Gelatin Silver Prints

I'm not even bothering with the 8x10s on my European images - I'm going for the 11x14s!!  Currently I do not have any gelatin silver prints, which is what I say I do the most of, hanging in the High Hand Gallery and I really want some new black and white images there!  It's just that it seems hard to get the attention or appreciation of a good darkroom print from the public.  I'm just saying it doesn't happen very often.  I'm considering taking down all the color prints and color photo transfers and just leaving in the gelatin silver prints.

Today I printed six 11x14s from Venice.  I just moved on to Murano, of which I really didn't have anything spectacular from that island.  I only have one more to print from Murano and then I'll move on to Burano, which again I didn't have a lot of film images because I have to admit it was so colorful, I whipped out the Canon T2i more often than the film camera for those two islands in Venice.  Once those few images are completed, then it's on to Dubrovnik, Croatia.  Those really look interesting.  The ones I printed out from Venice have a lot of texture in that I captured images that included the old buildings, well, heck, they're all old!!  I seem to be getting the hang of being in the darkroom.  As I've mentioned before, I don't normally do test strips.  I did early on, but once you start printing your work you start to have an understanding (or feeling) of what and where to start at f-stop/aperture-wise and seconds-wise.  I can tell by where I was, when I was there (time of day), when the time of day started to change, etc.  Some people will say it really is technical from the mixing of the chemicals to the agitation of the tanks/trays, and on and on.  I'm not technical, and I'm not going to get hung up on it. And that's why when people ask me, "Oh, do you give lessons??"  No.  I don't.  I can give you general information, but I don't plan on giving lessons.

However, I do have another request from my girlfriend Janie to come in the darkroom with me!  I like it!  My second and third guests (her and her mom).  I'll let you know how that goes after they've been here.  Right now I'm thinking that I need another drying rack, because I had to stop developing this afternoon only because I ran out of drying rack space.  They're not drying fast enough for me.  I could make one more rack since I have the space.  I would just have to get my husband to cut out the tray bottom so I can staple in the screen.  Tomorrow I'll be able to post an image once they dry and I've pressed them overnight.

Ilford FB IV Matte

I think I'm really loving the Ilford FB Matt paper.  For one thing it dries fairly flat and not as much pressing is required as in the FB glossy paper.  For my historical images, the matt is the way to go.  I'm posting another image from Bodie Ghost Town that I developed this past week.  It took four tries, as the sun was shining on the gears in the middle of the image and was washing out the gear.  I ended up with exposing it at 8 f stop for 20 seconds, plus another 30 seconds of burn just on the gear.  Whew!

I have this idea of going to the local iron works place and order some photo presses.  I was thinking of getting say a 12x9 and 12x15 piece of metal with a handle soldered on the top of each for easy pick up, and that way I could put it on top of my dried images and inside the photo boxes.  Well, I'm thinking it's a good idea.  Now I'm headed back in the darkroom for Venice!  I am going to use the glossy FB for these images for starters.  Who knows when you'll hear from me again!??  Just kidding!

Darkroom Daze

I've been in the darkroom this week for several days!!  I could live in there and have my husband just slip me food under the door from time to time - maybe some crackers and cheese! ; )  I finally completed that last roll of film from Bodie Ghost Town that I took last year.  There were so many intriguing images on that roll, I just had to find out what they looked like in print.  I have to say there were about three images that looked great, but really weren't focused properly and that was my mistake - I'm getting older and my eyesight at times isn't the greatest!  When you're clicking off your shots in subdued lighting sometimes it's hard (for me) to get it focused perfectly, whereas, with digital you don't have that worry, however, the results are so drastically different.

I had a really big surprise in that my granddaughter, Victoria, came up and we finally made it into the darkroom together!!  My first visitor!  It was so much fun, and she asked such great questions.  She's into digital, but has seen and learned the difference in the resulting images from both.  With digital, in her case, she manipulates and makes the image something totally different - and she's good at it.  She wanted to know the ways to make that same difference with film in the darkroom.  I told her there are ways to manipulate with dodging and burning in that you can make it look surreal, or you can use toners, and/or different types of paper, and there's much more.  For me, this little session that lasted less than a half an hour was over the top!  I loved it - so 'thank you' Victoria!

I was not coming out of the darkroom until I finished off this latest Bodie series.  Again I used the matte fiber based paper on all of these.  I'm posting one of the images that I liked which was from inside the silver mining processing plant.  Now I will start on my European images.

