Eye Thought

Teaching A Wet Plate Collodion Course

carlradford — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:40:40 +0000

Due to Kerik Kouklis requiring brain surgery on the 9th July I found myself stepping into some rather large shoes and teaching the wet plate collodion course that he was scheduled to do. It was somewhat hollow in the run up as I was talking to Kerik regularly, trying to support him from a distance, for what was a very unsettling period. Kerik and I are very close, at least I like to think so, a relationship that has grown over a number of years and visits. However, the course did go ahead as Kerik wished and I stepped into the breach.

On the course were Mari-zu Okereke, Deborah Parkin, Andrew Sanderson and Kostas Theofanidis. I had been following Deborah’s photography for a while prior to knowing she was coming on the course and so was excited as I knew that she had the eye to make this process work for her. What can I say about Andrew Sanderson – I have been inspired by him for many years after reading his book Home Photography whilst on a John Blakemore workshop at Inversnaid Photography Centre. Andrew’s ability to see images in everyday surroundings that many would just dismiss as being mundane. How could I teach Andrew – a little extra exposure as it were to teaching a teacher and for me an inspiration. I did not know Mari-zu or Kostas prior to the course or their backgrounds. I felt honoured that two of the students had important birthdays on the Friday and Saturday and that they had chosen to spend these with us. John Brewer stayed with us over the course and was able to add his experience and insight as we went along.

We had a social gathering on Friday evening and talked photography and life in general followed by watching Sally Mann’s All That Remains dvd. The weather wasn’t brilliant on Saturday and so I briefly covered the history, a little theory and demonstrated the process from start to finish. Then, despite the weather, the students were paired up and sent on their way. I firmly believe that repetition is the best way to learn this process – the act of flowing, sensitising exposing and developing and varnishing as many plates as possible in the time we had. Very quickly the students grasped the techniques required to make good clean plates and their were some great portraits made as people posed for each other.

During Saturday evening we had the bizarre experience of talking to Kerik a few hours after his operation and everyone was able to say a quick hello and be amazed that Kerik was so lucid despite the extensive surgery. He approved as we showed him some of the plates that had been made during the day.

Sunday the weather was a little better and so plates were made all day until the heavens suddenly opened at around 5pm and plates had to abandoned in the silver etc as we rushed to protect cameras and lens etc. Rain stopped play but we were just about done anyway. The last few plates were varnished and before I knew what was going on the course had finished. Everyone left feeling they were able to make plates when they had procured the final pieces of kit to allow them to make plates for themselves.

For me it was a great experience – knowing that you have given people the skills to start work in wet plate collodion. My jaw held up for the most part although I struggled a little by the end of Saturday as I had been talking most of the day. Sadly I was in bed for around 10:30pm both days but those that stayed with us burnt the midnight oil socialising and being entertained by John Brewer’s extensive knowledge of some of the more humorous clips on youtube. We were also very lucky to be able to view an extensive portfolio of Andrew’s images as he followed the wet plate course by teaching paper negatives. His craft is something that needs to be seen and I have always been surprised that he does not have the profile I feel he deserves and no doubt would have in any country that truly appreciates photography as the art it can be.

Mari-zu

Frederick Scott Archer Gets Ceremony 157 Years After His Death

carlradford — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:23:42 +0000

In March 1851, Frederick Scott Archer described an application of salted Collodion on sheets of glass for the purpose of making glass plate negatives. Archer detailed a process where potassium iodide was combined with a solution of diluted Collodion (diluted with alcohol and ether), applied to a glass plate, which was then immersed in a silver nitrate bath resulting in a light-sensitive layer of silver iodide. Unlike the handful of processes before Collodion, Archer did not patent the process, and received nothing from photographers using it. He gave it to the world and asked for nothing in return. He died on May 1, 1857, a few years after its invention. He was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in an unmarked grave.

At the end of 2008, a group of artists, called, The Collodion Collective, started working together on a plan to both honor Frederick Scott Archer and to put a headstone on his grave.

The collective created a “World Wet Plate Collodion Day”. They invited Collodion artists from all over the world to make plates on May 2, 2009. The response was tremendous—51 artists from 13 countries and three continents participated in the event. They created 82 Wet Plate Collodion images on that day. These images were compiled and published in a book called World Wet Plate Collodion Day 2009. The collective sold the book and solicited donations to raise for Archer’s headstone and the ceremony.

Along with the book, the collective put together an exhibition of Collodion work for the Dissenters’ Gallery. This work is from a select group of the artists that participated in World Wet Plate Collodion Day 2009.

The book is available online until May 8, 2010 at www.blurb.com

On Saturday, May 1, 2010, at 10 am the Collodion Collective will gather at Kensal Green Cemetery in London, England, to celebrate the life and contributions of Frederick Scott Archer. They will unveil a headstone for Archer, open an exhibition of Collodion work in honor of Archer and demonstrate the Wet Plate Collodion process that Frederick Scott Archer invented.

The headstone, ceremony, and exhibition were paid for by selling, “The World Wet Plate Collodion Day” book and through private donations. The Collodion images that will be exhibited in the Dissenter’s Gallery will also be auctioned and the proceeds will go toward the event. There are 51 artists from 13 countries and three continents represented in the book. They all used Archer’s process to make art for “Wet Plate Collodion Day”, May 2, 2009 (www.wetplateday.org).

