Quote: Dalai Lama

 "Compassion and tolerance are not signs of weakness, but are signs of strength."

Quote: Epictetus (Greek Philosopher Who Was Born As A Slave)

 "He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh about."

Quote: MK Gandhi

 "For a non violent person, the whole world is one family."

Cleaned Up Small Studio, Set Up 16x20 Chamonix Camera

Cleaned up my little studio and set up the 16x20 camera. I need to shoot wet plate images all year round. It is the only way I can improve my shoddy technique. The Speedotron flash unit is 4800w which will help.

16x20 Chamonix in the studio

4800w Speedotron flash unit

Chamonix 16x20 in the cramped studio space

Chamonix with 600mm Nikon lens

Old photo work form  the dump and the sex worker project

Squished in saltboxes

Quote: Seneca (Roman Philosopher, Who Was Forced To Take His Own Life By Nero)

 "As long as you live, keep learning how to live."

Quote: Jeff Bridges

"Life is brief and beautiful....Love is all around us and available at all times. It's a matter of opening ourselves to receive the gift."

Calcium Carbonate The Cheap Way

Picked up a 50lb bag of "Baseball Marker" another name for Calcium Carbonate. It is used to mark baseball feilds for games. I got the huge 50lb bag for $16.25 with free shipping to my home.  Much cheaper than buying it by the itty bitty bottle from a chemical or photo supply store. I will use this stuff to wash my Ultra Large Format ambrotype plates.

Update* The 50lb bag was on my door step today when I left for work. Got to love FREE DELIVERY on an item like this! I only had to carry it into the house.

Preparing The Trailer For 16x20 Ambrotypes

 

So things seem pretty much ready for tomorrows attempt at 16x20 ambrotypes. Going to work out of home this time as it is a bigger step. I need 3900ml of Silver to fill the tank, not sure I have that much, it will be close.

Set up the 16x20 silver tank as best I could. I placed it in the left sink, with a bit of piping holding the stand in place. I wedged the tank in between many bottles, seems to be solid enough for now. I hope there are no light leaks.

 

The camera and lens is ready as well. It rolls quite nicely (at least on concrete) into position. Seems solid enough, nothing falling over. Did a test of focus, all seems OK. I have had this camera for like 5 years, tomorrow is the first time I will use it! First time for the lens as well!

 

My plan is to do test plates on 6x20 inch glass before removing the inserts and using 16x20 glass.

Flowing the plates (pouring the collodion) should be a interesting! A real blast! Am excited. I am sure there will be lots of problems, but that is also part of the fun!

 

If something turns out, I will most likely take the 16x20 Chamonix camera with me next trip. Am planning a 3 week photography trip to Saskatchewan and Southern Alberta.

 

6x20 glass set up for testing

16x20 tank wedged into sink

A cut pipe for non accidental closing support

16x20 Plates TOMORROW!

Preparing to make some 16x20 ambrotypes tomorrow. Set up the Chamomix with its brass lens (Voigtlander 655mm F6) on the wheeled tripod setup for the first time. Everything seems solid. Will find out tomorrow!!

 

Testing 16x20 Siver Tank

Testing the 16x20 silver bath for leaks. I should be trying 16x20 ambrotype plates and the 16x20 Chamonix camera later this fall. The tank will require less than 5000ml to fill. Do not know the exact amount of silver nitrate required yet.

Also plan to test a siphon to empty the tank without expensive wasteful silver spillage. It self primes, called the Safety Siphon. If it works will use it with all of the silver tanks. Hope it works for me. I would be an easy solution to an annoying problem (getting the silver bath safely back into its bottle from the tank).

 

Quote: Hanna Senesh (Poet)

"There are stars whose radiance is visable on earth, though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer amongst the living. The lights are particularly bright when the night is darkest. They light the way for MANKIND"

Mystery Illness

So last Thursday I went to bed after work as normal after my nights shift (I work 7 nights in a row 12 hours shifts, as a security guard). At 1230pm Thursday, I suddenly woke up with a deep pain in my back. For the next 4 1/2 hours I was in agony. I tried eating some onions and bread food I love but threw that up 30 minutes later, a major vomit experience. This was the first time I had vomited since Laos 5 or 6 years ago, and only maybe the 2nd time in the last 15 years. I had not missed a shift because of illness in 26 years of working full time but I was facing calling in sick now,  I was fighting to not phone and them them I could not work. Eventually I decided I needed a Advil pain pill (almost never take pain pills),  I hate pills, avoid pills, fight not to take pills. 45 minutes later I felt better. Driving to work was difficult, I went slow and toughed it out. The night was long and difficult, but made my through with more Advil.

