This month, we have three very special articles. Susan Huber and
Robert Finley share their experiences photographing close to home. We all go
through phases where we think that the place we live is a photographic no
man's land, that in order to make exciting images we have to travel to
spectacular places. Susan and Robert's experience proves that sometimes the
best pictures are right there in your own back yard. All it takes is open
eyes, an open mind, and the willingness to be surprised.
Jason writes about his recent experiments with wet plate
collodion photography and the challenges inherent in this historic process.
Many of us are wed to large-format cameras, usually 8x10 or even larger.
Using these cameras requires a very exacting approach in order to make
optimally exposed negatives, yielding contact prints of unsurpassed sharpness
and definition. Wet plate collodion photography is, in many ways, the
antithesis of this. The process is much less quantifiable than modern
large-format photography and requires that the photographer let go of his or
her need to be in total control. The images that result are imbued with a
sense of timeless beauty, a haunting mystery begging to be solved. I can't
wait to see more of Jason's wet collodion images!
I hope you will enjoy reading these very personal articles and
perusing the many other images available in our Online Gallery!
-Gerhard Bock, guest editor
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Contact Printers Guild Online Gallery
 As viewers and collectors of photography, we
participate in the re-creation of a work of art. Its meaning changes from
person to person and over time. Once we welcome art into our lives, we have a
ready source of sustenance and challenge that grows, changes, mellows, and
enriches our daily experience. No matter how much we study or read about art
or artists, eventually we return to the contemplation of the work itself; for
art is the tangible evidence of the ever-questing human spirit.
On the right is "Katie's
Jump" by Ian Leake, currently available through our Online Gallery.
Because we understand the difficulty of seeing the true beauty of a contact
print from a scanned image on your computer, we offer an unconditional
guarantee. If you are not satisfied with any photograph you have purchased
from the Online Gallery, you can return it for a refund. We currently have
over 400 photographs available for sale. Just click on the link below to
quickly and easily view our catalog. The Gallery is a secure site that allows
you to purchase using your credit card or PayPal account.
Click here to visit our Online Gallery.
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IN FOCUS with Susan Huber
 Fisgard Lighthouse
The lighthouse on Fort Rodd Hill on the outskirts of Victoria,
B.C. is designated as a National Historic Park. It was originally manned by
British troops defending Western Canada from a possible invasion by Russia to
overtake the valuable fur trade. It was finally vacated in 1890 by the last
British troops to stay in Canada.
The fort and its structures along with the unmanned lighthouse
are maintained by the Federal government. Thus fees are collected and
educational services are offered. However, on the day I photographed the
lighthouse, the employees were on strike and I happened to have a day off
from work.
Since Victoria is the capital of B.C., it is a very busy place
except in the historic areas during the middle of the week.
The weather that day was its usual grey overcast skies with
little contrast. It suddenly cleared as I prepared to have lunch on the
grass. I ran to get the camera and made one exposure. I was really happy
because the lighthouse is situated near Victoria's harbour and is the only
lighthouse that is accessible on the southern end of the Vancouver Island.
The rays of light couldn't have come at a more opportune time; Mother Nature
seemed to relish "lighting" up the lighthouse.
My friends from away often ask me to consider making a project
of this beautifully preserved fort, but I never seem to have time. This one
time, I made the time to "work" with a beautiful subject.
I hope I portrayed the lighthouse in a fine upstanding way-a grande
dame now welcoming visitors in the 21st century.
I am an intuitive photographer; I don't spend a lot of time
hoping for the perfect image. I go ahead and try to see it "my
way". If I come back to the same subjects to re-photograph, it will
never be the same.
When travelling, I've learned to stop and photograph rather than
engage in excuses of being hungry or tired and where am I going to camp
tonight?
When the light changes fast and the scene is extraordinary, I
will stop and think about photographing from as many angles as possible.
Sometimes, it is enough to sit still and be part of the landscape. Sometimes,
this is the best way to "see".
Susan is offering the above print of Fisgard
Lighthouse at a special price in our Online Gallery. Since Printing Out
Paper (POP) is getting ever more difficult to source, Susan's POP prints will
become even more rare and sought after. Take advantage of this special price
for the months of May and June.
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Robert Finley: Close To Home
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The Guild Newsletter often has a section with
recent photography trips by members but this one is a little different. I was
determined to stay in my own community and spend the day photographing. I'm
one of those that feel there's not much worthy subject matter within 100
miles of where I live. You could probably make that 250 miles.
