Spent several hours tonight working on my Social Documentary Photography PowerPoint presentation. I have two talks coming up. One in Red Deer at a photo club in Late March and a second in Edmonton at my my old photography club “Images Alberta” in April.
Lots of work needed yet on the presentation. I will cover 3 projects. THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP, MY FATHERS LAST DAYS, and THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
Trying to figure out which Xenar lens will be better for my 11x14, 14x14 inch tight head ambrotype portraits. Should it be the 360mm or the 300mm?
I like the less bellows extension and the more distortion from the 300!! Leaning that way.
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| 360mm bellows extension and head |
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| 300mm bellows extension and head |
Looking to start doing wet plate headshots this year. Will be making shallow focus tight heads onto 11x14 and 14x14 inch clear glass plates, ambrotypes. Experimenting today with my 360mm Schneider Xenar lens. Am using my thrift shop hair model head to focus on.
Note* I have a couple of heads planned for the spring. My friend Larry and my cousin Frankie (in cosplay makeup).
I added Walmart Acetone to my old Collodion to see if I could revitalize it a bit. Online they recommend 1 drop of Acetone to 100ml of old mixed collodion. I gave a 1000ml lab bottle of collodion around 15 small drops.
We shall see what happens? It is supposed to add a bit of speed and refresh the collodion.
Did up an 11x14 inch Ambrotype for the first time in a long time tonight. Was using old collodion and a vinegar developer with sugar.
1000 ml White Vinegar
30 gr iron
40 ml bio ethanal (my version of alcohol)
40 gr white sugar
6+ minutes in the Silver Bath
I gave 7 hits with the Blackline flash at 2400 watts, one head. The lens was my Russian copy at f32
My Course of life has attained,
Through stormy seas, and in a flimsy vessel,
The common port, at which we land to tell
All conduct's cause and warrant, good or bad,
So that the passionate fantasy, which made
Of art a monarch for me and an idol,
Was laden down with sin, now I know well..
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| Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni |
Today’s thrift store buy. $8.80 CAD. 604 pages. When I go back to the Vatican I want to know more!! Around $100 CAD new.
There is so much beauty and profound humanity in great art.
The king looks down on his Kingdom from his new favourite sleeping place, under the Gauguin and above my bed!
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| Dimsum watching me read. |
Please give the 2025 documentary "Simon Schama: The Holocaust, 80 Years On" a viewing. It is only 59 minutes long, and has much to teach us.
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| Marian Turski, photographer unknown |
Was thinking of a possible design for my Ambros in dip and triptychs, using hinges. The idea is to able to mount 11x14 inch and 14x14 inches plates in 2s and 3s this way. I would hand-make the frames.
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| Possibles?! |
Bought a thrift shop framed poster detail from the Raphael painting “The Sistine Madonna”. It is of two mischievous, dreaming Cherub type angels. Love the fun an joy of this idea.I need to include more of that spirit in my work. Cost $10.25 CAD ! (half price on Boxing Day)
Note* Framed to about 22x30 inch in size. I placed across from my bed. A nice way to wake up each day.
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| Raphael’s Sistine Madonna |
During this snowy Christmas season my thoughts go to past memories, to people I have known and loved. Those feelings drive forward a hopeful dream of creating an autobiography. A book I want and need to write.
But how to proceed? I am a dude with only a high shook education who has never written a book. How does the book TEARS OF A BUTTERFLY become a reality. It is a daunting task.
Today while doing some Boxing Day shopping I came up with a plan, a plan that might work.
What if I travel with a notebook everywhere I go. I could write down book ideas, create different lines of prose, then after a time I could flesh everything out, then write and rewrite till it’s done.
Not sure this plan will work but I believe it would be a positive step forward. It would certainly be better than what I have now which is nada!
We will give it a go!
Did a bit more editing tonight before sleeping. A nice way to get tired!
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| Prem, laughing after smoking meth, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Khlong Toei Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2025 |
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| Apple, with sad eyes, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Khlong Toei Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2025 |
Today’s thrift store book find “Treasury of Philosophy” 1955. Above my intelligence quotient but will give it a go! $3 CAD.
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| A fascinating book to read |
One of my favourite old fart retirement thingy’s is to go to thrift shops searching for interesting books. Found one today. 1960 “The Life of Michelangelo” $3.59 CAD.
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| Old book but quite lovely |
I have received the high res proof PDF from Tomasz T at FRAMES magazine. It looks good. Will not post it until the magazine comes out in early 2026. I think it is edition number 22, February 2026. There will be 7 images and some stories published. We will receive $200 USD for the story. I will use the money to buy food for THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY.
Note* This will be the 4th time the work has been published in a photo mag. It is rather wonderful to have the people in the photographs honoured through publication. I will post a pics and a video of the FRAMES magazine story, when I receive my copy.
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| Dao sleeping, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Khlong Toi Slum, Bangkok, 2025 |
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| Self portrait with graffiti, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Khlong Toi Slum, Bangkok, 2025 |
Been thinking on framing for the possible 2008-09 AMBROTOS KANATA exhibition.
How to proceed? Diptych’s? Ambrotype sizes? Types of frames? How many?
Here is a 14x14 inch ambrotype in a hand made pine frame. The black substrate behind the clear glass ambro is only a test 11x14 inch metal plate.
I currently thinking of going with 11x14, 14x14, 20x24 and 24x24 ambrotypes in large hand made wooden frames.
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| This diptych frame looks pretty good. |
The gallery is the "Comox Valley Art Gallery", Courtenay, Vancouver Island BC, Canada. It is a smaller gallery but quite nice, a lovely space. The Comox Vallery Art Gallery has had some wonderful, higher end exhibitions in the past few years.
- I will allow for the work to be exhibited, possibly for the first time.
- The exhibition will allow more trips to Vancouver Island to make more and more ambrotypes.
-It will push me to work harder and harder on the project. I will have a space I want to fill with beautiful and powerful work. The exhibition IF it happens would not be until 2028 or 2029.
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| The gallery exterior |
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| Interior gallery space |
