I'm Only Happy when it Rains

Music | 6 Underground by Sneaker Pimps

I started a late night print run, wanting to get a nice print to gift to Epson, who has for the 4th year in a row donated ink and paper. This year, I shot 39 portraits over 2 days during the Roosevelt High School Freedom Fighters Event, where the Freshman class prepare, interview, write about and publish their own book about their experiences with the Freedom Fighters, who are championing the causes of Social Justice. A traveling exhibition also accompany the student's efforts. I've got about 3 weeks to print and frame those 39 portraits for display at the reception and then presented to each of the Freedom Fighters who were apart of this years festivities.

This gesture to Epson is to thank them for making my part much more special than just having images on screen. The framed prints as gifts to the participants has become tradition and I feel only more honored to be able to make substance these images to put out into the world.

After more than 5 weeks of inactivity because of major printer issues, I finally got it working proper and was able to make a few positive test runs. Epson is about great printers, colour and black and white. Each year I make a print to give them as a small token of my appreciation. In the past, the framed prints were black and white. Having recently shot with Françoise Weeks, creating quite a few stunning colour images, I had this one in mind. A few last minute test runs and one head clean, a beautiful print rolled out, stamped, signed then framed. I will with great pride hand over this image and feel I gave back something of rare beauty...



As I write about this evening, it clicks in at 1:11 a.m. While cleaning the glass and positioning the print in the mat, I felt a sense of euphoria. While the world sleeps, I'm down in the basement in my work space creating art. I know I am a lucky soul to be able to do what I get to do. I have much to appreciate...

No Negatives in this World...

Music | La Davina by Maria Callas

Last Saturday, early morning and early evening, I got the opportunity to work with the 4x5 Chamonix shooting both film and a new, then discontinued and soon to be revived product from Ilford / Harmon that is a paper that renders positive images direct. You shoot it like chromes, process it like it is a black and white print.

Paul Cunningham offered up some sheets for us to shoot while I was able to get 2 fantastic models, Fayren and Juliana. Françoise Weeks also got in on the collaboration by creating a head piece for the evening shoot.

The weather here has been extremely hot. Besides catching nice light, the 7 a.m. call time was perfect. The temperature lingered in the mid 60's and was very comfortable. The textured wall was a nice contrast to the very soft light we were working thru. Both Paul and I were able to shoot thru a good number of both of the Direct Positive Paper and film sheets while I also shot a few frames of digital.

Though there was another 10 hours to go for the evening shoot, I didn't have the opportunity to process any of the media. Paul did and got some of the paper prints processed, which left me chomping at the bit to get to mine...

The evening shoot was a challenge for me. I couldn't find the angles, it was a bit windy and I felt lost. I shoot digital when I am stuck to hopefully open a door. I got some great images, but didn't feed me for the 4x5. I ended up doing a 180 and went to another direction. Turns out to be a keeper that I am happy with...


Fayren with Françoise Weeks' Orchid Head Piece



Juliana

The Print...

Music | The Gift of Freedom by Charles Webster

This morning, I picked up a print order for one of my clients at the lab. It is a bit out of the way, but I enjoy picking up prints. I remember back when I was a kid, I'd have to wait a week or more to have the local drug store send out the film to a processing lab. Just after paying for my purchase and not even hitting the door to leave, I would have all ready torn into the envelope, careful to not let the negs fall out and start going thru what I had just shot. One... Two..... Three...... Start counting the keepers from the garbage.

I love that anticipation. For that week, you knew you had something to look forward to. And when the day finally arrived, your anticipation level was so high, hence the open envelope almost immediately after touching your fingers... You still had change to receive as you shuffled thru the first few photographs...

Sometimes weeks would go by before you finished shooting off that roll of 24 frames. Almost guaranteed that at least a month or more went by if you got a roll of 36 frames. Suddenly, as you look thru those images in July, you see images of snow and the frigid feeling of winter suddenly comes back to you.

And unlike now, where everything is viewed on a screen, the tactile feeling of a print is so much more emotional. The print changes before your eyes as you tilt it to remove the glare, or move up close to see more detail. That intimacy of physically handling the print is what I love. That feeling will always be with me. I have memories of going thru albums on the living room floor with my family and laughing and giggling about our recent history... I wonder if my kid will have memories of being in front of the computer screen, looking at images when she is older...