Gelatin Silver Prints

As I mentioned I had re-printed all four of the gelatin silver prints that are currently hanging in the High Hand Gallery.  Yesterday I went by at the end of the day and picked up all four framed pieces so I could replace them with the new ones.  Then when I got home I'm comparing the two and I was having a hard time seeing any real drastic improvements.  I called in my husband and told him I needed his help.  And he did help me.  He pointed out the blacks in the shadows were blacker, and that the whites were whiter and crisper - not washed out.  Okay, okay, I can see it now.  Sometimes when I get too close to my work I'm not 'seeing' it.  Today I'll replace the images and then take them back tomorrow morning and rehang them.  Done.

(I don't think I ever mentioned it, but I am legally blind in one eye (20/200) without my contacs.  And apparently, I have cataracts brewing in them too!  Oh, yeah, not to mention the 'floaters' in my left eye!  Lucky me!  I'm at that age you know.  So you can see why I am trying to work in the darkroom as much as I can.  I figure I've got another 10 years though before I lose my patience in the dark!)

I've also been collecting images in a folder on my computer that are 'possible' gallery wraps.  I'm going with color on the gallery wraps.  Again I'm going to have to get my husband's input to help me make a selection.

This image here I found in my Morro Bay folder that I didn't remember taking.  I think if I did some burning in on the clouds in Photo Shop that it would be kind of a cool photo.  The figures, which were young boys, remind me of 'carrot people' when you are painting in water colors!  If you paint, then you know what I'm talking about!

Color Enlarger Contrast

I guess I should back up this week and let you know what's went on.  I attended the potluck and bowl glazing party at the Blue Moon on Monday and it was a lot of fun.  Glad I went.  I finally met Chris Max Thompson, resident ceramicist at the Blue Moon.  If you go to Facebook and look up Chris Thompson you can see the bowls.  Whomever was taking the 'snapshots' really didn't do that well of a job, as there were numerous pictures of people who probably aren't going to like their picture, of which I'm one! ; (

Tuesday I worked at High Hand Gallery and that just made me think harder about what images I might want to use as a gallery wrap for the Large Format Show.  I want to share something with you about the previous day I worked at the gallery a couple of weeks ago.  I met a gentleman who was interested in playing music for the gallery at any of the events and he gave me his card.  He asked what artwork I did and I showed him my photography, right?  Then he tells me was and is a photography teacher at Sierra.  Yikes!  I took him over to where I had several of my darkroom prints hanging and I asked him to basically critique it.  I knew that they weren't perfect and I honestly wanted to fix them.  He was very polite, said I had a good eye (that's good), as I told him how I was developing, the timing, the developer, the enlarger, the paper.  He told me to crank up the contrast and I should be good.  I told him the Ilford FB paper says (for a color enlarger) to increase the magenta to 45.  That always scared me.  I've only been on 20.  And as I mentioned earlier, I had also changed my timing to 2 minutes in the developer just like the instructions on the Dektol package recommend!

So I finally got in the darkroom to try out the new contrast number - and I am so pleased!!!  I don't know why I can't follow instructions, or why I get scared.  I mean what could happen?  You end up with an overexposed image and you have to throw it away?  These are the stumbling blocks of my own.  I feel sometimes I'm moving along at 'baby steps'.  I think I've learned a lot from just listening to someone in the know how.  Apparently I needed some reassurance.  I can't tell you how much better the images look.  I redeveloped all four images that are currently hanging in the gallery and I'm definitely changing them out!!

After that, last night I spent a couple hours just looking at some of my images from 2010 and 2011 for making a selection from, to enlarge to a 3' image.  Even making a rather LARGE image scares me.  But I can do it.  The 2' images I previously had made into gallery wraps came out great, so what am I worried about??  ; )  Good luck with your own 'baby steps'!!  I genuinely mean it!

Thousand Bowls Feed the Hungry

Another camping trip last week - this time to Willets in Mendocino County.  Great weather and a wonderful time with the family.  No scenic photos taken really - just family snapshots!

Back in the studio regrouping again.  Taking care of some gallery business.  Attending a potluck tonight at the Blue Moon Gallery for all the artists.  That should be fun.  It's also a 'workshop' of sorts as we will all be making a clay bowl for Chris Max Thompson's project, "Thousand Bowls Feed the Hungry'.  So this should be interesting.  All the bowls made will be sold at the gallery to feed the hungry in local Sacramento area charities.

I realized that my images I had planned on submitting for High Hand Gallery's Artstock Large Format show in September and October aren't really large enough and don't meet the criteria!  I need to get on the ball and figure out what I will order in the way of a gallery wrap and/or the print on metal I've been talking about and doing nothing! ; (  I've been trying to select an image or two and I'm having a hard time.  I'm not liking any of them!

