Tintypes, Ambrotypes - Wet Plate Photography

Photonola

2009-12-13T07:54:00.000-08:00

I had to be in New Orleans for work, so I managed to squeeze in a visit to Matthew White's exhibit at the Port of New Orleans office, then the Photonola party at the City Park museum.
At the party, I won a gorillapod light in the raffle, and I got to meet another wet plate photographer that I've only talked with via internet.
The official opening for the alt photo exhibit at Homespace in New Orleans was yesterday, but I was unable to make it. My wife is undergoing rehab for Guillian-Barre Syndrome, so I've got to stay close to home. My 4 tintypes are hanging with images by Sally Mann, Jerry Spagnoli, Deborah Luster and Josephine Sacabo, and several others.
Click here to see more on the exhibit.

Demo at PhotoNola

2009-12-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

Saturday, I went to New Orleans to demonstrate the "black art" of wet plate photography as part of the photography event Photonola. The demo was at the Homespace Gallery on St. Roch St. where Richard McCabe of the Ogden Museum has curated a show of the work from practitioners of alternative photography.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Claude Levet, one of the best wet plate photographers who ever donned a darkcloth, was in attendance.

Below are some pictures I made at the demo. The sitters were positioned in the same location, but the photos at the bottom had a black cloth covering the window. I prefer the ones at the top. The solarization of the bright exterior light is a nice unusual touch. I used 2 continuous light banks with 5500K bulbs to get the required amount of UV.

Chris Williams of New Orleans sent me these images from the demo. I really like the one of the image on the ground glass.

Can you give the fiddler a dram, please?

2009-10-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

My wife Loretta made a pastel portrait of me from a photograph made between takes on a movie set earlier this year in the production of "Jonah Hex." This is one of her finest, even though it's of me.

Loretta is going through a tough time right now from the effects of chemotherapy, but hopefully she will be back at the easel soon.

In the movie scene, Cookie, a banjo player and me are serenading a Union officer just before Jonah (Josh Brolin) surrenders. Whether we're in the final cut remains to be seen, but if I am you will hear me in the theater. The movie is supposed to be out in June 2010. The heavy metal group "Mastodon" is doing the musical score.

Dream of the Marionettes

2009-10-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

I recently photographed a theater group that will be performing a musical at Cites des Arts in Lafayette. It was a wonderful afternoon and what really made it enjoyable was the collaboration and ideas that originated from the group.

Christy Leichy and Johanna Divine (in the 2nd image below) wrote "Dream of the Marionettes" and it promises to be a real romp of the burlesque genre. Go to this site to see more about the production: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dream-of-the-Marionettes/155555594663

Here are the tintypes I made of them.

Latest work

2009-10-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

I'm back on the circuit. Here's a 5x7 tintype I made at the Rural Life Museum on Sept. 26 during Harvest Days and the reenactment. The building is an old jail from North Louisiana. The scalawags in the picture were resting on the steps during a foraging expedition.

Last Sunday, I was at the Sugar Fest in Port Allen but I only got to make 2 images before the rain shut things down.

Saturday, I photographed the beautiful cast members of "Dream of the Marionettes," a musical being produced in Lafayette. I've never had so many attractive women cavorting in their skivvies in my backyard. I'll post those images soon. The production has a facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Dream-of-the-Marionettes/155555594663?ref=share

Another wet plate blog

2009-09-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

Indra, a northern European photographer, has started a blog on her wet plate adventure. It's interesting to see a perspective from across the pond.
Here's the site: http://contrastique.wordpress.com/

I'll post the link permanently too.

Respite and recuperation

2009-09-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

I have developed sensitivity to ether, one of the main components of the wet-plate process. It causes me to have a condition similar to bronchitis. Because I've always had asthma, I suppose I should have been more cautious with the chemicals, but they didn't cause any problems until this spring.
I've developed some safeguards to deal with the problem, but right now I need to stay away from the chemicals and get back to life without making images. That means I've had to back out of an event in Ohio this weekend.
I don't know if I will be able to resume this method of photography, although there are other processes I could learn.

Visitors from Florida

2009-07-13T14:19:00.001-07:00

We had visitors recently from Florida, my wife's father, Rudy, and his companion, Linda.
While they were here, I got them to sit still for a few seconds to make their portraits. Rudy was determined to prove he could maintain a smile for the 6-second exposure under the UV lights. He did a good job, and Linda made one of the best portraits I've done with artificial lighting.
I used the lights again the night of July 10 at the Baton Rouge Art Melt. Unfortunately, I didn't get any copies of the pictures before they were placed in the hands of the subjects.

Fleur des Tease, finally

2009-06-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

I finally got caught up on P-shop work, so here are my efforts from the shoot with Fleur des Tease from New Orleans. These charming young ladies were a true joy to work with.

The image above is my take on the Japanese woodblock print "Man's Fantasy."

Bicycle getaway.

Back from storm country

2009-06-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

We finally got home after a stormy week and a half on the road. No matter where we were (Missouri, Texas and Mississippi) we got hit by bad weather. Below is a pic from the storm Sunday morning at Brice's Crossroads in Mississippi. The roof on one sutler's tent was knocked down. Tornado warnings were constant.

Shortly after this, we packed up and headed home. I made some nice pictures at Brice's but it was too late in the day to make digital copies.

