Blue Moon Gallery Show - "Collectively Speaking"

Saturday was the Blue Moon Gallery show, "Collectively Speaking", the group show of all the Blue Moon Artists. Needless to say if you live in the area, it was blazing hot. My car said it was 109 when I arrived! But there was a great turnout despite the heat. I was able to meet some of the artists that I hadn't met yet, as there are several new additions. Two of the three gallery photographers were on the center wall - myself and Jim Klein. It was a good space! I spoke with several people who wanted to know the circumstances surrounding the images. That's always a good sign when they want to talk to you. I got there on time, before there were too many people, as I wanted to get a shot of the display.

This morning I was still trying to get my PC up to par so I could even post on my blog!  I just this minute got it fixed.  Just uploading the photos off my Canon too a couple hours this morning.  This is crazy!  It wears you out mentally, to where I feel I'm brain dead.

I don't know what I'm doing next today...my gallery wraps from Big Canvas Prints should be delivered tomorrow according to their schedule.  I hope those turn out.  

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!