It's also time for me to go pick up my France images (in another week) from the Latitudes Restaurant.  Unfortunately, I heard there were no sales.  However, I plan on using a couple of the larger prints for High Hand Gallery's Large Format show later this summer.  And on the same day, I will be dropping off my two Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge images to the Auburn Arts Commission for Auburn's Second Thursday Art Walk!

Back to the Darkroom

Long time no see!  Well, this is the part where life just gets in the way.  You have to be really good to have a post on your blog EVERY, SINGLE DAY!!  I think we're done with the yard chores and work and all the other stuff that isn't photography.

Art-wise I did go to a mask making class using a product called Paverpol last week.  I had no idea what to expect, but I took some images of Japanese geisha women and one of a samurai.  I can't really think of things on my own in that respect!  I ended up doing the samurai.  He's not quite done, but he is pretty much put together.  His face even got painted with the first layer of acrylic and I need to get him finished off.  I won't bore you with that process - just another one of my 'side trips'.  I am going to another mask making class, but this time it's with paper, and in my case, I'm going to use photographic images.  But not what you may think.  I'm going to cut up some of my older images and categorize the pieces by shades of black, grey, and white.  That's my thought on it for now - at least I'll get rid of those extra photos that are old that I'm tired of.

I'm going into the dark room for sure now.  I will most likely need to mix more fresh chemicals. I'll be finishing off Bodie, and then I plan on moving on to my European cruise photos.  When I get to Croatia, I'm still thinking of toning them in copper.

Hope you're having a great Memorial Day Weekend!  Here's an image of my step-Dad who served in Korea.

Fine Art Competition

Well I received the email I was waiting for -- just not the results I was hoping for!  I did not get accepted into the California State Fair Fine Art Competition.  However, two other photographers I know did:  Jim Klein and Cedric Sims.  They were both accepted in the Color Category.  Apparently there were over 1300 entries, and only 17 made it into the B&W category, and 23 into the Color category.  Well, I guess there's always next year and other photography competitions.  Right now, what I'm feeling is to mix up some chemicals and get lost in the darkroom!

I have completely finished up my duties with the High Hand Gallery's Artful Bra IV Show!  Thank goodness!  If you would like to see the entries - all 56 of them - go to Facebook and look under High Hand Gallery Artful Bra Show.  After I completed all my tasks for that show, I cleaned up my studio to get ready for my next project - which is probably my quest to perfect my darkroom technique, or my quest to 'see' all that I have captured on film which is always exciting for me.  I know I'm not Adams or Steichen or Weston, I'm just a novice with a passion for the darkroom and all it entails.

One of my other pursuits is to print images of mine that were previously printed by labs (in my earlier years of photography).  There are several that have been popular that I would like to do on my own.  I have developed the Empire Mine image on my own, but there are still many more that I want to experiment with.  Time is of the essence as they say.

"Most famous photographers work their entire life and produce tens of thousands of negatives and hundreds or perhaps thousands of prints, but are remembered for less than ten and famous for just one."  Cherie Hiser

IV Annual Artful Bra Show

What a weekend and week - and it's only Tuesday night.  I finished uploading all the photos from last Thursday and Friday's photo sessions:  the submission of the artful bra entries - a total of 55.  Then I made bid sheets for each entry with a photo on each one; printed them out and mounted them on foam core.  Took them down to the High Hand Gallery today and the other participating artists from the gallery put them up with the artwork.  Came home and finalized the program for next Saturday night's event.  Tomorrow we'll print them out, and once that is done I think I am pretty much done on that project.  My work is done here!

I really would like to get back into the darkroom and plan to do just that very soon.  On my way home today I picked up two of my acrylic paintings from Auburn and brought them home so I could try them out in the new bamboo frames I purchased from Dick Blick.  I have to say they look so much better than being a stand alone canvas.  They were only 1" stretched canvases, so now they look more substantial and fitting!  I have also received a lot of positive comments on my latest mixed media painting (water color/acrylic), that I want to do more of that particular Southwest style.  One of these days I'll post that painting.

I would like to invite everyone to this Saturday's IV Annual Artful Bra Show.  Come out to High Hand Gallery, 3750 Taylor Road, Loomis, CA 95650, 916-259-4298.  If Saturday doesn't work for you the Artful Bras are up and hanging for your viewing if you'd like to check them prior to Saturday!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Wishing all of you readers who are mothers, a Happy Mother's Day!  I'm enjoying mine, and I'm also thinking of my Mother who is no longer with us, as well as my husband's Mother, but they are with us in our every day lives and spirit and in everything we do that reminds us of them!