More "Forgotten Faces" Scans

Here are some more forgotten face scans. I am still waiting on a order of 47 glass plate negatives from the seller.

Note* A fellow on my Facebook page (yes finally started using Facebook) told these people date back to the 1880s. Imagine that, being on a glass negative for almost 140 years and not breaking!\

Note ** Some of the negs have what seems to be names scratched into the emulsion.

Unknown #2

Unknown #3, photo of a photo?

Unknown #4

Unknown #5

Unknown #6

Unknown #7

Unknown #8

Unknown #9

Unknown #10

Unknown #11

The Forgotten Face Glass Plates, Unknown #1 Scan

I  have purchased over 100 of these 3x4 inch glass plate negatives from a seller in Canada. They might have come from Chicago, not sure the year. If anyone out there can give a guess let me know please. My hope is to do up a submission and darkroom print these negs big. Show title "Forgotten Faces", each image will be called "Unknown #1, Unknown #2 etc.

The glass plates have lots of density and contrast so they promise to be a real challenge in the darkroom. I like all the imperfections that time has impacted on these things. Many of the photos also have an off center composition that is visually appealing.

These found negs, these "Forgotten Faces (People)" are very mysterious and beautiful in my eyes. Printing these negs will be a nice healthy distraction from my more serious personal work. After you printed a 20x24 inch photograph of your dad after he died (did that for "Healing Process") this kind of printing will will be so much easier and fun. No bad dreams here!

Unknown #1

Healing Process Invite, Will Do 8th Print

Got some info on the "Healing Process" invites that are being printed up. The Art Gallery of St. Albert really goes all out in their exhibition process. I will get 50 of these (could have gotten 100) to hand out, I can also submit a mailing list and the gallery will send out invites via snail mail for me.
The gallery on its own will send out 350 hard copies, and 800+ digital copies to all of their contacts.

This is shaping up to be a big deal with a big crowd. I wonder if I should try printing up an 8th photo? Maybe the last 2 should be the ones on these invites. The one neg thou on the back page will be a bugger to print! I have found both negs so that is not a problem, it just a matter of bringing the prints to life. I think I will go for it, print more, go all in and hope they can hang all 8 photos (I was only promised space for 7). Dads story need to be told thou, so will try for 8.

Here are samples of the invites.

"Healing Process" invite, front and back sides

Bank Worries About Fraud

Put $5000 CAD down on my HF3535 camera yesterday (payments 2 and 3 at the same time), I sent a wire transfer to Filip in the Czech Republic. Last night I got a call from the bank, and a follow up phone call today! They were worried that I might be sending my money to a fraudster and that I would get nothing in return. Guess the wire transfer was very suspicious in their eyes as it got red flagged.

Why does no one trust no one anymore? The teller person I dealt with yesterday asked me many questions about this deal on the phone today. Did I know the Czech person, meet him before ? Did I understand I might not get a camera from him, that it could be a phony deal. The bank persons way of thinking was that I would send the dollars and get nothing in return. He felt I was making a mistake and I should not wire the money, advised against it.

It all gave me a headache. I prefer the world of creativity and art to this money stuff. Art is beautiful where as money, greed, theft, lust for dollars is so ugly.

I know it is a risk buying a very expensive camera like this from a stranger online. I know that I could get screwed in the end. I am generally a trusting person, I have grown to trust Filip and his HF camera company. If this falls through then it is my fault alone. If it works out, then Filip and I together are going to create an important and unique body of work, something new and exciting that has never been done before in Canadian photography. Sometimes when things are ground breaking and ultra large in scope you need to walk out on a limb and take some chances. I feel thou, that it will all work out beautifully in the end, I have my faith! :)

Note* Once I get the camera I will take a picture with it and take to the bank teller who was so suspicious. Want to prove to him that there are still good, honest, trust worthy, hard working folk in this world! Not everyone is a crook.

Note** This story might be a good add on to my eventual "Kanata" artist talk. How you need faith, and trust to get something like this done. How people are generally good and honest and how we need to overcome our personal suspicions and fears to succeed.

Studio Visit Goes Well

Met up with Jenny the curator of the Art Gallery of St. Albert yesterday. She visited my darkroom then we went to mom and dads house where most of the finished prints (still need to do one more) were waiting for her. She liked the work, we talked and talked and she also looked at the little photo studio I have at mom/dads as well. Spent lots of time talking about the history of my photo projects and art. Stories from all of that, talked and talked some more. Jenny took notes. She spoke to me of possible (might happen, might not happen) media coverage, interviews and the like. We also discussed the artist talk and I went over my talk plan, she made some useful suggestions.

