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Thursday, December 28, 2023

Bought a Black Wash Table

Spending money like a drunken American sailor on leave in Pattaya, Thailand. Bought a sink type table to wash my 16x20 plates in. Unfortunately the table is not big enough for 24 inch plates but should work fine for 2-16x20 Ambrotypes.

The plan is to fill this sink with water then to put 2 large 16x20 plates at a time in it to wash using my agitation pump system. I can rim this unit outside the trailer or in my wash tent. I think it should work well for the larger plates. Afterwards draining the water should be easier than when I use trays as there is a mid sink drain.

If this goes well, there is a possibility of purchasing a second wash sink. Wish it was big enough for 24x24 glass!

Note* The black colour is a nice bonus as it should allow me to view or at least partly view (depending how black) the plates as I wash them. Seeing your is encouraging when your involved in a long tough shooting day. You see what you have made and are inspired to work harder and create more!! Photography has always been that way for me, one image leads to another, which creates happiness.

Note** Gosh I need to sell some work, costs are sky rocketing!

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Link: Webpage Now Up To About 148 Photos

The website is coming along nicely. Still a few bugs, various mistakes, but things are looking up. The cost per year is about $270 CAD, for a domain name, web site host and more a pro looking email (contact@gerryyaum.net). I built the page by myself, so no extra costs there.

I have around 150 images on the site from 9 projects. Eventually I should have 700-1000 images from about 15 projects on the site. As I continue to shoot AMBROTOS KANATA, plus the 2 Thai projects THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP and THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, plus a possible major project in the Philippines, the eventual image count before I die, could hit 2000.

We shall see!!


Note* I hope someone somewhere views my life’s work and considers it worthy of a book. Some photographers do dozens of books during their lifetime. I would be happy with just one!!! 

There are so many bad books published, even shitty books. I once saw a big colour photo book actually devoted to shit as a subject. Every picture was another toilet bowl filled with shit before flushing. When you see  disgusting ideas like that printed in book form, you really wonder what it will take to get published. Does compassion  and empathy for important lives even matter?

I hope this new photo website helps get the work into book firm someday.

www.gerryyaum.net

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Video: Cottonwoods, AMBROTOS KANATA, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype, Dinasaur Provincial Park, Alberta, 2023

Cottonwoods, AMBROTOS KANATA, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype, Dinasaur Provincial Park, Alberta, 2023. Part of the long term Canadian wet plate project, AMBROTOS KANATA.

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Link: Photography Website Hopes!

Gosh after 45 years making pictures, I will finally attempt to create a real website for the photographs. Will be adding images for years. So far 16 galleries. Hoping the website will eventually help print sales to fund current work. Will be making Gelatin Silver, Platinum-Palladium, Salt and Digital prints.

https://gerryyaum.wixsite.com/my-site/client-albums

Friday, December 15, 2023

Link: Bought Me a Back Up 8x10 Wet Plate Holder

Picked a second 8x10 wet plate holder today. I have one of these models already, a great, strong design. I figured it was good idea to get a back up. Backup gear is expensive but vital at times. I decided to take the plunge. I did not want to be out in the middle of no where making plates and then my plate holder breaks, leaving me f-cked! Cost was $510 CAD plus shipping.

For Those Interested in One of Their Own 

Video Link: First Video For The AMBROTOS KANATA YouTube Channel

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 my editing and filming skills improve along with the Ambrotype making.

Note* Also put the vid on my regular Gerry Yaum YouTube channel.

AMBROTOS KANATA Introduction

Monday, December 11, 2023

Video: Burnt Trees

Burnt Trees, AMBROTOS KANATA, Bertha Peak, Waterton National Park, Alberta 2022

Part of the long-term Canada wide wet plate, ambrotype project, AMBROTOS KANATA.

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Video: Tree Trunks

Tree Trunks, AMBROTOS KANATA, Banff National Park, Alberta 2022

Part of the long-term Canada wide wet plate, ambrotype project, AMBROTOS KANATA.

Saturday, December 9, 2023

Video: Aspens

Aspens, AMBROTOS KANATA, Banff National Park, Alberta 2023

Part of the long-term Canada wide wet plate, ambrotype project, AMBROTOS KANATA.

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Video: Cottonwood Plate Walk

Cottonwood tree plate, AMBROTOS KANATA, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta 2023

Part of the long-term Canada wide wet plate, ambrotype project, AMBROTOS KANATA.

Monday, November 27, 2023

Saturday, November 25, 2023

Winter Ambrotype Systems???

How to shoot the AMBROTOS KANATA Canada wide wet plate project effectively in the wintertime?

I have been thinking of this tonight at work. To do the project right, winter shooting, snow shooting, cold weather shooting is a must. But how? It would be physically difficult but that can be overcome with effort. The thing that concerns me most is how to keep the process functioning in -20C temps when everything, including the water so important to the process freezes.

Been brainstorming some possibilities.

- Purchase a 4x4 heavy duty pickup (second hand of course), to pull the trailer in adverse weather conditions.

- Purchase a camper insulated for the cold with toilet, shower, kitchen and bed (second hand of course).

- Figure a way to run the furnishes safely both in the trailer and the camper to keep the water supplies from freezing. There is potential for an explosion or fire when working with things like Ether/bio ethanol/collodion and open flame areas from furnaces.

- Reconfigure the darkroom trailer door for winter weather.

- Extra propane bottles.

- Figure a way to do wet plate with a heater safely. I would have to pour the plates and possibly store the collodion outside for safety reasons. 