More later...I'm just getting back in the groove.

"Any photographer worth his salt has 10,000 bad negatives under his belt."  Ansel Adams

Framing

Bit the bullet yesterday to go back down to Sacramento - way out into Sacramento - to purchase the mat board I needed from Delta Mat & Moulding.  Had lunch with my son to make it an even better trip!  Today I'll start cutting the mats and frame the three images I need for Blue Moon Gallery.

It is suggested by many that an artist should have a 'signature' style to their framing.  For black and white images the mainstay for photographers is probably a simplistic black frame. (Nothing to detract from the image.)  I have been using black anodized brushed metal frames for the last five years.  Then I started framing in the anodized brushed satin pewter metal frames for my black and whites, and I really love the look.  I'm probably going to stick with those as my faves.  Trying to stick with the same mat board for me is another story.  I guess I really could stick with the same shade of white if I didn't live so far away from my supplier.  I've had mat board shipped to, but then you're paying for the shipping.  It's all about keeping costs down too, and having the money to purchase enough to have stock on hand.

Having metal frames makes it easier for re-using them vs. a wood frame that has the protective paper backing on it.  That's a big hassle to strip it off, remove the matted image, replace with your newer image, and re-frame with the paper backing.  With the metal frames you just have to remove the metal spring clips!  Easy!

Another reason I switched to metal, was because galleries weren't always that careful when they were hanging the artwork or taking it down!  I saw a woman hanging artwork with tons of bulky rings on!  I cringed when I saw her as I had wood frames.  Yikes!  I just got tired of having too many damaged frames that I couldn't use anymore.  No one wants to purchase an image with a damaged frame.  And I did have one instance, where the buyer wanted me to replace the frame just for that reason!  And I did replace the frame - at a cost to me.  Damage control - it's pricey!

"Real Photography begins when we let go of what we have been told is a good photograph and start photographing what we see."

Darkroom Supplies

I headed into Sacramento and purchased the 11x14 FB paper as well as more Fixer yesterday.  Spoke with  my friend Chris Buckley who said his first "Beginning Digital Photography" class went very well with about 11 people.  His next scheduled class for this same subject is now scheduled for July 29, 2012.  He also will give one-on-one classes if you're interested.  Again, here is the class website and info:  www.MirthToEarth.com/PhotoClasses .  I could probably take one of these classes too!

I also started to cut the mats for the three 13x19 images I'll be framing.  I'm not real happy with the mat board I purchased from Aaron Bros. I like mat board that has a little texture and the one I purchased doesn't but it was the closest to the white I wanted.  I had some light gray mat board on hand that I cut to see if that would look good with the black and white images - now I'm not so sure about either one.  I normally would purchase my mat board from Delta Mat & Moulding.  It's just so far away - all the way over off Hwy. 50!!  I should have done it yesterday.  Instead of 4-ply, maybe I should bump it up to 8-ply and do away with double matting.  However, cutting 8-ply is harder to cut and I'm not as young as I used to be!  What to do...

Yesterday I also was looking online for the prints on metal.  I need one more large print for the upcoming Large Format Show at High Hand Gallery starting in September.  And right now, several online companies who provide that technique (www.MagnaChrome.com being one) are having sales thru July.  MagnaChrome had the better prices I believe and you don't have to give them your whole life's story to order.  Either a large print on metal or a large print on metallic paper which I would still have to have someone else do.  Wish I had a larger printer.  Still thinking about that one.

Kodak TMAX 400

Sunday was another darkroom day...and it was wonderful.  If I didn't have to eat - I could probably just live out here! ; )  I finished up the second roll of Croatia.  Had some good ones with just the first print, and then there were the harder-to-please-my-eyes ones that took 3 or 4 times, and possibly they're still not right.

I made a major change in the darkroom over the weekend.  I use Kodak Dektol developer and I've been developing for 3 minutes for FB prints, even though it says 2 minutes on the packaging.  It was my timing I came up with from all my various notes and books, etc., etc.  I have noticed that sometimes I felt my prints had a slight dingy look to them, not muddy, but yellowy.  I tried troubleshooting this problem - but to no avail.  So when I'm mixing up new Dektol on Sunday, I decided I'd try the two minutes and see what happens.  I think it solved the problem - hopefully.  I guess I should do what the packaging says in the future!
It's also very hot these days, so I am storing the Dektol in the fridge in the garage.

