Film Freezer, Bulk Film Count

Just found out my main film freezer is not working. It is located in my garage and was covered with many heavy boxes (buried), I did not know it was not working until tonight. I have 2 other freezers in my garage that were working, only the biggest one died. Not sure when it happened. A few of the boxes were still a tiny bit damp from the unfreezing process, so it probably happened a month or two back (less than 6, I think). I hope the film is OK, I will use film from that freezer for my coming Thai trip, both 8x10 and 35mm bulk films. The garage is a cool dark place, the freezer even when not working is an insulated sealed box. I think everything should be fine. I am more worried about the age of some of the 35mm bulk stuff, most outdated in 2013, a few in 2012. I also have 35mm bulk Tri-x rolls in a working freezer that outdate 2016, but will save those for future trips.

Forgot how much bulk film I actually have. turns out I have tons of the bulk film in my freezers, getting older by the day. I will take 20 or 100 foot boxes with me to Asia. Better to overshoot there, then let die a slow unused death here in Canada.  It is way better to have too much film , then not enough. I will give up space for other things to take my film with me.

I cleaned the garage area someone, fiddled with the non working freezer. Will let everything sit overnight, if it does not get cold I will transfer all the film  to my moms home. Dad has many freezers there that he used during his farmers market cooking days. I can store everything at moms, while I am photographing in Thai.

Quote: Proverbs 31: 8-9

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

Edmonton Film Festival?

Found this link tonight via Facebook. I might give it a go next year when I have my dump documentary done. Assuming of course I have a dump documentary done by next year!! Seems you have pay money just to be considered, seems that way with most photo contests/gallery/film submissions these days.
https://www.edmontonfilmfest.com/submit-your-film/

Possible "Photography Forum" Submission Scans

As I scan negs for the "Photography Forum" magazine submission I am reunited with images from the 2013-2014, some of which I had forgotten about. Here are a few, they might have been posted before. Will probably print some of these images at future "Families of the Dump" exhibitions. Am looking forward to shooting a ton of 35mm Tri-x next trip with the Leica's. What a wonderful creative combination they make.

Update: Linked this blog to my Facebook. Here is what I wrote there.
 
Been scanning some old 35mm Tri-x negs, shot in the dump on the families in 2013-14. Check them out if you have a chance. The photos posted here, one is of a baby-young child area in the dump (old mattress under a tree). While the parents were working, they placed their children on this mattress, some of the older children (still very young) watched over them. The second photo is of a young mother (14?) in a dump shack home, her mother lays in front of her, she was quite sick that day but recovered. I ended up giving them some money for a clinic visit. I think she is the same lady carrying the bag on her head in the link. Most everyone in the dump works hard. It is very difficult dirty work. One time I helped lift a huge bag of heavy bottles onto a ladies head, my hands were covered in smelly slime after that. A dump rotting garbage smell is a special kind of smell, it gets and stays in everything. 
https://gerryyaum.blogspot.ca/2017/09/possible-photography-forum-submission.html

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2 New Artist Talk Photos, "Healing Process"

In the photos sent to me by the gallery yesterday there were 2 from the talk. Thought I would post them as I did not have this angle before (from the gallery staffs point of view). You can see some of crowd. Kind of strange to see myself as the centre of attention. Am still surprised people wanted to listen to me babble on.

Update* I posted these photos on my Facebook page as well, leading to this exchange with my friend Larry (Edmonton Larry). I tend to rattle on a bit in my responses, but I think it helps me to organize my thoughts. I might use some of this on the next artist talk!

Larry L Great to see that your images are being appreciated

 

Gerry Yaum Thanks Larry, It was just great to tell Dads story, bring him back to life a bit. The other great part was people sharing their own cancer stories about fathers, mothers, brothers. The 4 times I have shown this work each time I had long talks with gallery visitors about their own relatives. Everyone had a chance to speak about their loss, what hurt them, which is always good . A joint healing type of thingy for everyone, including myself. That to me is what is great about social documentary photography, telling the story of those that are forgotten, and sharing them with everyone. Then hopefully connecting with personal experiences of the visitor.

"Healing Process"- "My Fathers Last Days" Artist Talk, August 31, 2017 Art Gallery of St. Albert

Photo Story: Young Boy Sleeping In The Dump

This photo was made in 2014 on my second trip to the dump as part of the "Families of the Dump" documentary photo project. When I arrived back in the Mae Sot dump in 2014, I met a large group of people, several families that were new to the area. Because they had no homes built yet they were all sleeping under makeshift lean twos or in the open. This sleeping area was located inside the edge of the dump, their was much garbage around the sleeping people, most of it was flattened and matted into the muddy grass.. Almost everyday when I arrived in the dump around 630am, I photographed a group of boys sleeping in the open on filthy pillows and blankets. They were often covered in flies which were crawling on the their exposed faces, legs and arms.

