2nd Place, 2nd Bangkok Subject?

I need to book a flight to Bangkok. I am looking for a second photo project to work on. If I do not return to Mae Sot and the families at the dump, I need another project besides the UNDER THE FREEWAY series to work on.

Possibly  this?

Slums and Informal Settlements: Some refugees integrate into existing local slums, such as Khlong Toei. These areas offer cheap living, but residents are subjected to extreme poverty, poor sanitation, and high risks of eviction

Note* I am trying to talk myself into returning to Thai. I need to return for more donation work but I also need a  photographic  inspiration.

Ambrotype of the High Level Bridge!

Monet and Me, The Rocks at Belle-Ile

One of the problems with wet plate, or at least a difficulty, is the length of exposure needed. Because of the long exposures, there is often blurring in the moving areas of the shot. I want to photograph the oceans of Canada, but how to do that? Will everything not be a blur of motion? Indistinct, confusing, mushy? Then I thought what if I photographed rock formations within the ocean, the ocean can move all it wants, but the rocks will remain solid and sharp in the Ambrotype. I thought, would that not make a beautiful looking Ambrotype? A feeling of both motion and strength. I could even try it as a diptych or triptych.

Then yesterday I came across this painting by Claude Monet.

The Rocks at Belle-lle by Claude Monet

Mom Shoot!

11x14 and 14x14 Ambrotype portraits of mom today, aged 90.

 

Will try 2 at a time, with an elevator trip and walk down to the darkroom trailer. Hope the plates do not dry out.

Will sync 2 1600w flashes (my last test used 1) along with the 800w ring. Total 4000w.

 

Note* The mom shoot was basically a failure. First 2 images were under exposed, later the flashed created multiple esposures, that were different looking but for the most part failures. A good learning experience, it was difficult to get back and forth from the cameras to darkroom as she lives on the 7th floor of her building.

 

 I will try again.

 

Update* I need to do more testing, I can brink in 4000 watts of more power flash, with the Speedotron heads I got from the the same seller a while back. I can use the same 1600x2 white lighting heads plus the 800w ring flash, and add up to 4-1000w Speedotron heads. 

 

The flash is going to have one hell of a kick thou for the subject, and draw a ton of power, 6000w to 8000w. 

 

Apple Still Alive??

I wonder if Apple is still aliv?

THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Khlong Toey Slim, Bangkok, 2025

 

Note* Medusa facts:

“Medusa, in Greek mythology, the most famous of the monster figures known as Gorgons. She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of hair consisting of snakes; unlike the Gorgons, she was sometimes represented as very beautiful.”

 

 

Cutting More Glass

Cutting the farm glass up, at least a bit of it. I have so much glass now, I am a bit overwhelmed. I will use most of it eventually. Today cutting to sizes 14x14 inch and 11x14 inch 3mm and 4mm.

When I make mistakes I can recover some of the plates with uneven cuts, using a used ceramic saw I picked up. Not as pretty as a clean cut but usable!

 

Note* I feel down that most of the sheets I brought in were tempered glass, so useless to the project. I did get some small pieces that I was able to cut today, but all the tempered glass was a waste of time, and effort, plus diesel to go pick it up. 

 

Some marked refrigerator glass, that I will try to paint black for use as background substrate for the plates.

FUCK Tempered Glass

FUCK!! A lot of work for nothing. Live and learn! 

I knew tempered glass was no good for me and I have been asking people on marketplace if their glass was tempered or not. I just was shitty at identifying it. There is usually a white label, sometimes very hard to read on the corner of the glass. I did not know that until today.

I need to be smarter and not waste energy and resources on things like this! 

Note* I will likely throw away this useless tempered glass at a big bin event.

Note** Tempered glass is made by heating the glass, it becomes about 5 times stronger than normal glass. It shatters into 1 thousand pieces when broken.

Our Common Shared Humanity

More FREE Glass in the House!

FREE glass for Ambrotypes. Second time in a month I was able to score some. Mostly 4mm, some 3mm. I will cut into 14x14 inch plates, some larger some smaller.