The ceremony will consist of a brief speech about Archer’s life and contributions to photography, an unveiling of the headstone on his grave, and a live Wet Plate Collodion demonstration. In addition to this, the exhibition in the Dissenters’ Gallery will feature 22 Collodion artists – some of the best from the book.

For more information about attending, please contact Quinn Jacobson (wetplate@gmail.com) or Carl Radford (carl@carls-gallery.co.uk).

Kensal Green Cemetery

Harrow Road

London W10 4RA, UK

Tel. +44 (0) 7904 495012

www.kensalgreen.co.uk

The above information has been adapted from the official information and press release about this event that was primarily written by Quinn Jacobson.

The iPhone and Hipstamatic Application!

carlradford — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:07:22 +0000

It has been far too long for this post to make it to the blog. 2010 sees me wanting to make more images and I have given myself the task of making one a day in a bid to keep the eye alive and the juices following. I’d like to do this on film all the time but knew that would be very difficult to sustain. Funny then that a friend drew my attention to the Hipstamatic Application for the iPhone. It is just quick and fun to use and the results can be very pleasing. I have even managed to make some nice prints – albeit small 5x5inch ones – that have gone down well with those that have been framed!

Named and Shamed :) The Person Responsible…

carlradford — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:53:38 +0000

Last weekend saw an ever welcome visit from our friends Wendy & Geoff Camber from Gloucester. We lived in the Gloucester area from 1995 – 2002 and it was during this time that I met Geoff a founder member of the Cotswold Monochrome Group. It was this fortuitous meeting that led me to the darkroom – Geoff’s where he was gracious enough to start me on my first serious steps in photography – I am not the first person that owes Geoff a debt of gratitude and I know of others that he has nurtured. It was a great honour that I was asked to give a talk and demonstration on platinum and palladium printing to the Group in 2008. I could not let the visit pass without attempting to make wet plate portraits of them both even though the u/v had already left for the winter.

Geoff Camber

Wendy Camber

A Return to the Farm

carlradford — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:20:38 +0000

I have made a series of images at a farm which was just behind our old house near Glasgow. We used to walk our labrador Bracken up the road behind our house that bisected the farm fields. In fact, our old house was built on old farm land that had been sold a few years previously. John used to live in the farm house and as his dogs and geese alerted him to someone being outside he would often be at the farm gate as we returned – just for a chat. Soon we were spending more time in the farm having a cuppa than walking the dog and over time I became very close to John. Unfortunately John died in June 2004, I was devastated! The farm was always a two person operation and John was helped by his son Robert although Robert would say this statement is a little back to front! I had got on well with Robert but we didn’t have the same relationship as I had with John but this has changed overtime. Robert has asked to use an image I had made of John to be displayed at the entrance to the church for the funeral – my greatest photographic honour! I stopped making so many images at the farm for a long while and we had moved about 5 miles away at the end of 2004. I still saw Robert occasionally for a chat and a cuppa. Towards the end of this year i retuned to the farm to start a series on wet plate with a view to showing the body of work in the future. The farm is no longer working as such although six cattle remain as do the dogs, cats and geese. What I wanted to show was the farm and also little farm histories from some of the implements etc that remain. What follows are some of these images. All are Glass Plate Ambrotypes – positive images made on glass.

Kerik Returns to Scotland in 2010

carlradford — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:19:18 +0000

Well Kerik is returning to Scotland in 2010. Around his holiday he will teach two workshops a wet plate collodion course on 10-11 July and a digital negatives (QTR) with plt/pd printing on 13-14 July. Kerik is one of the foremost contemporary practitioners of both these process and also combines the two with great results – see some examples here. As of today the digital negative and plt/pd printing course is nearly sold out and there are only 3 spaces on the wet plate course remaining. There are a couple of things to tie up first before exact costs etc are announced but if you are interested contact Kerik direct from his website. Both courses will be held just outside of Glasgow.

Gum Bichromate Over Platinium Print From Wet Plate Collodion Image.

The Opening of World Exhibition.

carlradford — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:54:02 +0000

Last night was the opening of the World Exhibition by 13 Scottish Photographers at the Lillie Gallery in Glasgow. Whilst I have been part of a five person exhibition before it was with fellow members of a camera club an in a small venue. This was my first in a formal gallery and alongside some very respected professional photographers and in a way I felt a little in awe of the whole prospect. I needn’t have been and was overwhelmed by the positive feedback and encouragement I received as well as support from my friends that came to support me. The opening lasted for two hours and my jaw had had enough after about the first 30 mins – I have never really experienced the feeling of knowing that people were waiting in the wings for their chance to talk to me – very humbling.! I am indebted to Sandy Sharp for inviting me to be part of the exhibition. I would also like to acknowledge Quinn Jacobson, Kerik Kouklis and Timothy Soar whose support and encouragement have enabled me to come this far.

Scottish Photographers

carlradford — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:02:41 +0000

It has been a bit of a struggle of late due to having tmj disorder, and to be honest I have made few plates, I just have not felt up to it. However, Keith agreed to sit for me as part of a series I am doing on members of Scottish Photographers a group of individuals that show and discuss images as opposed to cameras lenses and printers! We made an alumitype – a tintype image but made on black trophy aluminium – tin being a tad expensive these days.

Tonight is the opening of Worlds – an exhibition by 13 Scottish Photographers at the Lillie Gallery in Glasgow. A Blurb book, also called World funnily enough, has been made as part of this exhibition but it only shows one image and the bio of each photographer.