In this picture there were initially 2 boys, sleeping, the one behind had gotten up, the younger one still was deeply sleeping. Dreaming of what? I wonder. What I remember most is the stink of this place, even early in the day before it got very hot, their was a rotten sickly smell to everything, along with that there was the buzz of the thousands of flies and the barks and yelps from nearby fighting wild dogs.

A terrible place to wake up in each morning, what future will this boy have? Why is he forgotten, left to sleep with garbage, flies, cockroaches, rats and wild dogs?  This has to change, the worlds nations, the worlds people need to share what we have. All of us everywhere, regardless of gender, race, nationality, religion and culture are of equal value, we all belong to each other. No boy should have to live like this. We all need to fight for positive change, each of us needs to make a commitment to that change. Only then will things start to turn for the better.

Tech Stuff: M6 Camera, 35mm F1.4 lens (?) Tri-x film (200ASA). Developed 2/1 for 12 minutes 30 seconds at 20C in D-76.

Young boy sleeping, Mae Sot Dump, Thailand 2014

Delay On HF3535 Build

There is going to be a delay in the HF3535 build (35x35 inch view camera). I will do the final payments for the camera and the shipping to Canada from the Czechia (Czech Republic) will happen on my return from Thailand in April 2018. Filip the cameras builder had a bad accident, damaging his hand several months back. I believe he now has limited movement in some of his fingers on that hand, he needs to rehab the fingers as the work continues. I told him to take care of his injury first, and that there was no rush on the camera. I hope he makes a full or near full recovery, his family relies on his ability to create with his hands. It is so important that he recovers full mobility to support and care for his children. Camera due dates matter so little in comparison. No rushing needed Filip, take care of your health first, I amd "KANATA"can wait.

I will continue to post photos of the HF3535 build as it happens.

Final "Healing Process" (My Fathers Last Days) Statistic, Comments Update

Got this info, in a large envelope, from the Art Gallery of St. Albert (AGSA) yesterday. Thought I would post it.

Healing Process August 3rd to September 2nd 2017
- 890 people visited the show.
- 210 attended the opening reception.
- Throughout the exhibition, the gallery hosted 11 community members for a public exhibit tour.
- 71 participants in over 7 in-house community and children's art programs.
- We had a really great response from all the visitors in attendance.

The package also included a Documentary CD of various images, guest book pages, gallery invitations, newspaper editorials and advertisements.

Guest book comments, "Healing Process" St. Albert 2017

Note* I tried to avoid reading the guest book stuff. Not sure why but those types of things make me very uncomfortable. The one I did read was 'Interesting":), always get a few of those a show. "Interesting", a comment you can take multiple ways! I posted this guest book stuff to show that social documentary photography can have a an impact (hopefully a positive one).

"Ain't Photography Grand!!"

Photo Story: Another, Another Found Negative

Here is another found negative from the recent "Families of the Dump" scanning. I have photographed this man a number of times over the years at the dump.. In 2013 he would ask me to bring him a high caffeine energy drinks and later a beer. One time on seeing me for the first time in 2015 he was unhappy with me making photos (he forgot me) and said something angry to the people working around him. I then gave him some pictures from the 2013 negatives (portraits of him) and he was shocked and surprised to see them. I think at that point he remembered who I was, he looked at me closely 2 or 3 times. After that photography was OK again. He always had the watery looking eyes of a heavy drinker, one time I saw him drink out of a 1/2 empty old bottle of pop that he had picked up directly out of the garbage as he worked. It looked like a cola of some kind.That act, drinking what he found under the filth was symbolic. I think about that moment quite often as an example of the tragedy of poverty, of waste and desperation.

Tech Stuff: Lecia M6 with 50mm F 1.4 lens (?). Tri-x film developed 2/1 for 12 min 30 seconds at 20C in D76. Print will be on warmtone Ilford FB.

Update* I think at a future exhibition of the "Families of the Dump" photography, I will print an image of this man. I have several that I like to choose from. His is an important story, that needs to be told.

Man with cowboy hat, Mae Sot garbage dump, Thailand 2013

Quote: August Sander

"(Photography) can reproduce things with impressive beauty, or even with cruel accuracy but It can also be outrageously deceptive."