Week Off Work

I have the next week off work so need to spend some important time in the darkroom. I want to start printing my New Orleans PhotoNOLA show, and will probably start out with the 2 recently scanned negs below:

If I can print 2 other 8x10 negs later in the week for a total of 4 show prints I will be quite happy. All of these photos will be made on 16x20 Ilford Warmtone photographic paper. I also want to try to sneak in some more 8x10 prints of the recent 35mm dump work and maybe a bit of film development.

I need to do some work with my 35mm Leica's so I can test HP5 and see how it compares to Tri-x. One other project I have been meaning to start is an "Edmonton At Night" (cityscapes of the abandoned city at night) series of photographs, I want to work with the Linhof, 4x5 HP5 (have a bunch old film loaded I need to use up) and a single lens, the 90mm Nikon F4.5. Before I was going to do "Night"  project as part of a photo group I belonged to but now I have left the group I will try it on my own. Working alone might not be as fun but it will be a heck of a lot easier to organize, it also has one huge advantage "greater freedom", which allows for more creativity.

Another thing I might like to try in the coming months is making salt prints. I found this wonderful little how to video on the salt paper process and it looks fun and easy to do thou having sunshine here in Edmonton (for exposing the contact print) can be an iffy proposition : )

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBxw3mb9eAU

It should be a freaking awesome week!

Hopes

I have been re-studying the work of Sebastiao Salgado for weeks now, the beauty he creates, the human stories he tells, the importance of the work, all hit me face on every time I open his books.

My hope in the coming 20+ years is that I can tell a fraction of those stories and communicate a bit of that humanity as compared to Mr. Salgado. I so hope to be up to the task and up to the opportunities I am given. I owe such a debt to all those that allow me into their lives to make pictures, I hope I am worthy of that trust and hope I can communicate the important messages.

Man with a violin Mexico 1984, Sebastiao Salgado

Have Some Work In The Annual EAC 2012 Report

I got some work in the Edmonton Arts Council (EAC) final report for 2012. In 2011 I received a $750 travel grant from the EAC which led to my inclusion in this 2012 final report. I need to apply with the EAC again for a grant of some kind, maybe I will have some more good luck with them, right now I am a bit gun shy after my 3 failed attempts to get grant money from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts folks.

Public grant programs supported partly with tax dollars are extremely important to artists and provide many benefits to the public, we all grow as human beings when we are involved in the arts. Here is the PDF file link to the EAC 2012 Annual Report, my two cropped photos from the Klong Toey slum series are on pages 31 and 46 :

http://www.edmontonarts.ca/static_media/pdfs/files/eac_misc/EAC-Annual_Report-2012.pdf

Secondary Thai Story?

Been thinking of photographing at Wat (temple) Tham Krabok as a secondary subject after the dump work, next trip. If I travel fast and loose carrying only 35mm gear this could be possible. Wat Tham Krabok houses a large Hmong population (Asian ethnic group) and is also world renown as a treatment center for drug addiction. I might just go down to the temple and hang out for a day or two to see whats what and if any good photos can be made there. I am sure the temple grounds are filled with many interesting folks who would be fun to talk to and learn from.

In May at the Klong Toey slum boxing gym I met Paul an Australian photographer who was going to the temple to make photos, sent him an email last night asking for details on how it went. I  hope Paul writes back with stories of what happened to him there, maybe with a contact name for me.

Here is a story on the temple:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=52,4178,0,0,1,0#.UdQ9ExbsHvo

Quote: Brett Weston

"All my energy goes into my work. That's why I'm prolific. I work 8 days a week. I get up and print at 3:00 in the morning. I 've always done this, for the last 40 years."

8x10 Ladyboy Sex Worker Scans 2012

I am not that much of an organizer with my negs but I think these are 8x10s I did not scan or post yet. I developed these a while back and they were sitting in my darkroom in a box for 3 or 4 months. I  still have a few undeveloped negs from this series, waiting patiently. All the photographs I made in 2012 with the 8x10 were made of Ladyboy sex workers except for one session I had with Bla a female worker who I also photographed in 2009.

I am looking forward to the day I can take the 8x10 out in the field and make environmental portraits.

Quote: M Alvarez Bravo

"A musician should always be whistling; a photographer should always be looking..."

Bought 37 Rolls Of 100 Foot Bulk Outdated Tri-x

I bought 37 rolls of 100 foot bulk Tri-x tonight at $50 USD a box and $104 USD for shipping 3 large boxes loaded with film back to Canada, it works out to $1954 USD total.

The film is from an American school and is outdated (Feb 2012) but should be OK for a few more years, I plan on freezing it as soon as it arrives in Canada. The going rate for fresh Tri-x is now $69 USD a roll from B&H plus shipping, brokerage and taxes.

