Jean-Michel Basquiat

 Have fallen in love with the work of artist Jean-Michele Basquiat. A shooting star, beautiful and soft spoken. I love the passion and social documentary commentary in his work. His fight against racism and his making of kings.

Buddhist Thought

 

1 Month to Retirement!

 

Quote: Mother Theresa

 

Pastels?

 

Note* Bought some pastels. Going to give it a go!

Quote: Mark Twain

 

Yearly Pass!?

Did my second work out today, at a very nice gym/pool facility. In retirement I will probably get a yearly membership, allowing for exercising to every Edmonton operated fitness centre/pool in the city. To make it worthwhile, I will need to attend at least twice a week.

Getting in shape will help me create the Ambrotypes for the AMBROTOS KANATA project, into old age.

Two Extremes

At Least This One Worked!

I have been experiencing challenges in the darkroom this week, but this Platinum dump print test from yesterday works. It is so satisfying to stare at the Platinum-Palladium tonalities, it just feels good. I will attempt it in 11x14 inch soon. 

It’s funny how one good print makes up for a ton of futility and difficulties.

Dump Shacks and Dogs THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP, Mae Sot Thailand, 2017.

A Buddhist Thought!

 

Started Exercising!!

 

Quote: Edwin Land (Inventor of Polaroid Cameras)

 

Best Way to Move Forward!

Will try to make some 11x14s today and over the next few days. Need to create a few exhibition prints. Then mat and handmade frame them to see what the finished product should be. I need to see how the finished product will look in the gallery (for my non existent show). 

I can move forward from there!

Quote: Jesus Christ

Sermon on the Mount. (Matt. 5:38- 42)  

“You have heard, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, but I say offer no violent resistance to one who does evil”.

Crazy Amazon Pricing

This Amazon price for a new version of my new Bienfang dry mount press is batty expensive. $5954 CAD is a joke. Amazon prices are sometimes highly suspect! The B&H Photo price from New York is $4268 CAD. I paid $650 CAD for my like new, used unit.

Amazon.ca

B&H

Mine

Video: Flattening Platinum Prints

I used the new/used Bionfanf Drymount Press for the first time, it worked well. I flattened some reject Platinum-Palladium prints. Did them at 275F for 2 minutes. The new machine preformed well. 

I am glad I bought it. It should handle the coming 11x14 Pt-Pd exhibition prints nicely! It can also handle 16x20 inch prints, if I ever make those.

New Secondhand Press

This latest pre-retirement buy is a, do I really need it thingy??

I already have a super large press and two old smaller presses. This one will be much easier and nicer to use. New it cost a fortune, I think I can resell it at a good price in the future as well.

New cost from B&H is $2999.99 USD/$4268.69 CAD. The asking price from the seller was $800 CAD. I paid $650 CAD. The seller was a nice gentleman, a pleasure to to deal with.

The press is in like new condition. It came from a lady artist, who’s had passed away. I will use it to flatten my Platinum and Salt hand made exhibition prints.

Struggling!

Struggled mightily in yesterday’s darkroom session. This one print is OKish. Probably too dark a background, with an annoying dust spot on the child’s face.

Will continue the work today, trying a second edited negative. The plan is to make a solid 8x10 inch Platinum print followed by a 11x14 digi neg and a 11x14 inch exhibition Platinum print. Then mat it, then build the frame and we are ready to go.

Two From Last Time

Two platinum prints from the last darkroom session. Both are 8x10s print one from a digital Cannon camera and one from a 5x7 Linfof. THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP SERIES. The boy is Lay-Auh, he was walking the garbage dump barefoot at 530am.

It 

Autobiography Coming Along

I have been doing a bit of writing each day on my autobiography “Lost to Time”. Who knows if it comes to anything. But at least it is a beginning,

Some may think it is a bit arrogant and pompous to be writing an autobiography. I think thou that I have meaningful stories to tell and an unusual life story. We shall see how it goes!

Quote: Anthony Hopkins

So many people I know live their lives in fear when they reach a certain age. They keep telling themselves “ I can’t do this, I can’t do that.” They use their age as an excuse, to die before they die. 

I do not want to be one of those!

Holding Hands in the Dump

This photo has an difficult background memory. The picture was made in near total darkness, a quick grab shot in the night. It was later in the evening, after the donation handout, probably about 11 pm. I was standing and photographing in the black night, lighting the family members as they worked as best I could with 1-2 flashlights or using the constantly changing light from their moving headlamps. 

I thought I was alone in the pitch black with only the smells of the garbage around me. Suddenly reaching out of the darkness I felt a little hand grab my left hand. I was surprised, then I looked down to see a very small child staring up at me as she held my hand. She did not smile, she did not say anything, she just softly held my hand and looked up at me with the sweetest of eyes. The little girl held my hand for 4 or 5 minutes as we walked around a bit then she just wandered off into the night. Before she left me I gave her a lollipop. 

Over the 4 months I was photographing at night in the dump this same thing happened 3 times, each time by a different child (this was the 2nd time). Lovely, lovely, children. They could do so much, be so much, if only they had a chance.

Little girl holds my hand, THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP, Mae Sot garbage dump, Mae Sot, Thailand 2018

The Discipline of Writing

 

AMBROTOS KANATA Camera Positions

Some past camera setups from the AMBROTAS KANATA wet plate Canada project. Post retirement we are planning a long trip to Vancouver island and the West Coast of British Columbia, possibly a 2 month trip. More camera setups there!

I

New Printing Book

I was looking at this book about a week ago. I was quite interested but the $86 CAD price tag was too much. There is a big sale on the book this week, so I took the plunge. Hopefully I can learn a few things. I have several other books in the series, salt, platinum, carbon printing etc. All nice reads that have taught me some important lessons.

From the books Amazon advert:

“ This book provides photographers of all skill levels with a concise step-by-step guide to combining analog and digital tools with the goal of making silver gelatin prints in the traditional darkroom. It offers the most comprehensive treatment of lith printing published in many years, focusing on materials which are currently available.

Key topics include traditional silver gelatin printing, direct and second-pass lith printing, film to digital image conversion, bleaching, toning and other post-production practices. Readers will learn how to use specific Photoshop tools to carry out the time-honored techniques of overall tonal control, contrast, and burning and dodging. This also features Photoshop basics for black and white, image shaping in Photoshop, and digital negative creation. Through exploring these skills, readers will gain an understanding of how to prepare images and create negatives that can be used in other historical processes including cyanotype, platinum/palladium, and many others.

Author Douglas Ethridge details a systematic approach to combining analog and digital working methods, making the text ideal for both digital photographers looking to creatively edit their images with traditional darkroom aesthetics, and film photographers looking to incorporate digital capabilities into their practice.”

Transparency Material Buy

Ordered 6 transparency substrates for making digi negs on, 3x 8.5x11 inches (300 sheets) and 3 x13x19 inches (150 sheets). 

I find the large variety of products on the market a bit overwhelming. I went with the cheapest types that gave me nice platinum prints. Saving money and doing good quality printing.

With the recent chemical, printer ink, paper and now transparency buys. I am ready to do some serious retirement printing!