Poipet Cambodia 35mm Leica

Common Lives 4x5 Portraits Continue

Klong Toey 35mm Leica Scans Continue

Klong Toey Dogs

Following Your Heart

I have been studying the work of some new photographers lately, one out of Turkey named Nuri Bilge Ceylon (my friend Larry Louie showed me a stunning book by this photographer) and Nick Rain (found him by accident online) a wonderful 35mm documentary film photographer.

Photographs by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

When I see the great work like I have been viewing lately I enjoy it tremendously but am also envious of what I see (sort of my negative side coming out). It is all so intimidating the work is so good, so strong you wonder how you can ever do anything that will even come close to matching photographs with that much power.

I believe what I need to do is to keep working hard, to follow my heart, to do the best I can. I can only do what I can do, I will push myself as hard as I can to communicate the message I need to tell. My heart should take me in the right direction, it should lead me to the people who need their stories told and it should help me tell those stories.

After years and years of struggling (self taught) to get better at the technical aspects of film photography and darkroom work I finally feel I am ready to chase down the photographs I have always wanted to chase down. I hope I am not to late! I am 48 and aging rapidly!

VAAA: Daily Visuals #2

Photo of Bla from the "Human Voices " show in the VAAA daily visuals blog.


http://visualartsalberta.blogspot.ca/2012/04/gerry-yaum-human-voices_29.html

Wonderful Ansel Adams Documentary

Found this wonderful Ansel Adams documentary from the American experience series. The doc is illuminating and honest, loved it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIN4jccI_qM&feature=related

Quotes: John Sexton

"Since 1988 I have processed my negatives in a Jobo rotary processor. Using Jobo Expert film drums, I have achieved optimal repeatability and evenness of development."

"Since their introduction. I have exclusively used Kodak T-Max films, primarily T-Max 100, and when additional speed is needed, T-Max 400.....Prior to the introduction of T-Max, I worked almost exclusively with Kodak Tri-X".

"For seven years, from 1973 and 1980, I only owned one lens. That was, as I like to say, the best decision I ever made."

VAAA: Daily Visuals #1

Photo of Aek from the "Human Voices " show in the VAAA daily visuals blog.

http://visualartsalberta.blogspot.ca/2012/04/gerry-yaum-human-voices_27.html

Life Is Beautiful

In the future I want to try and photograph, print and post more pics showing the beauty of nature. I have always photographed the natural landscape (rather poorly) but now I want to start to make more of an effort to improve in this style of photography. Sometimes I feel like I need to balance out some of the bleaker places I make pictures in with places of natural beauty, its good for the soul, it rejuvenates the spirit.

Some beauty shots from last trip:

Flowering Tree Golden Triangle, Thailand 2012

Quote: Clint Eastwood

"You take the work seriously but you don't take yourself seriously and if you keep that in mind you'll do well the rest of your life."

The Northern Landscape?

Been looking at the vids of Clyde Butcher in the swamps of Florida and reading about Ansel Adams work in Alaska. It makes me think that I might be missing out on something. I am a Canadian and northern Canada is filled with amazing landscapes maybe I should be committing some of my time to recording my home country. The weather problems, distances and costs involved might be difficult to overcome but heck if it was easy would it be worth doing?

Gerry Yaum northern Canadian landscape photographer? Something to think about further.

Mount Thor Auyuittuq National Park Baffin Island Canada

Clyde Butcher Photographer

You got to admire a hardworking devoted photographer and modest guy to boot like Clyde Butcher, check out those print trays!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTY1_5wGjIo&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCN_WQeEKnc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMf5c9Sbimc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPP798Zo50E&feature=related

"Common Lives" Photos From November

Here are the first photos shot for "Common Lives" from November. Some photos were made with direct flash some with available light.

4x5 Ladyboy Heads

Started developing the film from last trip tonight. Now that the VAAA show work is done I can concentrate on film development. I did a series of white background 4x5 head shots with the ladyboy sex workers in February, here are some scans from some of the first developed sheets of that film.

Scanning 35mm Leica Again

Am scanning some of the film from earlier this year I never got around to working on before. These shots are from the November trip to Thailand and Cambodia, shot with Leica rangefinders, Tri-x/D-76.

