday, September 21, 2023
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Quote: Sally Mann
Monday, September 18, 2023
18 Inch Projection Lens on 24x24 Inch Camera
Put the 18 inch projection lens on the 24x24 Chamonix for the first time today. It looks good!!
I am not sure what kind of images this will make. The lens is very fast but also has an extremely shallow depth of field. It was cheap, so worth a try.
I will be leaving on a 3 week Ambrotype making trip soon. Not sure if I should take the 24x24 or just stick to the 16x20 Chamonix.
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Paperwork!! AMBROTOS KANATA Season Ending.
Spent the last several hours here at work filling out PDF. and WORD forms for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts folks. Gosh they require a lot of signed paperwork. I signed 6 signatures on 6 pieces of paper for the 2 Ambrotypes added to their collection. Also sent in my CV again.
I will mail "Alberta Foundation for the Arts" the paperwork package on Monday before I depart on the last AMBROTOS KANATA wet plate trip of the season, 3 weeks of fun. The season is ending much too soon, I have not done enough good work.
Hope AFA will send the $2000 CAD soon as I have already spent the money on Silver Nitrate to make more Ambrotypes.
I will need to do some solid studio Ambrotype work this winter. Next year I need to have a better, longer, more productive shooting season.
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
2 Ambrotypes Purchased for the Province of Alberta Collection
Note* Got lucky there. I kinda counted my chickens before they hatched. My plan was to spend the collected work money, $2000 CAD for the purchase of silver nitrate to make more Ambrotyoes. The problem was a month after I submitted the work to the phase 2 folks, I had not heard back from them. I did not know if they would buy the pieces. So I was heading off for a three week shooting trip with not enough chemical supplies. I decided to go all in, to take a chance. I bought the $2000 CAD in silver and another $700 in Collodion.
That chemistry is at home waiting in next week's trip departure. Luckily today found out the silver money will be coming from the province.
Partly Finished 18 Inch Projection Lens with Lens Board
I still need to add black putty to make it light proof. This lens with board setup should work as well as the 14-inch version. I have no idea what the image will look like. The sharp area, the dept of field will be very shallow, perhaps too shallow. The good is how dad this lens will be the large glass should allow in a ton of light.
Here’s hoping it works. I can do without the shutter but having no F-stops might be a problem. I will test it on the 16x20 next trip. The lens will also fit the 24x24 Chamonix. I have no idea on the coverage.
Note* I did the board painting and filing at work.
Note** the cost of the lens was $12.99 USD and shipping $40 USD. The lens board was included in my Chamonix 24x24 camera buy.
18 Inch Projection Lens and Lensboard
Friday, September 8, 2023
AMBROTOS KANATA Art Talk Submissions??
Thinking of doing multiple submissions to do Art Talks around the country. Talks related to AMBROTOS KANATA. Might not work, probably will not, but worth a shot. I could raise awareness about Collodion Wet Plate photography and about the goals of our project.
Voigtlander Lens On The Chamonix 24x24
I am not sure if the lens, a Voigtlander 655mm (24.5 inch) F6 Lens , will cover 24x24. One of quite a few lens options for the new/used Chamonix camera.
Possible Future Ontario AMBROTOS KANATA Meetup and Talk
Got contacted by a Facebook friend from Ontario. There might be a meetup and talk possibility at some future date. Will add his info to my meetup, workshop, talk, demonstration Excel form.
Thanks Christopher!
The 24x24 Chamonix Camera Is Safely In Edmonton!
The Chamonix 24x24 inch camera is safely unpacked in my small studio in Edmonton, Canada!
Thank you Alex T for doing a great job packing the camera and providing me with a shipping case I can re use to haul the 24x24 across the country as part of AMBROTOS KANATA.
I am pleasantly surprised at the weight of the camera. I should be able to handle it for many years. It is lighter than I imagined.
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
18 Inch Projection Lens Has Arrived
Picked up a 2nd projection lens today. I now have a 14 inch and a 18 inch version. It is a huge piece of glass. No shutter or f stops of course. I need to figure out a lensboard for it.
The 2 lens should be fun to play with. Not too expensive, a bit of an experiment.
First AMBROTOS KANATA News Story
Here is the small story in the free magazine “Neighbors of Botanic Park” came today. Thank you Donna H for sending me a copy., and for making the cover photo.
A nice story that deals with the AMBROTOS KANATA project. So, we now have our first Ambrotype project talk scheduled for February, our first news story and we might be selling the first two Ambrotypes (still waiting on the Alberta Provincial art collection to decide).
The hope is to do those 3 things multiple times nation wide. News stories, talks and sales to collections. All sale money would have course go back into the project, to buy chemistry etc.
At least this is a small beginning in the right direction. We still have not had an exhibition of the Ambrotypes. Do not think the work is ready yet, maybe by the end of next year.
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Semi Successful 16x20 Ambrotype
My first semi successful 16x20 Ambrotype landscape. Will take a 3-week photo trip at the end of September to Southern Alberta. Will try to make 16x20 diptychs.
Saturday, September 2, 2023
Video: Far From Perfect But Still Beautiful
This is a far from perfect Ambrotype but still beautiful in its way.
Trees in silver, near Drumheller, Alberta, July 2023
I will need to shoot more than trees my next 3 week shooting trip.
Made Two Submissions
I just made 2 gallery submissions to the main gallery at CASA in Lethbridge, Alberta. It is a nice facility with an CARFAC artist fee of $...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBANmXd2Pn32uvwnrVa1GcidC_r0O3GudbacL7vYC84ufgsyKBKEuZEbQV6j1rByQfvZso8GPNnWTtMnM8MKWCbd2mcEWi9SyoQgx0JSnkvLD4RsIvC061pegDl-F6yq3C8b7cu5Y3IbWA1p33EzAcqSHl9xYBQnNU4tNrltabMH85QsLZ4dQoXuKrRNs/s320/CASA.jpg)
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This is the first video for the new AMBROTOS KANATA project YouTube channel. I had limited video, so this thing is a bit crude. Hopefully m...
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Slept about 10 hours and then got outside at about 6am to start the 20x24 shooting day. It turns out that 6am is way too late. Set up of all...