Friday, Saturday were much the same, 2 to 3 pain pills a day, the deep pain in my stomach and back. Without the pills I would not be able to sleep, no position was pain free. I was thinking do I have cancer? Started looking up cancer and back pain on Google, it did not seem so but it was a possibility. I decided that after my last work shift on Sunday if I was still having pain on Monday/Tuesday I would go to the local clinic to see a doctor.

But on Monday things changed. I was having problems using the bathroom earlier, but that eased up (drank lots of water). The pain in my back and stomach also disappeared. I have not taken a pain bill now for 51 hours and feel good, bathroom stuff is also back to normal.

What was it? A pulled muscle or pulled muscles in my back? Maybe as I was sleeping on a chair when this first happened.

Here is the rub. When I was in pained agony (it really hurt), when I was thinking of dying of cancer, one thought kept running through my mind, dozens and dozens of times. IF I DIE OF CANCER I WILL NOT BE ABLE COMPLETE MY WET PLATE PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT OF CANADA!!! (AMBROTOS KANATA)

:) I was not so much worried of dying a painful early death, but more distraught of not being able to complete my dream series. Of not being able to make those important photos before I die.

I guess that is a good sign! :) There is always a good side to most everything, even illness.

I need time to get this photo project done, my late 70s at least, I am 57. Dad made it to 82 (almost 83), if I can just make it that long!!

New/Used AleinBees Ring Flash

I bought me a ring flash. It is portable 800ABR unit that runs of a small battery or 110v power. I hope to use it in Thai to make portraits in the dump and elsewhere and might try it with wet plate portraiture.

Cost an expensive $928.24 CAD. I will need to buy the mini battery back that will add $300 CAD to the total. The seller in Australia is throwing in all kinds of extras.

 From the sellers ad blurb:

One of the best ring strobes out there, high power and produces beautiful portraits. 

Controls are kind of vintage, but it's exceptionally easy.  No need to fiddle with a touch screen and loads of buttons.  Just dial to the desired power and flash away.

Will include some free bulbs for the light preview function.

Includes the moon unit and masks to create funky highlights in the subject's eyes. 

The mounting bracket includes arca-swiss support to assist cameras with an L-bracket, allows horizontal and vertical shooting, mountable to ball head. 

Umbrella adaptor is included but not pictured. Cord is also included.

 

Paul C Buff Alienbees ABR800 Ringflash with Moon Unit

Vagabond Mini Lithium Battery

ALIVE INSIDE THE GLASS!!

Here is a conversation I had with MS (the founder of modern wet plate) on Facebook. Thought it was important to include some of my motivations for making these difficult things.

• MS

  

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• Gerry Yaum No problem … but be aware that eventually it will fail and destroy your image as it has with every other collodion image done that way given enough time. Another form of magic. 
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• Gerry Yaum

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• MS---  those ambrotypes shown in the links are most likely 130-160 years old (1860-1890).....seems pretty good, long enough... I can view these old pieces at home with no problems, limited damage. In fact I love the look so much they inspire me to push forward through the difficulties of wet plate. Will they actually last 250-300 years? maybe?? Seems long enough to me. My pics are not that important . Sometimes we get carried away with the whole archival thing. 200 years seems plenty long. The other and maybe better option (as you know, being the YODA of this whole wet plate thing) is just coating with varnish, then framing with black velvet or some other cloth behind. That will get the same 3D looking through the glass effect that I love. Want the illusion of 3D, the subject alive inside the glass. That is what is magical for me, and why I am not a huge fan of tintypes. It is like the moment in 1984 where Winston Smith has the piece in glass (paperweight) from another age, it is a magical wonderous thing, a time tunnel to a past long gone world. When I look at the Japanese woman in the ambrotypes, it is like they are still alive captured inside the glass. That is the feeling I want the work to have. The photo from the most recent version of the film. The life inside the glass is precious and special.

Winston Smith finds a glass paper weight from the movie 1984 staring John Hurt