nothing better to do

Saturday, 23 February 2013

The Kentish

At the previously mentioned workshop last week, I scored myself this print.

It was a print done by me.

From a negative by Thelma Kent.

Here's the record on Timeframes.

Their version is a little different from mine. But as Wayne Barrar pointed out, she was a mid-20th century pictorialist using different technology, not a late-19th century glass plate shooting, albumen printing explorer.

But it is a very me kind of photo, and it will complement my recently acquired Lake Hawea, Southland, N.Z. by T R Kent, A.R.P.S.

Thursday, 21 February 2013

The Brothers

At the previously mentioned workshop last week, I scored myself this print.

It was a test done by Doug Munson and for some reason it ended up with all my stuff so came home with me.

We were told it was a Burton Brothers photo, but a quick read of the negative shows it is actually a Muir & Moodie photo. Mind you, Muir and Moodie did at some point work for the Burton Brothers so the confusion is understandable.

The Alexander Turnbull Library and Te Papa were each kind enough to give us some copy negs from their collections to use for the workshop. I would like to link to this one in one of their collections but I can't find it anywhere.

Oh well.

Still, it'll look nice next to my genuine Burton Brothers shot and printed photo of "A New Zealand Home, The Hutt".

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

The Egg

Last week I did a workshop. It involved eggs and salt and citric acid and stuff ...

Stuff like silver nitrate.

It was an Albumen printing one-day lecture and demonstration "led by US albumen authorities, Doug and Toddy Munson" from Chicago Albumen Works and "provide[d] a solid introduction to the making of albumen prints by contact printing."

It was associated with the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works Photographic Materials specialty group (AIC-PMG) and the International Council of Museums Conservation Committee's Photographic Materials Working Group (ICOM-CC-PMWG) 2013 Joint Meeting taking place over the week.

It was a fun day, and I definitely want to do more of it. The prints are beautiful.

I made a couple of prints of some stuff I shot a few years ago, of a suitable subject and adequately contrasty.

Both, however, were a underexposed. I'm not exactly sure what happened as they both lightened up a stop or more in the developing process, not the expected 1/3 - 1/2 stop.