On The Road!

 

Quote: Sally Mann

“When I was shooting with collodion, I wasn't just snapping a picture. I was fashioning, with fetishistic ceremony, an object whose ragged black edges gave it the appearance of having been torn from time itself.”

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.

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.

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

Tonight, at work. I am going to try and fit my 18-inch projection lens into a wooden lens board. Then the lens can be mounted on the 16x20 and 24x24 Chamonix cameras. Not sure about the lens coverage. Not sure what look the lens will give me.

My work area

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!

3 Camera's

 3 cameras a 5x7 Deardorff copy, the Chamonix 24x24 and the HF3535.

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.

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.

Poem: Creation

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.

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.