A nice meet up, too much Gerry talk for my liking but it all went fine. I wish these exhibitions would be less about me and more about my subjects, but there is always the inevitable Gerry Yaum BS, my motivations, influences, artistic reasons etc. Who cares about the fake name dude Gerry Yaum, it should always be about my subjects not me (Jenny suggested I explain the whole Yaum reasoning thing to my audience at the talk).

Update* Jenny also asked I make up one of the printing instructions sheets I do up for each of my final prints. I will do up one of them for her.

Update** I will be allowed to show my exhibition Blurb magazine catalog(s) at the AGSA. The St. Albert people are much less uptight about that sort of thing as compared to the Latitude 53 folks who would not allow the mags in their space (they said those pics were out of context, still a bit pissed about that!).

Kurt Moser Media Page

Check out these wonderful fun (German speaking) media videos from Kurt Moser's ambrotype wet plate Lightacatcher page. Well worth a look. I hope my ambrotype project eventually attracts such quality promotional and educational productions.
http://www.lightcatcher.it/en/#Media

Beautiful Lens Board Maker

In the past I would scrounge and beg for lens boards to be made for my various cameras. I would get cheapo plastic ones made free (by a friend, free is always good!) or I would find some beat up thing online. In recent years I have been buying wonderfully strong and very beautiful wooden boards from an eBay seller in the States. I am getting 6 boards made for by Zyszek for my Prinzdorff 4x5, 5x7 camera and will do the same later with my Korona 4x5, 5x7. I simply sent him my board and he made exact copies. He makes quality boards out of different types of wood depending on your preference, he also stains them to match your camera as near as possible.

If your interested in quality boards consider buying them from him.

Zbyszek works out of the USA, highly recommended.

http://www.ebay.ca/usr/zbima1?rt=nc

Email: Kurt Moser, Great Wet Plate Photographer, And Great Guy!

I have exchanged an email with Kurt Moser, the wonderful wet plate photographer in Italy I wrote about earlier.
http://gerryyaum.blogspot.ca/2017/06/kurt-moser-amazing-ambrotype.html

Here are some highlights from his message. I asked about his lens and asked if he gives workshops. What a great generous man, just like Jock Sturges several years ago, Kurt was very open with all my questions. I love it when world class photographers do not have secrets and share with everyone. I asked his permission to post what he sent me here it is lens part of the email:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Gerry

Sorry for being late with my answer !!  Here i am , getting ready to go up in the mountains tomorrow morning with my new camera !! ;-)

First , thanks a lot for the Article on you're Blog , i checked you're work and i a amazed !!!   like what you do Gerry !!!  great Job in Thailand  !!!

So , for you're questions :

i have two lenses for the Ural Truck , a 1780mm f14 Apo Nikkor and a 1000mm f3,5 Leitz Epis  , the Nikkor was incredibly difficult to get , it took me 2 years to find it , it is one of 5 existing on this planet as far as i know ...

For my other cameras  ( the 20x24 inch Baby from 1907  and my new 35x35inch Aluminium Camera ) i use Apo Nikkors and Leitz Epis too :

Apo Nikkor 480mm  f9
Apo Nikkor 610mm  f9
Apo Nikkor 890mm  f11
Apo Nikkor 1210mm f12,5

Leitz Epis 480mm  f3
Leitz Epis 600mm  f3
Leitz Epis 700mm  f3,5
Leitz Epis 800mm  f4,8
Leitz Epis 1000mm f3,5
..
and some nice Aero Ektar and Charles Beseler Lenses , i have a huge Liesegang Meganast 1000mm 3,5 too ..

..................
..................
...................
..................
................,,

Hope this helps Gerry , there are a lot of great lenses around , its just a matter of testing them ;-)

Kurt
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the other parts of the email, Kurt gave me some colodion advice (starting out in the smaller wet plate formats 8x10 etc). He encouraged my work, my trips to Thailand, my plans for ambrotypes etc. He also very generously asked me to visit his home so that we could work together. What a wonderfully humble man, what a great guy! Think we are going to be friends!

Bought A Second Japanese Ambrotype, Titled: 2 Japanese Antique Ambrotype Glass Photo Meiji Frame Girl Kimono 1880’S

I am laying off my buying now, but had bid high on this Japanese ambrotype last week. This item is expensive $95USD (plus shipping) but rather haunting and beautiful. a mysterious enigma. The type of ambrotypes I hope to make in the "Oh! Canada!!" "Kanata" project. I will carry both my Japanese kimono women ambrotypes with me in my mobile darkroom unitility truck when I am traveling, making my wet plate images. Hopefully these wonderful 130-40 year old works will help to inspire me. I also like the beauty of the simple wooden (Balsa wood?) box case frame. It seems so right to exhibit the image and protect the glass this way. I wonder who these women were. I am very happy I own this, cannot wait until it arrives from Ama-Gun Japan.

2 women, Japan 1880s

Fitness Is Coming, Bit By Bit!

