Rolling

Music | Birdland by Patti Smith

Since my last hiatus from Facebook, I have been very productive on the backend. Latest project to start and end is the silver tank that can hold 8x10 inch plates. I just finished cementing the pieces together, creating a very nice looking clear tank. I am also going to be working on a 16 inch long tank to store, wash and transport 4x5 inch plates. That one is going to take a lot of time, but I'm happy to have all the parts.

Earlier, I got a nice piece of wood to make a platform to put on the tripod so I can mount the 8x10 inch camera on it. Hence the tank... Hopefully I will be shooting some larger plates by the end of March


Pieces for the 8x10 silver nitrate tank
I'm hoping later this week to cut some wood pieces for the external box for the 8x10 tank.

Continued...

Music | Umi Says by Mos Def



Admiring the view at a café...

On Being Current...

Music | The Wall by Pink Floyd

It has been an excellent end of last week, beginning of this week run of getting things done. The big push is regarding a major revision of the website. I've still some small tweaks to take care of, but the galleries are up. This is a long time coming as the last time the site has been updated was over 7 years.

I'm so happy to finally have Wet Plate Collodion being represented of me on my own site.


Mishima Photography

Photo Excursion

Music | On the Radio by Regina Spektor

I remember back in college, I took my first photography course. We would receive our weekly assignments and often, our subjects would be out and about on walks, rides on the subway, anywhere. It was great, those times where like real photographers, we would always have our cameras with us, just in case the shot presented itself.

I got up late this morning, but saw the beginnings of a great day. I decided to get out on my bike with the intention of stopping where ever I decided I wanted to shoot. The ride was only 6 miles long, but I wes gone for almost 2 hours. My destination was just on the other side of the St. Johns Bridge where my daughter and I noticed a path with stairs leading up to adventure. We never journeyed up it because we'd always be in the car, passing it by. With no parking nearby, we never got our chance to see what was up there...

Today I rode there, on the way graabbing shots of this and that. Challenges always bring out good things, no matter if you achieve them or not, so long as you did you best to accomplish them. Out of shape, the climb over the bridge was going to get me, but I made it. Going beyond and reaching the stairs, I was really wiped out, but had to carry the bike up. I was presented with a unique view of the bridge, that I happily took after I recovered from achy knees, short of breath...


View of the St. Johns Bridge from a place few people get to see


Magenta


From atop of the St. Johns Bridge


Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge 5.1, a view on the way home...

Hiatus

Music | Gold by Lamb

I guess it is time to take a hiatus from Facebook again. I did it for the month of November last year and in just 2.5 months, I'm ready to do it again. Besides the time suck it is, communication between people is set up where there is too much vagueness that leaves way too much room to let the imagination go. This just happened to me this evening and I'm starting to think the worse about the situation.

I wonder how it became that so many people get sucked into devices and become a part of our every day lives. Social media as it is can be a great tool, but then something happens and it sort of takes over. Then since so many people are involved, close friends, acquaintances, colleagues, down to the person on the other side of the world who we know nothing of, but has some interesting things to say that we listen too, drama just waits in the corner coming out every once and awhile to stir havoc.

Not sure how long this one will last, but yeah... It is time again.

SEAF

Music | Sugar Cane by Missy Higgans

I've been meaning to submit some of my work to the Seattle Erotic Art Festival for years. Finally, this is the year. Just paid the submission fee and now I have to pick up to 5 images. Very excited!

2013 Portland Freedom Fighters

Music | When Doves Cry by Prince

15 portraits shot over a period of 2 days for the Portland Freedom Fighters exhibition which opens next week. I printed the photos today, matting and framing takes place tomorrow. I'm pretty proud of this project because it existence was born out of a conversation over the phone with the project coordinator. Initially, she wanted me to photograph the Freedom Fighters during an event where they would be interviewed by various students. I knew there were other photographers were going to be there to cover that angle, so I suggested doing the formal portraits instead.

Because this entire project is based off a more grass roots level, funding was going to be an issue. In order for these photographs to be shown, I really wanted professional prints made and that they would be matted and framed. Epson managed to come thru and donated all the paper and ink in order for me to be able to print the images myself. Roosevelt High School, where the students attend came thru for the frames and mats.

Visions of Olivia...

Music | Lets Stay Together by Al Green



Spent the late morning, early afternoon with Olivia.

Au Revoir, Mon Amour

Music |

I should never say never, but it appears I have shot my last sheet of Polaroid Type 55 the other day. My good friend Tom Moratto recently found a partial box of the gold. He sold his 4x5 gear years ago, so offered me what he had left. Polaroid Type 55 was a very interesting film in that with one exposure, it gave both a positive print and a negative film at the same time. For optimum results, you usually had to expose for one or the other, but still, a fabulous combo within a product. I really believe it is one of the reasons I love Wet Plates so much. The immediacy, the imperfections and especially the borders, which I always left on for my prints.

There really is no reason not to shoot it as over time, it will go bad. My first few images I shot months ago were interesting, but for whatever reason, I only shot one or 2 exposures per sitting. The other day, I pulled out type 55 out of the drawer to shoot Aimée. It is harder this time to stop shooting, especially when the first exposure is nailed and you know it 30 seconds later. One after the other, seeing the print moments later fed us with excitement and 6 sheets later, it was gone...