- A high energy, low power exhaust fan?

The camper truck set up would allow for longer trips in cold weather, using FANNY the RV in the wintertime is a no go. I could probably not shoot plates larger than 16z20.

The cold will give me all kinds of tech problems with the process, but it still might be easier than working in extreme heat. I had a lot easier time making Ambrotypes at 3C as compared to 29C.

Thursday, November 23, 2023

More Wet Plate Tools

Well, my last big photo gear shipment is on its way to Canada from the Ukraine. I have an acrylic 8x10 silver nitrate coming and a 8x10 6 plate washer.

The idea behind the wash tank is: 

I can now wash plates more safely, in the darkroom trailer. The tank allows for an individual separation rack for each plate, so the plates do not touch. This will help protect the ultra-sensitive collodion emulsion during washing. I scratch plates all the time when washing in a 20x24 inch tray. It is a very depressing thing. You work your tail off trying to make beautiful glass Ambrotypes, then during the washing you damage them forever. This happens again and again to me.  Let's hope the washer solves this problem. My only worry is that this unit uses too much water. Water is always in shortage when working remotely on the road.

The idea behind the silver tank is: 

I wanted to have something I could use with my mobile E-bike work next season. I can travel to remote areas, set up quickly and open the tank with the silver inside, ready to go. This unit should be able to keep the silver in the tank the entire day. Everything should remain safely secure while travelling on the bike and trailer or shooting at a location. Once you put the lid on the tank, it is supposedly leak proof. So, I should be able to drive without spilling expensive silver nitrate. We will do some testing to confirm. 

I hope this plan works, if it does, I can also use the tank in the trailer for quick departures when on the road. I do not have to play with the silver nitrate, filtering and putting it back in the bottles etc. I can do that work directly out of the tank when I arrive at my sleeping location. So quick-fast, more mobile and safer silver nitrate handling might result!!

If this works, I will be looking into getting a 25x25 inch tank made. I would use that tank with my 24x24 inch Chamonix camera. 

6 Plate Washer
Acrylic 8x10 Silver Tank

Monday, November 20, 2023

Video: Dark Cottonwoods, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype

Dark Cottonwoods, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype, Drumheller, AMBROTOS KANATA, Alberta, Canada, 2022

New Wet Plate Tools

Newest additions to the wet plate tool kit. A super large drying rack and a 16x20 upright fixer tank. I will use these new tools over the winter and the next shooting season.

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Video: Forrest Scene 66

Forest Scene 66, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype, Banff National Park, Alberta,  2023

Part of the long term wet plate project of Canada, AMBROTOS KANATA.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Scanning Plates

I am scanning old 8x10 plates with the Orange one today. Waiting for the Daguerreotype gear to arrive.

Cottonwood Tree Tops, Drumheller, Alberta, 2023
Bow Lake, Banff National Park, 2023
Burned Trees on Bertha Peak, Waterton National Park. My 8x10 Deardorff went crashing down in high winds soon after making this ambro. There was damage done to the camera. I still need to repair some of it.
Lundbreck Waterfall Comp #2, Lundbreck, Alberta
Lundbreck Bridge, sunny, constrasty say, 2023
Rather a chaotic composition, a 2022 plate.
ugly plate, filled with mistakes, but I still kind of like it
Military Memorial, Calgary. A super hot day lead to many artifacts, 2022
Hidden Tree, 2023
Very thin plate, with comets
Very thin, probably underexposed plate.
Dimsum standing at attention.

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Video: Cottonwood trees, Dinosaur Provincial Park

Cottonwood trees, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta 2023

Part of the long term wet plate project of Canada, AMBROTOS KANATA.

Video: Trees, Preachers Point, Alberta

Trees, Preachers Point, Alberta 2023

The work is part of a long time photography project of Canada titled AMBROTOS KANATA

Another Silver Tank

Got a near mint condition second hand silver nitrate tank and plate rack delivered today. I can now do 11x14 plates more easily. The idea is to use this gear withe the e-bike and trailer next shooting season. 

I now have a multitude of silver tanks in different sizes. 4x5, 8x10-2, 11x14, 16x20, 20x24 and 35x35 inches. I also have a supposedly leak proof acrylic 8x10 tank on order.

Video: Graveyard Crucifix

Graveyard Crucifix , Mundare, Alberta, 2022

The work is part of a long time photography project of Canada titled AMBROTOS KANATA

Video: Cottonwood Tree #1

This 8x10 plate was sold to the “ Alberta Foundation for theArts” for $1000 CAD. It along with a second plate became part of their permanent collection.

The work is part of a long time photography project of Canada titled AMBROTOS KANATA

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Cleaning For Winter

Believe it or not this is the cleaned up state of my varnish/UV exposure room. Getting this room and the adjoining darkroom cleaned up for a winter of printing and wet plate work!! Need to also find room for the new/used daguerreotype gear.

Monday, October 30, 2023

Video: Cottonwoods #2, AMBROTOS KANATA

Cottonwoods #2, AMBROTOS KANATA, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, October 2023

120mm Nikkor Lens, 8x10 Deardorff, Gerry Collodion, Vinegar Developer

Video: Dead Aspens #1, AMBROTOS KANATA

Dead Aspens #1, AMBROTOS KANATA, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype, Waterton National Park, Alberta, October 2023

120mm Nikkor Lens, 8x10 Deardorff, Gerry Collodion, Vinegar Developer

Portraits with Larry

Am making some 11x14 and 14x14 Ambrotypes portraits with my friend Larry. It should be fun!