My one worry is that the film will be damaged in some way, from X-rays or poor storage (was kept in a dark closet) etc. I decided thou to take a chance on it, I love this film very much and I need to get as much as I can frozen while it is still available to me. I will use this latest film first as it is outdated but will test it before taking it overseas.

Spending to much money lately, this is another $2000+ but its for film not gear so that is reassuring to me. I will probably shoot 10 1/2 boxes of this stuff  (200 rolls) in October/November. The other 26 1/2 rolls will probably last me through the next 3 or 4 years, then I can move on to my many previously purchased bulk Tri-x rolls (frozen and outdated  in 2014). Hopefully with this latest buy I have at least a 10 year supply of 35mm Tri-x.

These 10 years will hopefully lead to some outstanding negs, and some important powerful photographs. It will be the 49-59 year old period of my life, got to make as many good photos and go into as many exciting new worlds as I can before I hit that scary 60 year old number and slow down physically because of age. Thinking about experiencing those worlds and making these photographs is all terribly exciting!

Of course during this same time period I also expect to shoot hundreds of sheets of 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 film as well (have stockpiles of Tri-x in all those sizes). Gosh I better get off my ass and do some shooting!, this film ain't getting any younger and either am I.

Update:
Just did some calculations, I should get this bulk film to my house for around $55-$60 a roll CAD, the current price from my local camera store is around $103 CAD each.

35 Cent Mags

Did my 3rd local buy of the week. First I bought the Durst enlarger and darkroom equipment, then the Epson 750 scanner and today 29 "Darkroom Photography" magazines from the 1980s. These mags should be fun to leaf through maybe I will learn a few things along the way, I got 29 magazines for $10.

4x5 Ladyboy Sex Worker Heads From 2012

Got around to developing these head shots of ladyboy sex workers a while back, here are some scans.

4x5 Trip Negs Part 3

Here are some of the scans made with the new/used 750 (thanks Mark, works great!). I am already starting to change my thinking on only taking 35mm after liking this first scan. I might try taking the 4x5 but only using it in Klong Toey to shoot subjects in Bangok, then later when I go to Mae Sot to shoot the dump I will leave the 4x5 in Bangkok and only take 35mm equipment. I also have the wonderful new 90mm Nikon lens I want to use! Stay tuned will probably change my mind another 2 dozen times before the trip. I need to shoot less in harsh sunlight (hard to do at the dump) and use reflectors better to fill in shadows.  I need to do so much work with the 4x5, need to improve on so many levels its hard to leave it behind for a whole trip.

Muay Thai boxer, Thailand 2013

Boy with mask, Mae Sot Dump Thailand 2013

Burmese children, Mae Sot Dump Thailand 2013

New-Used 750 Epson Scanner

I picked up a used Epson 750 scanner from a ex club friend tonight, it retails for about $850 (plus tax) and I got mine for $350 so not bad. I hope to use this scanner for at least the next 5 years so that works out to about $70 a year. I will be posting some of the 4x5 dump scans in the coming days. This might lead me to wanting to take the 4x5 again this trip. My moods can blow with the wind. Putting my old Epson 700 which works sometimes and does not work most times into a box, and into my garage for storage, wonder if it can be repaired?

I Like It!

I was unsure about the $190 I spent on the latest enlarger and generic darkroom equipment but now I think its money well spent. The enlarger is so solid, you really feel like things are secure when you set them, my 8x10 enlarger is a Durst also and feels the same, heavy duty and very well built. The unexpected thing for me was how much easier it is to work with the 250w bulb, it allows quick accurate focusing and shorter burn times (I burn a lot). At some future date I plan on changing out my old Saunders LPL enlarger for the newer version Saunders, they also use the 250w bulbs.

As a nice bonus I like working with the handled graduates, I am always banging up against stuff and dropping these things, the plastic handles are very easy to use and hang onto. Heck I even am using a small bottle of Ilford rapid fix I got in the deal, $190 well spent!

Tonight I am just going to have some fun printing 8x10 fiber photos from the dump 35mm negs. I have various 8x10 fiber papers that have been sitting around in the darkroom for years, want to use them up printing with this new enlarger and these new negs. A wonderful night in the dark ahead of me.

"Ain't Photography Grand!" It don't get much better than this folks. : )

35mm Dump Photos Part 10

This might be the last group of 35mm scans from the dump until next trip.

Rather Amazing Story, Cambodian Orphans Donate To Alberta Flood Victims

Found this amazing, I got to do a series of photos on a Cambodian orphanage at some point. This kind of story is why I love photographing people, we all share an under lying goodness and a common (lives) humanity. Maybe I should try to photograph an orphanage as my second project this coming trip.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Cambodian+orphans+donate+help+Alberta+flood+victims/8584043/story.html

Simplest Tools Are Sometimes The Best

This is a $99 Elwood 8x10 enlarger currently on sale on eBay. I bet the right photographer could make great photos with this ancient beat up thing. I recently watched a video on Edward Weston's very sparse darkroom, this item would have been an absolute luxury for him. Sometimes the simplest tools allow the artist to concentrate on his craft more and create their best work (he writes after buying his 7th enlarger!).