The plan was to head out in the old station wagon, a '94 Volvo
with enough patina on it so as not to draw much attention and drive to the
downtown area. First stop was to be an old cotton mill, just a little south
of downtown and a little closer to the tracks.
As I was loading my gear, a friend called and asked me to meet
him for coffee at a new place in the revamped Brick Town area. A pressed
coffee with an espresso add shot made for some lively conversation and we
commented on the great tattoos one of the baristas had on the back of her
calves. On the way out we checked some photos being hung on the wall by a
young lady photographer.
My friend tells her I "do" large format photography
and she said she's only read about it. So of course, I asked if she'd like to
see an 8x10 set up. You know, share a little history of the craft. Thirty
minutes later, camera and gear packed back up, I'm headed south with a little
4x6 black and white print of an espresso steamer she gave me as a gift for
the large format lesson. It's really a nice little print.
I drove to the large cotton mill complex and looked for the
manager. I had spoken to him before about photographing there and he had said
Saturdays were usually good. As it worked out this was not a usual Saturday.
They had to install some large piece of equipment for pressing canola oil.
Another Saturday maybe?
I drove a few blocks east toward the old stone train station.
Not exactly an old Spanish mission but what the hell. Got there and made two
exposures, one horizontal and one vertical (hoping that plastic trash bag
caught in the upper limb of an oak doesn't stand out in the print). A guy
wondering around the intersection as I pulled out said hello. I asked if he
could use a couple of bucks. He said, yeah and that if he had $7 he could get
a bed that night at the Salvation Army up the street. I don't normally don't
pull out my wallet for sad stories but I had the bills from the coffee bar in
my shirt pocket and gave them to him. I asked his name and he said O.C. I
then asked what the initials stood for and he said they weren't initials,
that his name is spelled Ossi.
Driving around in a run down neighborhood near there, I saw an
old white clap board church with a square two story front. It had a Walker
Evans look to it except for the two early 90's model cars parked on the front
grass. The church door was open and I went up and looked in. A meeting of
some kind was going on and somebody preaching. I'm thinking maybe come back
later.
I decided to buy some time and go back to that coffee bar for
another cup of ambition. The tattooed barista was on break and she commented
about the camera I'd set up earlier that morning. During conversation, I suggested
someone should photograph the two tattoos on her calves. One of the other
girls there agreed and pretty soon I'm in the alley behind the place setting
up my camera. Two more exposures made.
Back at the Fountain of Faith Church, one of the two cars was gone but now
there are two guys out front with saws and 2x12 pine planks building
something. Not much to do but stop the car and start talking to them. One's
the preacher and the other's a hired man named Bill. I'm told they are
building a new wheel chair ramp right up one side of the front steps. Glad I
didn't come back on another day as I had thought about doing. I made a deal
with them. If they would take a short break I'd move all the planks and tools
to the side of the building so I could take a photograph of the building.
They agreed.
The preacher drove off in the remaining car and Bill disappeared somewhere. I
worked fast to clear away the lumber and got the camera set up without having
a heart attack. One exposure with no filter and the other with an orange
filter (Yeah, I remembered to add the two stops this time). When I had
finished, I looked up and there was Bill, standing over to the side waiting
patiently. He said the place used to be a dance hall years ago. I broke down
the camera, loaded it in the car and put all the construction materials back
where I found them.
I was beat by the time I fired up the wagon and headed home. I had a great
time. Coffee with a close friend, met a young and enthusiastic photographer
that gifted me a print, Ossi hopefully spent a safe night at the shelter
rather than under a bridge, Karlie presented her calves to the camera and
Bill maybe finished the wheelchair ramp at the Fountain of Faith. And me, I'm
excited that there may be some images on the six sheets of film.
To see more of Robert's images, please
visit our Online Gallery.
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| Jason Miguel Russell: Wet Plate Collodion Photography
Since devoting my time and energy to making
wet plate collodion negatives, I find myself thinking about what it means to
make contact prints. The use of an antique brass lens, coupled with the
intrinsic properties of the wet plate negative has taken me far from the
sharp focused detailed prints I've made in the past. It is also a deviation
from what many have come to expect from contact prints.