 

Not as much glass as last time but still probably $ 800-1000 CAD or so worth. If not too scratched, it’s a go!!!!

 

Thank you Doug and Emily

 

Loaded on the truck!

Wet Plate is Pretty Easy

 

Re-Using Honey!

 

Trying to reuse my honey. I cut the dilution to 50/50 honey and water. It still worked well for a 2 day later wash time. Not sure how it will work at that dilution if I store the plates a week or longer before washing

As an added bonus I am trying to use the used honey for a second run of plates, then maybe a third. The used honey seems thinner so will add a bit of pure honey to each bottle to even things out. 

 

I am also filtering the honey thru a metal screen to pull out the bugs, and other debris.

 

Will need a Lott of this stuff as I am moving up to 24x24 inch plates! 

 

the used honey

Quote: Dwight D. Eisenhower

 

Art Books From Thrift Shop

 Nice find of art books today at the Thrift Shop. With the old fogey discount it was $26.60 CAD

Expensive Gear to be Used Soon

Expensive gear central. Hoping to use the lens and camera this week and the press to make photogravure prints all winter!

24x24 Ambrotype landscapes of good quality on this years agenda with some attempts at portraiture.

Gear/tools are expensive but necessary at times.

Voigtlander 655mm (25.8 inch) F6, $4350CAD

24x24 Ambrotype landscapes of good quality on this years agenda with some attempts at portraiture.

Voigtlander 655mm (25.8 inch) F6 Lens, $4350 CAD

Chamonix 24x24 inch camera, $12600 CAD

Etching-HUNTER PENROSE LTD. No. 8 Etching and Printing Press Printing Press, $3900 CAD

Orange Cat PRICELESS!

Chamonix 24x24 inch camera, $12600 CAD

Etching-HUNTER PENROSE LTD. No. 8 Etching and Printing Press Printing Press, $3900 CAD

 

Orange Cat PRICELESS!

Nice Find of Art Books

Nice find of art books today at the Thrift Shop. With the old fogey discount it was $26.60 CAD

5 Years Later Going Strong!!

5 years and both (Fanny and Freddy)running well. The AMBROTOS KANATA project moves on to portraiture and 24x24 inch Ambrotypes.

More Free Glass

Found some more FREE glass. Will pick it up tomorrow. It’s on another farm, just like the larger first batch. 

The AMBROTOS KANATA Ambrotype project is becoming cheaper with all this free glass I am finding.

As long as it is not too damaged or tempered, it should work well. I will cut it into the required sizes.

Thank You Emily!!

 

Importance of Photography

This is from a Facebook page made by Settawat Udom.

 ---Some pictures we can't take again---

The principal image of Wat Mahathat, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province 

Taken in November 1903 before it collapsed in 1904

This is the importance of photography, it is a record of historical evidence of the existence of things

Because we can't know the future, what will happen

Taking the 24x24 Chamonix out of Mothballs!

I will be working with the 24x24 this season, will get it out of its box. Need to play with camera and figure things out. Find a tripod that works, and lens. Are portraits possible with the ring flash and new mobile flash units?

Flowing and developing plates promises to be difficult! I have made a mess of it in the past. More silver, storing large glass? Larger trays, etc!! Lots to learn and be done.

Step by step lets get this done. 

VIDEOS: First Decent 11x14, 14x14 Ambrotype Portraits

Finally got some decent 11x14 and 14x14 Ambrotype portraits done.

Ironic Ring Flash Thing

Years back I ordered a ringflash from Austrailia, it cost around $1000. The flash was delivered then sent back, when I did not know it had arrived. I lost the money, it was my biggest loss when buying things online/

Lost Ring Flash 

The flash I got yesterday was the same one, and I got it super cheap, $75. So maybe it was destiny I was able to get it. I still need to get the battery unit, that was in the original deal,

Pushing the Envelope

 

VIDEI: Pigeon Lake

Pigeon Lake!! First time here since childhood. Kinda shitty camping space, last of 2 available  Too open for my taste, with too many screaming kids.

Will spend the day on Sunday making Ambrotypes, not sure of what. Maybe some portrait attempts tomorrow. I brought the new-used flash gear to play with.