Even thou I have not weighed myself I feel my weight loss and fitness program is yielding positive results. I have tightened up 1.5 belt loops on my work pants. I have now moved up to 10 nightly chin ups (my upper max area from years past was 11), groups of 40+ nightly push ups and sit ups. Am also doing a bit of stretching. My bike riding is non existent for very reason but hope to rectify that problem this week off.

Things are going in a positive direction. I still have around 4 months before I fly to Thai. I would like to get the chin up count to around 12-13 by then, the push up/sit up count into the 50s and my overall weight to 220lbs or less. I also need to figure out a way to ride my mountain bike more often.

Happy Fathers Day Dad

Happy fathers day dad!!

Am working on this photo tonight of my father (spotting, cut the mat), it will be the lead introductory picture in the coming "Healing Process" show at the Art Gallery of St. Albert. Dad and I were born on the same day 32 years apart we had that shared birthday our entire life together. Every year it was happy birthday Gerry, Happy Birthday Dad! We did shared cakes, shared songs, shared everything, somehow it made us even more close.

I remember during this photo session soon after dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, I was crying and having a very difficult time operating the camera. Dad and I have a long history of making pictures together but this session was very hard to do. This was the last time we used my small home studio to make photos together. I miss making pics with dad so much now, it was our special shared father and son time. At one point during the session dad stood up went to the nearby mirror and adjusted the hair on his forehead to a point. He said "What about like this?" Then we went back to working, making this photo together.

The photographs over the next year that resulted in "My Fathers Last Days" and this coming "Healing Process" exhibition are a direct collaboration between dad and me. He passed away on February 22, 2015, at 82 years of age. I was alone with him when he died.

Happy fathers day dear dad, you were a great father, I owe you everything.

Kodak Masterview 8x10 camera, Nikon 300mm W F5.6 lens,,Tri-x film, printed on Ilford Warmtone 20x24 fiber paper in a Durst 8x10 enlarger with color head.

Ambrotype Project Name Change? "KANATA"?

I have been thinking of changing the name of "Oh! Canada!!" (seems too corny). One possible new name would be KANATA, Kanata is the plains Cree word for CANADA. In the projects name I wanted to pay tribute to my subject/themes "Canada" but I also need to show respect to ancient first nations cultures that were here much earlier than the 1867 birth of my country. The Cree Nation is located in the areas around my city of Edmonton and has been in existence for centuries. It seems to fit to use their language (in a respectful way). I will think on it some more, also asking the advice of friends.

Stress

I just made a 2nd payment on my HF3535. No contact after huge payment with my lens seller Leica.com in Germany yet. Kind of worried about the lens, the camera, the payments. Am feeling lots of stress putting this all together. Am facing many negative folks (negative Nelly's) at largeformatphotography.info. I have a dream but bringing to life on a security guards salary is so difficult.  I worry about money all the time now. Worry about whether my camera lens combos will work. Worry about the bellows length, worry about lens coverage. Worry, worry, worry some more.

Hopefully it will all work out in the end. Hopefully I will be rewarded for the chances I am taking now and end up making some important unique photographs (ambrotypes). Sometimes in life you need to take chances, go out on a limb (I learned that in Thailand). I see the finished and amazingly beautiful ambrotypes in my mind, I see them hanging in a large gallery with crowds of Canadians viewing my vision of Canada. I see the plates living on past my death. I want to make them a reality, I have to make them a reality. I cannot stop now, there is a destiny here, not about me personally but instead a destiny about the importance of the pictures, the art. They are waiting to be created, they need to be made. I will to continue to take financial, creative, personal risks and hope for the best. Great things are not created by the timid.

This will all work out in the end, I feel it. After all what are my problems compared to my subjects from the past? Families working the garbage, people living in the slums of Bangkok, the life of a bar worker, what my dad went through day by day. What are my little problem, simple unimportant problems compared to theirs?. I need to learn from their examples, they faced TRUE STRESS, my stuff is minor league.

This project will work, I will make it happen, it has to work, THE MASSIVE AMBROTYPES WILL BE CREATED!

Note* This stress and difficulties stuff will fit well into the artist talk for "Oh! Canada!!" Everything has a useful purpose in the end. If doing 35x35 ambrotypes was easy, then everyone would be doing them!

More Glass Negatives From A Different More Expensive Source

Bought some more negative glass plates, these are larger mearsuring 5x7 from another seller in Canada. I paid more for these (probably too much) than the earlier ones but did manage to get free shipping. I need to cool it on the buying, have so many bills to pay now and a big trip ahead of me, need to save as much as I can with time I have left before Thai. Sort of lost control on my spending of late. Need to shut that down now.

