Peeling Daguerreotype on silvered glass: WOW!

Peeling Daguerreotype by Jason Greenberg Motamedi

Look what happened when Jason Greenberg Motamedi tried making a Daguerreotype on silvered glass! He says:

I made a few marginally successful Becquerel plates last year using silvered glass, however something about the traditional method (perhaps the heat of the Mercury?) caused much of the silver to flake off in the fixer.

Yes! Beautiful! Long string of positive expletives!

You can see more of his work at his Web site, motamedi.info, and at his excellent Daguerreotype blog, daguerreotypy.blogspot.com.

 

Further reading: Motamedi’s Brief Guide to Becquerel Daguerreotypy, The Daguerreian Society.

 

Photo © copyright 2006 Jason Greenberg Motamedi. Used with permission.

f295 2008 Symposium Update

Tom Persinger of f295 writes:

f295 Symposium 2008: An Examination of Lensless, Alternative and Adaptive Photographic Processes is being held in Pittsburgh, PA USA May 29 – June 1, 2008. Here are a few of the latest announcements!

The Official Symposium Hotel

I’m pleased to announce that The Holiday Inn Select at University Center is our official f295 Symposium Hotel partner this year! They’re offering a discounted rate of $115 for single, double, triple or quadruple occupancy. They’re located within easy walking distance to all of the events at CMU.You can find complete information here (including how to register).

Speaker List Nearing Completion

The roster of speakers is nearing completion. We will probably have one, maybe two more added but we already have a solid line-up:
– Martha Casanave
– Jill Enfield
– Jesseca Ferguson
– Jerry Spagnoli
– Keith Taylor
– Ilan Wolff

You can read some of their bios here.

Workshops

We may be expanding our number of workshop days to include Wednesday and Thursday (instead of just the weekend). We’ll be announcing several others over the coming weeks, but so far we have confirmed the following three:
– An Artistic Approach to Digital Negatives with Jill Enfield
– Daguerreotype Workshop with Mike Robinson
– Wet-Plate Collodion

The Schedule

This year promises to be bigger and better than 2007. Don’t miss our opening night festivities which is focused around an open work sharing event—bring your images, gear, cameras, etc. and set it up to share with others. We’ll also have a few choice vendors present as well including our good friends at B&H Photo.

Exhibitions

Several exhibtions are already planned by The Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s gallery at 709 Penn Avenue and Silver Eye Center for Photography. Stay tuned for more information about these exciting events!

Complete, up to the minute, Symposium 2008 information may be found at www.f295.org/symposium2008.

Your thoughts and ideas about the event are welcome. Feel free to email with any suggestions you may have.

All the best,
Tom Persinger

f295 Symposium workshop information

Tom Persinger writes:

If you’ve done all your holiday shopping and are thinking about something for yourself how about one of the many workshops being offered as part of the f295 Symposium on Lensless, Alternative and Adaptive Photographic Processes? The Symposium takes place in Pittsburgh, PA USA 26-29 April 2007.

The workshops that are currently available for registration are filling up quickly. If you’re interested in participating in one (or more) of them I urge you to contact the organization/person listed as the registration contact ASAP.

Complete Symposium information may be found online at www.f295.org/wordpress, but here’s the workshop info:

One Day Daguerreotype Workshop at the Daguerreian Society World Headquarters

Instructor: Mike Robinson

Learn the traditional mercury daguerreotype process in this one day workshop. Mike will first demonstrate the process, then each participant will have the opportunity to create their own daguerreotype. All cameras, equipment and materials will be provided. No prior experience is necessary.

This workshop is limited to 6 students. (ONLY 4 spots remaining!)

Location: The Daguerreian Society, 3043 West Liberty Avenue
Date:Saturday, 28 April 2007
Time: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Cost: $350 Workshop fee plus $50.00 material fee.
Registration: phone: (412) 343-5525 e-mail dagsocpgh@comcast.net

One Day Wet Plate Workshop with CFAAHP

Instructor: The Center for Alternative and Historic Processes

Learn the 19th Century Technique of Wet Plate Collodion in this one day workshop. We will discuss the differences between ambrotypes (glass positives), glass negatives and tintypes (positives on tin). Students will learn ‘hands on’ how to make a wet plate image using a reproduction camera and original brass lens. The history of the process will be covered as well as a brief description of the chemistry used.

All materials (cameras, chemicals and glass/tin) will be supplied. Limited to 10 students. (ONLY 8 spots remaing)

Location: TBA
Date:Saturday, 28 April 2007
Time: TBA
Cost: $250
Registration: patty@cfaahp.org, phone: (917) 406-5638 or check www.cfaahp.org for upcoming details

Gum Printing with Terry King (Gum Rex)

Instructor: Terry King, FRPS

Terry King’s approach gives control of colour and contrast in the gum process comparable to that obtained by the great workers at the time of the Photo Secession. Negatives can be on paper or film from digital or analogue originals. The process can work with both acrylics and watercolour. Rather than the very long exposures used by many people working in gum, exposures using Terry’s process can be as short as a few seconds.

Participants should plan to bring their own large negatives, but there will also be a selection of large negatives on hand for participants to experiment with. Each student will be given a manual to take home.

Location: Pittsburgh Filmmakers
Date: Saturday, 28 April 2007
Time: 10am – 4pm
Cost: $250
Registration: sueabe@pghfilmmakers.org or phone: 412-681-5449 ext. 216

Primitive Photography: Camera and Lens Making

Instructor: Alan Greene

Whether you’ve been considering exploring large-format photography and have been deterred by cost or are a long time large-format photographer looking for ways to expand your craft this workshop is for you! We’ll use optical surplus and materials commonly found in home improvement stores to build a functioning landscape lens and box camera that uses standard, commercially available, 8×10 film holders.

In addition to the steps of construction, basic principles regarding format size and optical image formation will also be discussed. Participants will leave the workshop knowing how to use the skills and knowledge they’ve acquired to arrive at similar camera and lens design configurations for use in other formats (4×5, 5×7, 11×14, 14×17, etc!).

Limited to 12 participants. Sign up early so you don’t miss this great opportunity!

Location: Society for Contemporary Craft
Date: Saturday, 28 April 2007
Time: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Cost: $90 ($80 SCC members) + fee for materials (approx $40)
Registration: thestudio@contemporarycraft.org or phone (412) 261-7003 ext. 25

Pinhole Camera Workshop

Instructor: Tom Persinger

In this exciting, hands-on workshop participants will build their own large format pinhole camera, drill their own pinholes, expose images using paper negatives and develop them in the darkroom. This is an entry level workshop ideal for someone just getting started in lensless photography.

Location: The Mattress Factory
Date:28 April 2007
Time: 10am-4pm (includes lunch)
Cost: $35 ( $30 for MF members)
Registration: education@mattress.org or phone (412) 231- 3169 ext. 212, 213

The Cyanotype Rex

Instructor: Terry King, FRPS

Terry King will give people the opportunity to practice his cyanotype rex process. The method and the chemistry vary both from the standard approach and some new cyanotype processes. The process is fast enough to use in camera. According to the length of exposure, the strength of the toner and the time in the developer and toner, the process gives a wide range of colors and tones from negatives. of different densities.

Participants should plan to bring their own large negatives, but for those who do not have negatives there will be a selection to experiment with. Each student will be given a manual to take home.

More information about the Cyanotype Rex process is available on his website.

Location: Pittsburgh Filmmakers
Date: Sunday, 29 April 2007
Time: 10am – 4pm
Cost: $250
Registration: sueabe@pghfilmmakers.org or phone: 412-681-5449 ext. 216