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!!!

Link: Church Subjects Sites, For The AMBROTOS KANATA Wet Plate Project

Found this wonderful site a few days back. It allows me to see many churches across the province of Alberta (covers the Prairie Provinces). The site also provides maps and GPS locations of each church. I will use this resource to find subjects for this year's AMBROTOS KANATA project shoots. I will probably photograph some of these churches, or at least attempt to shoot them with the 20x24 HF camera. Will be trying to make 20x24 Ambrotypes for the first time this year. Check out the link for your own use. Thank you, Russel S, for all your hard work.

https://prairiechurches.ca/

Photo and site by Russel Sawchuk

Scanning Ambrotypes For Submissions

 

Scanning 8x10 Ambrotypes from last year, I am applying for some Art Grants. Also trying to sell some plates to the Provincial collection. All money made would be used to buy Silver to continue the work.Hoping to get the trailer Freddy and the RV Fanny on the road making new Ambros for the AMBROTOS KANATA project by mid May. I am going to put new tires on the darkroom trailer the beginning of the month.

 

AFA, Art Acquisitions by Application Grant, 2023 Attempt

Applied for a AFA, "Art Acquisitions by Applications"grant today. Basically its a attempt to get your work bought by the Alberta Government and added into their permanent collection. 

I got a print in of a monk years back but ever since then nothing but failures. Kind of took the wind out of my sails and I stopped applying.  With the new Canada based project AMBROTOS KANATA, wet plate/ambrotype project, I decided to give it another go.

I submitted 5 Cottonwood tree 8x10s from last September. I asked $1000 a Ambrotype plate, as these are one of kind 8x10 pieces, never to be replaced or repeated.

If I sell any of these to the province. I will use the money to buy "Silver Nitrate" which will allow me to make more Ambros.

Here are the submissions. I am hoping since they are 1 of a kind works and Alberta based, they might be more attractive to the selection jury folks. Any sales will also fuel new work.

Note* This is the first time I have scanned Ambrotypes! 

Note** For anyone in Alberta that wants to try, here is the link.

https://www.affta.ab.ca/funding/find-funding/art-acquisitions-application

Cottonwoods #2, AMBROTOS KANATA, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, Sept. 2022

Cottonwoods #3, AMBROTOS KANATA, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, Sept. 2022

Cottonwoods #5, AMBROTOS KANATA, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, Sept. 2022

Cottonwoods #6, AMBROTOS KANATA, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, Sept. 2022

Cottonwoods #8, AMBROTOS KANATA, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, Sept. 2022

Video: New Battery Added To The Darkroom Trailer

Added a second battery to my trailer darkroom solar set-up. I now have 2x12 volt batteries running in parallel, acting as single 12 volt with more storage. I should now have longer power times to run my wash water pumps, fans and radio/cd player in the field.

The water pump for the sink and the lights runs off the original trailer floor battery. So a total of 3 batteries in the trailer plus the ability to plug in and run off 110 volts if available.

2112 volt batteries running in parallel = more in the field POWER

A Dream About A Wet Plate Dude

 

Dreamed of a man fighting through epic failures and difficulties while chasing his wet plate photography dream. He was worn out and exhausted. He had no more to give, had reached his breaking point. People yelled out that he should quit, he almost did but then suddenly changed his mind. The man in the dream smiled and said he would continue. His look of defiance at the end of the dream was inspiring. Then I woke uo. 

A rather epic dream, involved and long. The guy did not look like me but was a fighter. I will try to remember his spirit. 

The 8x10 Ambros are from the last working days of last season. Need to continue to climb upwards this year. Will work on the trailer today. I bought a second deep cycle battery I need to install.

8x10 Ambrotypes from the 15 year cross Canada wet plate project AMBROTOS KANATA 

Looking Forward To Being Completely Exhausted!

Most days when I am doing wet plate I become completely exhausted. Now after a winter of sitting on my lazy ass I need to become COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED. Bring on wet plate season 3!!

Last year after a day of making Ambros