Saturday, July 12, 2003
Not sure what today's schedule will bring yet. I do know that the sun is shining enough to tempt me into making some cyanotypes of last weeekend's river shoot. I've got a dozen or so 4x5 negs and at least a few are saying "Make me blue!" I will do my best to listen to them and maybe even try the two-tone technique of adding a Van Dyke coat on top of the cyanotype.
Hoping to also find time to put a sizing coat on some watercolor detined for gum bichromate prints. Need to find a container to mix the glyoxal hardener in, but that won't be too hard.
Looking over my Maco 820c negs and they seem a tad flat. I'll try boosting the development time by a few minutes for my next adventure with the stuff. May get the chance next weekend, if the weather cooperates. Another pinhole photographer will be heading out with me for some photo adventures. It'll be nice to have some company and someone to share the preblurred look of pinhole with.
Posted by coldmarble @ 08:03 AM ET [Link] [blab]
Wednesday, July 9, 2003
Feel like I've been put throough the wringer, stumbling through this morning after too many hours for too few prints in the darkroom last night. I was eager to get started on the negatives from Sunday's play but had to battle some pretty flat negs of some family shots before I could make room in the schedule for "art". Anyone have any development tips for Ilford Delta 400? It was my first time using it and the developer I used was quite the wrong choice. I hate wasting time trying to bring life to ultraflat lifeless negatives.
I did finally manage to get contact prints of Sunday done, along with some initial prints of a regular 
B&W pinhole (NSFW) and an attempt at a infrared pinhole. I was real happy with the pinhole contact sheets and have several more that are definitely candidates for printing. The long exposure and soft focus gave them a sort of Pre-Raphaelite look, just what I was after.
Posted by coldmarble @ 08:18 AM ET [Link] [blab]
Tuesday, July 8, 2003
The weekend wasn't all wading in streams, loaded down with photo equipment. There was some time made for quieter pursuits, trying a new technique of combining cyanotype and Van Dyke in one print. This was my first attempt and I'm sure the next few will be better as I refine my technique and gain understanding of how to control the results. Thanks to Devra for tips on making this work.
This evening will be darkroom time, trying to catch up on several sheets of negatives that seem to have appeared in my folder.
alt-process geek details follow... [more]
Posted by coldmarble @ 07:56 AM ET [Link] [blab]
Monday, July 7, 2003
One hot, humid and hazy weekend here. Summer in spades. Energy sucked right out of me and not half the tasks I'd hoped to have done anywhere near finished.
It was a learning weekend, though. Spent the worst of the heat curled with books on alt-process, trying to arrange the preparations for gum bichromate printing. Scored the watercolor paper form Utrecht's, as well as some cool hake brushes. It's been preshrunk in hot water and is waiting for an application of gelatin sizing and then a glyoxal hardening coat.
Learned some lessons about pinhole shooting with a model on Sunday. I had way too many cameras and way too many ideas for one morning. On a hot day, with a long walk and rock climbing, seven cameras were probably 4 too many. "Not far from my house" turned out to be a 45 minute drive and a mile walk. At least I was smart enough to leave the view camera in the car, though the location is pretty enough that I may head back with it as my only burden. Lesson one: Travel light.
Photographers can do some funny dance steps while walking on slippery river beds. I managed to avoid any unscheduled immersion tests of my equipment but some better shoes might have helped. A pair of non-slip sandals will be on the list for next trip involving river wading. Lesson two: Watch your step.
Sitting on rocks in cold water is too much to ask of even the most patient and cooperative model, especially for IR pinholes. Ten minute exposure times are just too long for human subjects. Marion did a fantastic job, though, and cheerfully gave it her best. She was much happier when we switched to regular B&W film for pinhole work with shorter exposure times. They are developed and waiting for printing sometime in the next few weeks. Lesson three: Keep your model comfortable, don't ask the impossible.
We did manage some time for a few digital IR (possibly NSFW) shots for that instant gratification.
I'll be heading back to this location soon. With another model, if I can scare one up, or without. I've been in touch with a photographer from the D.C. area who is looking to trade her modelling skills for pinhole instruction. I'll keep my fingers crossed we can work something out.
Posted by coldmarble @ 08:25 AM ET [Link] [1 blab]