The Never Ending Search

I started using only one film and one developer for my important photography a few years back that film is Kodak Tri-x, the developer is D-76. I feel that if you use one film and developer combination you learn that film, you learn to read it in all lighting conditions. The film becomes part of who you are, you understand how to use it in all types of situations, all types of light, you control it like its a piece of you, you truly understand how to communicate with the tools your using.

The opposite situation occurs when you use multiple film and developer combinations. Many photographers spend years spreading themselves to thin and trying continuous never ending variations of film and developers. They end up learning 1/8 or 1/4 of all the variations, because there is just to much to learn, maybe with years of effort they could learn 2 films in a lifetime but 5 or 6? No way! They end up testing and testing and testing (in the darkroom, in the field) and learning a bit of this and a bit of that.

I have heard this rational for doing the multiple film and developer thing, they say that each film and developer does different things better so if you switch all the time it makes for better photographs (in some way, different light, different tones etc). I think this might be partially true but photography is about the photographer, he or she can make GREAT photographs with pretty much any decent film, the trick is to "know your film"!  When you know your film/developer you can use it to make great photos in any conditions, you do not need the multiple film crutch. No film or developer combination is better than the one you truly understand!

Learn your camera, learn your film, learn your developer. 1 camera, 1 lens, 1 film, 1 developer. If more people did less of the the cameras, films, developers thing and instead just made photos and learned how to use a single set of tools 100% instead of 10 sets of tools 10% then they would all make better photographs. Less toys more photography!

I cannot eliminate all my cameras just yet but I am learning my film and developer, 1 of each for me! Will keep on shooting Tri-x and using D-76 as long as it is available.

Darkroom Photos

A few shots of my very crowded darkroom, I need to clean out some of the stuff I do not use often so I have more working room.

Jobo, spray gun, washers and Gauguin panting. 

Part of my tray sink, I can fit 4 20x24 in trays in this sink. 

Saunders LPL 4x5 enlarger, film drying cabinet.

Second used LPL 4x5 enlarger this one mounted to the wall for making larger prints.

8x10 enlarger, safelight style TV and fish tank.

Van Gogh's "Starry Night" 4x5 Condenser enlarger, tv and dvd player

Light table and fish tank.

8x10 Durst enlarger with color head, photo paper, chemistry and Mr. Van Gogh

Video: Nordegg Day Trip

Abandoned coal mining buildings Nordegg, Alberta.

Rob singing a tune as he makes a photo.

Nordegg Day Trip With Monoguild Photo Club Boys

A few digi shots from the day in Nordegg at their old coal mining facility. 

Rob With his new dark cloth hat.

Did not photograph this cemetery fence with the 4x5 but plan on returning and working with it next trip.

Photo Club Turnout To The Opening

I belong to two clubs of photographers and one meet up group. The club members number approximately 25-30 people, I have known these folks for upwards of 10 years, some as long as 20-25 years. The turn out to the opening night? Only 3 of 30. I had some photo club friends with very good reasons for not attending the opening, and that's very understandable but 3 out of 30? That plain old sucks in the support department. I also belong to a meet up group, these people I barely know and have never met in real life, as a group they arranged a photographic outing meet up and I believe over 20 of them showed up at the opening night. Maybe this a reflection on my personality, people I know do not show up, people I do not know do show up! I can be rather opinionated when it comes to photography, aggressive and demanding when it comes to working hard and devoting yourself to your craft, maybe that rubs people the wrong way sometime.

Strangers with an interest in photography show up but people you have known for 10-20+ years do not?  I have to make more of an effort to show my support for club members who have shows (a rarity) in the future. I guess people also like what they like photographically and don't want to be bothered with the other stuff. The work I see in Edmonton  is  quite often nice pretty well made imagery but often it's empty photographs lacking in originality and interchangeable with work done in hundreds of clubs worldwide . Documentary photographic portraiture is not their thingy, even when shown in a very nice gallery like the VAAA, to each his or her own, people like what they like(there goes that opinionated stuff again!).

Kind of worried about the turnout for my solo show in March of 2013, the Kaasa gallery is a very big space and with a turnout like on the 19th again, it might be a pretty empty room.

A Few Digi Shots From The Opening

Here are a few more digi snaps from the show. I took these at the end of the evening when most people at left, honest it was more crowded earlier : ) I also did some videos and will make up a short youtube film later of what happened. Making the little short video is lots of work but also fun to do, love the creative part of choosing some music, editing the clips, making up titles etc.