The
past few Sundays I’ve been back in the yard and dark room experimenting with
making ambrotype images using 19th Century technology. We use an early photographic process to make
images on glass or tin. I love using glass plates because it is so forgiving.
If the image isn’t great, I can just rub it off the glass, clean it and start
over again.
I am fortunate that we have a darkroom in our basement. Although after yesterday, it is in
transition. We had a slight problem with a leaky sink that had to be extracted.
Other than one end being dropped on my foot and banging my ear against a faucet
while mopping up the flood, all life forms survived!
My
husband Todd enjoys portraiture. I
don’t. I enjoy landscapes and still life images. Todd has his vision of a
pleasing arrangement. My inspiration is often completely different. My taste
tends towards the less conventional. And there is something satisfying to me to
attempt to create something beautiful, or at least intriguing, from the
ordinary. I spent an entire afternoon
photographing a tree stump and its detritus.
And I liked the result. I made positive images. He made negatives. The
Yin and the Yang. Despite our different artistic visions, there is a symbiosis
in our working together that feels mutually encouraging.
I’m
still a neophyte at this process. I pour a good plate. My exposures are good. I’m
getting better at seeing when to stop the development process. But I’m still
refining my developing technique, which can result in some level of frustration
from my live-in mentor. I spent some
time back at the drawing board pouring water over glass. And after I insisted on making one last
plate, while the water was dripping underneath the sink, I could feel the impatience
brewing. But I’m glad I pushed for one last effort. My OCD kicked in. I HAD to get it right! The
result was good.
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