I have always been fascinated with the wet plate process and its
ethereal qualities. It is for these reasons I thought it would be the perfect
tool for making my series on children's nursery rhymes. What I did not expect
was the hold collodion photography would have on me. Having no interest in
the past few months to use film, I have been exploring and experimenting with
the wet plate process and my current optics.
I believe the shallow depth of field and process artifacts are
the hallmarks of a great wet plate image. Yet, what I find most challenging
is balancing what is acceptable in both large format fine art contact prints
and their ability to capture fine detail and tonal range with that of the wet
plate world and its period equipment, process artifacts, and other
idiosyncrasies.
Although I have only scratched the surface of wet plate
collodion photography, it was not until I was throwing a cardboard box covered
with a black garbage bag into the back of our Jeep and leaving my light meter
behind, did I realize what I was getting myself into. I had traded my
precision optics for a banged-up period lens stuck on f/8 with its scratched
elements. I had forsaken my high performance well tested pricey T- Max film
for 8x10 sheets of clear glass hand-coated in collodion.
On the plus side there are no more long lonely waits in the
darkroom to see my resulting negative materialize. Collodion is almost
instantaneous and each negative is developed in the field. Oh, and the Zone
System? More like "I think a 20 second exposure should do the trick
here". But this all comes at a price I was not expecting. The expenses
of a final print! I do like the artifacts left on my plates after processing,
yes. But not to the extent that the image is lost and it becomes nothing but
process. The lens does lend a unique feel to the image, but I must be
absolutely careful to focus the image precisely to make sure the viewer
clearly sees what I want them to see. To be sure, I guess at my exposures,
but they still need to be within a reasonable window. I do admit most are
overexposed, but I work with that. To juggle this act of negative and print,
I have begun to consider my darkroom time as painting with light. Thinking of
my initial print exposures as a foundation or primer and finishing with
careful passes of dodging and burning. Much like a painter might pass over
the canvas adding depth and color with their brush. An invaluable lesson to be
learned, as I grow in my artistic vision and skill as a photographer.
To see more of Jason's images, please
visit our Online Gallery.
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Other News
 DJ Nayakankuppam would like to thank collectors of his prints
and would like to announce an increase in the price of his prints. 8x10
prints will be priced at $300. Smaller prints (e.g., 4x10 and 5x7) will be
priced at $200. New prices will go into effect on June 1, 2008.
To see DJ's images in our Online Gallery, please
click here.
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Special Offers
 Please check out the Special Offers section of
our Gallery for prints offered by Guild members through this newsletter.
Using this link, you can buy selected photographs that Guild members have
discounted for a limited time.
The image on the right is "Laura te amo" by Gerhard
Bock, available this month at a very special price. Some of our prints are
also featured in the current B&W Magazine advertisement. Please visit the
Guild's special-offer
prints on our website.
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Members' Current & Future Shows and Events
 Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee are participating in the Bucks County, PA
"Elephants Eye Open Studio Tour." Nine recognized artists will open
their studios to the public on May 9-11 and May 17-18. Details can be found
at www.elephantseyetour.com.
Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee have
been commissioned to photograph Chicago. They will begin photographing there
at the end of May.
To see Michael A. Smith's contact prints available through the
Guild, please visit our Online
Gallery. To see Paula Chamlee's prints available in our Online Gallery,
please click here.
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| Members' Workshops
Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee will conduct a "Vision and
Technique" workshop at their home/studio in Bucks County, Pennsylvania,
on May 23-25. Six members of the Guild have taken this workshop
and have gotten a lot out of it. There are still a couple of openings. There
are also still openings for their Iceland Workshop now scheduled for July
11-21. Please click
here for details on these workshops.
 Ray Bidegain and Patrick Kolb will be teaming up with workshop veteran
Jeanette Altman July 10-13 for a four-day platinum/palladium workshop.
This is an expansion of the popular three-day workshop series by Ray and
Patrick. Additions to the agenda will be the study of tailoring a film
negative to the platinum/palladium process, crafting a film negative for
scanning, the scanning of the negative for platinum/palladium, and tailoring
a digital negative to platinum/palladium printing. Their workshop will
encompass all of this, as well as spending two days demystifying the
platinum/palladium process. This very hands-on workshop will again be on the
Washington State University campus in Vancouver, WA. Tuition for the four-day
class will be only $395, and the group will be limited to a maximum of ten
students. Look for additional information in future newsletters and on Ray's workshop
page.
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