Started Work On "The Train Is Coming" Opening Night Video

Just started working on the opening night video for the recently completed "The Train Is Coming, Portraits From Klong Toey Slum" Kaasa Gallery show. Trying to get all the video and picture elements together before combining it all in a nice package with some fitting music. This video will be all thats left of the show in this form, so its important to put something nice together to keep the photographs alive. These type opening night videos are also good for promotional purposes, I usually include them in submission, grant packages etc. I will also need to find some nice copy-write free music to play in the video, want to try to keep it to 5 minutes or less.

I am unsure if I should do a voice over for this one (like I did for "Human Voices"), they are hard to do and come across as a bit full of yourself if done wrong. I plan on doing some separate 5 picture story vids from the slum and the dump later on where I tell stories about 5 different photographs in 5 minute videos. Maybe I will save my Morgan Freeman voice over moments for these story videos and just use music in this opening night piece.

New Used Durst 4x5 Enlarger

Picked up a new used enlarger tonight, 3rd or even 4th hand by now. The enlarger is a Durst CLS 450 4x5 color head on a Laborator CE 1000 column. The thing is built like a tank and looks very heavy duty and reliable. In the package I also got 2 lens, 2 negative carriers, a timer and an extra bulb. Also included were various other general darkroom stuff, nice safe light, Patterson tank and focusing loop, small trays, small easel, 4 small collapsable bottles, some chemicals, 4 or 5 print tongs, various clips, small thermometer, funnels and 2 nice handled measuring graduates, all for $190.

I plan on using this enlarger as a backup to my Saunders, my second Saunders backup enlarger is currently down (in need of a power supply). Counting this Durst 4x5 enlarger I now have 5 enlargers in my darkroom and 2 in my garage, which is a bit nuts but these things are going cheap now and I like to have backups for everything. When my power supply went down a while back on the Saunders I was able to change out the power supply from my second Saunders enlarger and keep printing. Now if my Saunders goes down I can switch out and start printing with the Durst. My Saunders is also getting old and having slippage focusing problems when I make big prints, I have to check the focus and refocus for almost every new sheet of paper. In the future this Durst might become my main enlarger thou I would not have the Saunders compensating b/w multigrade head on it which I love.

Another very distant possibility for this machine is to take it to Thailand (it has a 220 power source).  In the future I might try and buy a condo in Bangkok or somewhere else in Thai and set up a small workable darkroom, this enlarger might fit the bill as I can take it apart and ship it in sections, maybe over several trips in my check in luggage (it should be tough enough for the journey). I usually try to plan my photo things in advance so this might be one of those buy now use later deals, that plan also works for some of the other things I got this time round, the safe light, trays etc. I can easily set up a 2nd and maybe even a 3rd darkroom with all the spare parts I have accumulated through the years. : )

Some just noticed advantages and disadvantages to this machine, it uses a 250w bulb so it should be brighter and will hopefully lower my burning times (my Saunders uses a 200w bulb). There is no fine focus on the Durst which makes it a bit awkward to focus but once it is in focus everything seems really secure and locked down. This  is a good deal (not a great deal) that includes a very tough high end enlarger, hopefully I can use it for many years to come.

Here are are some photos of the newest tool, I just managed to squeeze it in:

My 5 darkroom enlargers now include:

1)Saunders LPL 4x5

2)Saunders LPL 4x5 (backup thats currently down, wall mounted for very large prints)

3)Durst - Laborator 1000 - CLS 450 4x5

4)Omega Pro-Lab 4x5 (condenser enlarger for doing very contrasty prints)

5)Durst Laborator 184, 5x7 - 8x10 enlarger

I only bought one of these enlargers new the rest were all discount used jobbies, the 8x10 was the best deal of them all, just paid a couple of hundred for the lens the enlarger was basically free.

Some More 800 ASA Boxer Stand Development Shots

Here are some more of the 800 asa stand development shots, I have a several rolls of 1600 asa stuff to develop yet, maybe give it a try today. I will develop 1 roll at a time and keep the same 2 hour development but I am going to the concentration of Rodinal from 1/50 to 1/25. The problem with pushing film is that you loose shadow detail and raise contrast, thou this stand development seems to work better than anything else I have tried through the years. If I get into a situation where I need the extra speed even with the newer faster lens I am using then I can go to 800 asa with no problem, that's a very comforting thing to have in your photo technique arsonal.

Maybe my second project this trip should just be to do a bunch more Muay Thai boxer images? I have access to the gym, heck I even am starting to have friends there, it might be the best way to go, I can also just wander Klong Toey slum and continue to make pics. Will see how it goes, might try something more exotic also. I would like to photograph a drug abuse related subject of some kind or possibly something to do with HIV/AIDS.

Anyway here are some of the 800 asa scans from before: