14 Inch Projection Lens, Almost Ready!

 

The lens board for my 14 inch Charles Beseler EF Series III projection lens, bought a year or so ago, has arrived. I needed to file it slightly larger. Now it fits snugly around the lens. I still have to fill in the rough areas of the lens board hole with tape or some kind of putty to seal up some small light leaks.

I have no idea what this cheaper lens images will look like but I am willing to give it a try. My friend Kurt M in Italy recommended projection lens, now I will be able to play with my first. I am hoping they will be effective for portraiture. These projection lens do not have apertures, only the single large lens size hole. The lens should be very fast as lots of light is coming in through the glass, but I have no idea of its sharpness or depth of field/focus.

Hope the Ambrotypes look good! I can shoot it with the HF2024 and the Chamonix 16x20 and the new/used Chamonix 24x24. Doubt it will have the coverage for the HF3535.

If this lens works, I might get larger and smaller ones, they are still pretty cheap to purchase.

Bought A Used Chamonix 24x24 Inch Camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Crazy me. I bought another 20x24 cameras. This time its a Chamonix 24x24 wet plate camera. The cost is crazy-stupid Gerry expensive. I figured if I was going all in on AMBROTOS KANATA, I might as well go ALL IN!!  With the RV, the Trailer, the HF3535 the Chamonix 16x20 and how the Chamonix 24x24, I am definitely all in. Am throwing everything I got at this project. My heart, soul and my money.

Hopefully I can sell some of the 24x24 inch plates and make my money back eventually.

Cost New is $11350 USD

I paid 7900 Euro, or about $8670 USD for a used camera. This price includes shipping but not the the brokerage and taxes I will pay on my end.

I got mine from Alex T in the Netherlands. He only used the camera 2 times and is 6 or 7 years old. Alex T is a high end responsible photography person with a good reputation. The camera does not have the spring back.

The package includes, the 24x24 camera, a 24x24 wet plate holder and 2 lensboards.

I hope this is not a mistake but Chamonix are such beautiful cameras, I love my 16x20.  This camera will be a great tool, for many many years of AMBROTOS KANATA shooting. Very worried today, so much money spent.

Alex is also making me a shipping case of some kind. A case that I might be able to use later when I store the camera for travelling in the darkroom trailer Freddy.

 Gosh, I hope I did the right thing.

Note* The Tech data for the 20x24 Chamonix, my new/used 24x24 will be similar.

2024CF Convertible 
Weight:14.8KG
Folded size：732mm X 692mm X 164mm
Max bellows draw:1,300mm (1,780mm with extension set）；Min bellows draw: 280mm
Rear standard swing: left 11°, right 11° ,  Rear tilt: 26°
Front rise: 170mm, front fall: 146mm  Front shift: 52mm on each side

This is from the Chamonix website, not my camera. Mine is a 24x24 not a 20x24 and does not have the spring back. You need to remove the acrylic ground glass to place the holder on. A better system It think with large heavy wet plate holders.

Studying Heads Tonight!

A big part of the AMBROTOS KANATA cross Canada Ambrotype project will be portraiture. I enjoy shooting landscapes with wet plate but my photographic heart has always been social documentary in nature, with portraits being a key.

I need to figure out how I want my Ambrotype portraits to look and feel. Wet pate is a difficult, slow, complicated process. Making creative and strong wet plate collodion portraits will be very challenging. Studying some of the greats tonight, Sally Mann, Ancient Egypt and Chuck Close. Maybe I can learn something.

Sally Man images made using the wet plate collodion process.

Chuck Close head, the top images are Daguerreotypes.

Ancient Egypt artist, a young queen, possibly Nefertiti

Video: A Nice Keeper

A nice keeper.

Forest Scene #3, AMBROTOS KANATA, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype, Near Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, July, 2023

Video: Scraggly Trees #2, Badkands,, Alberta, Canada

 Scraggly Trees #2, Badlands, Alberta, Canada, July 2023

Similar Look, 140 Years Apart

Got to love Ambrotypes. These two images were made about 140 years apart (2023 and 1890?) but similar in tonalities. It speaks to the beauty and longevity of these things. Some of the Ambrotypes from AMBROTOS KANATA could potentially (assuming they are collected by museums, which may have already started, hope hope) be viewed in near their original beauty 200 or even 300 years after they were made. NOW THAT IS SUPER COOL!

Dodging a Plate During Exposure

Am asking advice online about this. Trying to see how many folks out there dodge during exposure to lesson blown out highlight areas of the plate. I have h ad problems in the past photographing mountain scenes. I am thinking the UV light is too strong in those areas compared to foregrounds in that type of composition. If I could reduce the exposure in the mountains/trees/whatever, I might be able to print the selected composition within the limited latitude a wet plate Ambrotype is able to capture.

Regions I Like!

With every plate I make there are usually at least some regions in it I like. With this most recent overexposed sky image I like these sections, it makes it so hard to destroy the plate because I so enjoy just staring at these small little worlds.

Video: Overexposed Forest Scene

This overexposed plate will probably be destroyed, and the glass reused.

Forest Scene Version #3, Badlands near Drumheller, Alberta, July 2023

Video: Forest Scene AMBROTOS KANATA

 

Forest Scene #2, AMBROTOS KANATA, clear Glass Ambrotype, Badlands, Alberta, July 2023 

Video: Forrest scene 2, AMBROTOS KANATA, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype

Forrest scene 2, AMBROTOS KANATA, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype, Near Drumheller, Alberta, July 2023

This image is underexposed but kinda like the feel and foreground white bush.

Little Old Man AMBROTYPE

The latest Japanese Ambrotype buy. My collection of these type Ambrotypes is about 6 or 7 now. I find these little beauties fascinating. Who was he, what happened to him. What kind of life did this little old man have? Did he have a family? What was his story? 

The Ambrotype probably dates to 1870-1890. Meaning the man has been dead for 100 years plus but amazingly still lives inside the glass. You got to love the beauty and lifespan of wet plate collodion photography.

Video: Forrest Scene, AMBROTOS KANATA, 8x10 Clear Ambrotype

Forrest Scene, AMBROTOS KANATA, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype, Near Drumheller, Alberta, July, 2023

Video: Multiple Cottonwoods, 2023

 

Multiple Cottonwood Trees #1, AMBROTOS KANATA, Badlands, Alberta, Canada, July 2023