All the prints from this weekend are dried and pressed.  I did go back and re-print one that I have hanging at the High Hand Gallery as a 'test' to see if I could tell any difference in the developing.  The white is much whiter in the print, so I will probably change that one out. I'm not sure if I'm going back in the darkroom today as I'm out of 11x14 glossy.  I have matte paper at that size - I'm just not feeling it right now!  I'll go eat breakfast and figure it out in my head.  I could cut my mats and frame today those three 13x19 prints for the Blue Moon Gallery show in due in August.  Here's Streets of Croatia:

 

Darkroom Processing

Finished up the re-printing at 13x19 size on Epson Premium Glossy.  Yesterday headed out to Aaron Bros. to purchase the frames I needed.  They were having their Buy One Get One for a Penny deal, lucky me.  No pre-cut mats at that size, so I purchased the necessary 4-ply mat board.  A double mat would be good - we'll see how that goes.

Today I finally got back in the darkroom.  Started on the next roll of film from Dubrovnik, Croatia.  Out of the six images I printed at 11x14, there's really only one that stands out, in my own opinion.  I'll do more tomorrow.  I need to keep on it as my goal is to finish these rolls before summer is over.  Times a wasting!  So right in the middle of developing, I receive a phone call from the Placer Arts League that today is the day to pick up my framed pieces as the show is OVER!  Dang it!  Now I had to stop what I was doing and drive into town in 95 degree weather!  Not my favorite thing to do.  Just went and did it and got it over.  Came back and headed back into the darkroom.  I just cleaned up and am all done for the day.

Earlier this morning while still in my PJ's, I uploaded the photos I took yesterday over at the High Hand Gallery.  Worked on them and then uploaded them to High Hand Gallery's Facebook page.  If you ever get on FB, go check out this next show titled, "Cool Expressions".  I think it's the best hang ever since I've been there.

I'm leaving you with this photo I took from inside our camping trailer when we were at Manchester Beach last week.  It's a little quail.  He was pecking around for the longest time - I had time to go grab the camera!

Digital Printing Papers

I'm in a dilemma.  A printing dilemma.  I had already printed out the images for the Blue Moon Gallery show on Ilford Smooth Fine Art Paper.  Then the gallery emailed me and said they wanted to change one of the images to a different one I had submitted, which was okay with me.  It's only paper and ink!  I then printed out the newly selected image on Epson Premium Photo Paper Glossy - and now I'm loving the GLOSSY paper AGAIN! So now I'm thinking:  go back and reprint them all out on Glossy.  I've always been a lover of the glossy look, and like I've stated before, not everything looks good on the Smooth Fine Art Paper.  It's almost a hit-and-miss for me.  So that's what I'm a gonna do!  ; )

Stopped by High Hand Gallery to see the newly re-hang for the next two months and to see if my labels had been placed for me in my absence last week.  My word - the artwork in that place just gets better and better.  Plus I found out we have two new artists:  Miles Metzger the bronze and stone sculptor, and Sharon Prince, who hand carves some amazing gourds!  I'm definitely going to send out an email to all on my list to go check out the artwork.  It is truly amazing!  I need to get on the bandwagon!

Here's another image from Manchester Beach State Park shoreline.

Back to Work!

We have just returned from a week's vacation on the coast at Manchester State Beach.  The weather was gorgeous all week - we couldn't have asked for a better trip!  I wasn't real anxious to take pictures as the main purpose of the trip was to relax.  And relax we did.  It was wonderful.  I did manage to capture some images of the coastline at sunset and in the morning as we drove up and down the area.  But, as I said, it wasn't for the photography.  And if you're a photographer, you may know how hard that is sometimes NOT to grab the camera and start clicking away.

While we were there, I received a phone call from someone who had visited the High Hand Gallery.  He was also a photographer.  He started out saying how 'normally' photographers don't really compliment another photographer's works, but he had to call to tell me he thought my color digital prints were outstanding!  Gee, that was nice of him!  Wanted to know what printer and inks I was using.  Of course, I said the Epson R2400 which uses eight archival inks.  Anyway, that was a nice little diversion -- and compliment for me.  These comments and/or compliments from individuals you don't even know is what keeps you going sometimes.

Since we got home late last night I wasn't able to attend the Artists' Reception and Awards Ceremony for the Placer Artists League that I had entered two gelatin silver prints from my Gladding McBean Series.  My photography friend, Jim, emailed me to let me know out of four photographers who had entered the juried show, two received awards -- and we weren't them!  ; (  Whatever!

So I got busy and started looking at my calendar for what was coming up, which is mainly the All Members Show at the Blue Moon Gallery in August.  Today I printed out the three images that were chosen by the Blue Moon Gallery.  I wanted to get them printed to give them time to air out and dry.  I'll definitely need to buy some frames for these three as I'm pretty much out.  Since they're digital 11x17's I'll need to get the 20x26 frames.  Moving right along!

I'm thinking of getting back in the darkroom tomorrow.  But here's an image from the trip.  The evening fog was starting to roll in a little bit!