I am thinking of calling this possible found negative project submitted "Forgotten Faces" and then naming each picture, Unknown #1, Unknown #2 etc. :Here are todays buys from the second eBay seller.  (plus the post mortem photo from earlier).

5x7 glass neg portraits for the "Forgotten Faces" project

Bought Me A Post Mortem, Eyes Open, Glass Negative

Not sure why I bought this exactly, I just found it haunting and sad. This is how we will all end up. Maybe I can make a print then post it in the darkroom to remind myself to work hard at my photography and everything I love. Time is counting down minute by minute and someday I will be like this poor fellow.

Post Mortem, Eyes Open, Glass Negative

Fascinating Glass Negative Buy

I have been buying up a bunch of glass negs from a Canadian seller on eBay. I do not know the histories of these negatives, the people in them etc but find them so fascinating.

I am thinking of printing these images larger on silver gelatin fiber (including all the neg defects), possibly as big as 16x20 inch prints. I might then try to submit the work to a gallery under a title like "Forgotten Faces" or "Unknown #1, #2", "Person Unknown #1. #2" etc. The strange compositions, the old style clothes, the static expressions, and the damage to the negs all create an overall surreal and visually strong effect.

Submitting 10 or so of them to a gallery might be accepted and the artist fee would pay for the items! Allowing me to own, print and play with them for a while, for free. Heck if I want to be optimistic about this, what about 2 exhibitions with 2 paid artist fees allowing me to earn some money to buy film and make my own pictures, or to pay for some silver nitrate for the coming wet plate "Oh! Canada!!" project.

Would people/galleries would be interested in viewing these forgotten faces? Probably not going to happen but the thought is nice :) Negs like this with such history thou should be collected and protected. I can take care of them for the rest of my lifetime, after that they are in fates hands.

Who were these people? What lives did they live? Gosh these negs are COOL!

Each image has a glass negative (3X4 inch wet plate?) along with a positive print made from it in a plastic bag

Quote: Dewey Forry (The Inspirational Uncle Of Edmonton Eskimo Fourth String Quarterback Zach Kline)

From his obituary.

“I know why I got cancer. It’s so I can make these people doing chemo with me smile.”

4 Book Titles , Learning About The First Nations Of Canada

With the coming of the "Oh! Canada!!" ambrotype project (4-5 years away) I am trying to educate myself. Am trying to learn about Canadian First Nations-Aboriginal culture and history. It is all very complex and I will only have a basic understanding and knowledge in the end. I think thou that it is only respectful and proper to try to do my best to learn and understand what I know so little about, it is all too much for me to take in, but I will do my best.

What I have read so far about First Nations of Canada I have found absolutely fascinating, both great and tragic. I am just starting out here, but already I feel embarrassed about how little I knew and know. What I found I love most in my readings so far is stories about great first nations people like Big Bear, a chief/leader of the Cree Nation. What a noble looking man with an incredible life story. His photograph fascinates me, his strength and independence shine through even with the visible chain in the lower left of the photograph. This is a strong, intelligent, forceful man. I wish I could have known him, spoken to him, spent some time with him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bear

Chief Mistahi-maskwam Big Bear 1885

There seem to be many many books out there but most on Amazon are out of my price range. In the coming years I will probably be watching lots of documentary films (which ones?) and borrowing many library books.

Here are the 4 titles I picked up (3 came today from Amazon) so far. The more knowledge I have the better, I am hoping it will impact the photographs and my life in a positive way. I will always be an outsider in the First Nation peoples of Canada but I think it is so important to try to understand their lives, their world, their history.

Native Chiefs and Famous Métis:Leadership and Bravery in the Canadian West (Amazing Stories)
The First Nations of British Columbia, Third Edition: An Anthropological Overview
The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America
Classic Images of Canada's First Nations: 1850-1920

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Isiah Bear, Muskoday First Nation

In the old days we used to respect everything… This isn’t done today, that’s why we are lost.

"kíyaté-mana kahkiyaw kikway ni-kí-kistéyihtamak… ékwa óma anohc namowiya ékohsi itócikatwéw, ékoci óma éyakohk ésa ká-wanisiniyak."

Gerry Yaum Goes "THE ARTSTACK"

Not sure what The "ARTSTACK" is, but found a bunch (15) of my sex worker images on the site. Not sure who put the pics together, not sure I like the selection, a bit too much nudity. Maybe I should add something to the empty "About" section, It might to help clarify the work, speak to the subjects lives and explain the reasons for making the pictures. I could add a email link and a link to this blog info etc.
https://theartstack.com/artists/gerry-yaum

Update* They seem to have some very high end art work on the site, some great artists. Warhal , Van Gogh, Gaugain etc. Maybe this thing is legit. I guess I will add some data to the ABOUT section, it might lead to something positive.

Screen capture of part of GerryYaum ARTSTACK page, I have 8 followers :).