While in Missouri, where we also had tornado warnings in the Kansas City area, I made some good images that are posted below. I have more, but I haven't had time to finish working on them. I also have images from my session with the girls from Fleur de Tease but again, I've not had time to get to them. Stay tuned.

My next gig

2009-05-22T08:12:00.001-07:00

OK, so I'm over the movie thing now. It was fun, and I'd like to do it again but now I gotta get back to work. I tentatively have a shoot next weekend with some young ladies who will be in Lafayette for a performance Saturday downtown at Sadie's nightclub as a part of the Geronimo Festival. Here's their website:

http://www.fleurdetease.com/Fleur_de_Tease/Home.html

My cinematic debut

2009-05-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

I got a part in a movie being filmed in New Orleans. It's based on the Civil War comic book character "Jonah Hex" and it stars John Malkovich and Josh Brolin. In the scene, I played fiddle and Cookie Reaux played banjo and our tune was "Rosin the Bow." We provided music while a Union officer is eating supper and his meal is interrupted by Jonah.

The makeup artist told me she wouldn't remove the silver nitrate stains on my hands because they added to my down and dirty look, but I quickly told her the stains are the result of my wet-plate photography and takes several days to wear off.

Above are a couple of fotos of Cookie and me between takes outside the tent where the scene was filmed.

I've been on movie sets before but never at a soundstage. The amount of personnel and equipment was amazing, and the investment being made in this Warner Bros. picture will be in the tens of millions, most spent in New Orleans.

POST SCRIPT FROM LIBERTY EVENT

2009-05-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Whilst driving through Zachary, La., on my way home I got stopped by 2 police cruisers. I had no tail lights on my camper and utility trailer because a fuse had burned out. Many thanks to them for stopping me to alert me about this, AND for just giving me a warning. I bought a new fuse at a truck stop and proceeded home, arriving at 10:30, the end of a long day.

Liberty, Miss., Bicentennial Soiree

2009-05-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Folks in Liberty, Miss., know how to throw a bicentennial birthday bash. Saturday was my first visit to this charming little town, and it won't be my last. Many thanks to the Amite County Historical Society for being so hospitable.
Many of the people were decked out for the 200th birthday, and they stopped by to have their images struck. Here are some of them:

Jackson fotos

2009-04-28T18:35:00.001-07:00

Here are are few images I struck during last weekend's reenactment at Jackson, La. The weather was perfect, a little warm but windy, and cool at night.
This Saturday, I'll be at the bicentennial celebration in Liberty, Miss., making more tintypes and ambrotypes.

This weekend: Jackson, La., reenactment

2009-04-21T12:57:00.001-07:00

This weekend, I'll be at the Jackson Crossroads reenactment, Friday through Sunday, at Jackson, La., near St. Francisville.
Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the Balfa camp at Chicot State Park this past weekend. Blame it on the weather.

Nudes in New Orleans

2009-04-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite photographers was E.J. Belloqc, who photographed the women in the brothels of Storyville in New Orleans. His persona was depicted in the movie "Pretty Baby" made in the early 1970s. In that spirit, I made the following images recently with the help of a talented model, Zoya.

Images from Port Hudson, La., reenactment

2009-03-30T18:16:00.001-07:00

Here are a few images I took at Port Hudson this past weekend. Thankfully, the rains stopped early Saturday morning, but it was still quite muddy. The weather was spectacular. What did put a damper on the event was talk that state budget cuts might prevent the reenactment from being held in subsequent years. That would be a shame.

Torturing a Yankee prisoner

Steve from the Washington Artillery

Deputy provost marshals with a miscreant

Photographer Deborah Wood. Check out her website at www.DeborahWood.org

I have 2 images selected for a juried show

2009-03-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

This made my month. Two images I took during a sojourn to New Mexico have been chosen by art critic Eleanor Heartney for the 2009 Southern Open art exhibit at the Lafayette, La., Center for the Arts. The show opens May 9.

Shown are the two submissions that were accepted. Both of these images were taken at two different mission ruins near Mountainair, N.M.

This picture above was made at the Abo ruins one cold afternoon in December. I liked the interplay between the shadows of the beams and the fence posts. This was made with a 148-year-old lens and only a small portion is in focus.

The image above was made the next morning at the Quarai mission ruins. My wife is standing in the doorway. To make a ghost-like image, I had her walk out of the picture after 2 seconds of a 4-second exposure. The lens really helped make this picture, creating a swirl effect of the masonry work in the upper left corner.

Marble bas relief at LSU Rural Life Museum

2009-03-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to photograph this small marble carving on the brickworks under the large bell at the Rural Life Museum, but I never had the time. At last weekend's Ione Burden Symposiu, I set up right by the bell, so I was able to make an image. This is on a 5"x7" glass plate.

LSU Rural Life Museum Symposium

2009-03-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

This is a tintype I made of the gathering Sunday for the Ione Burden Symposium at the LSU Rural Life Museum. It was a wonderful day with great presentations on the history of media in the state. I had to follow Advocate cartoonist David Norwood, and he had the audience laughing at his cartoons through the decades.

I hope to attend the Springfield, La., reenactment this coming weekend. I'll probably just be there for Sunday.

John at DeRidder, La., reenactment

2009-03-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

This is a little late, but it's an image I made Feb. 22, the weekend before Mardi Gras, at the re-enactment at DeRidder. Saturday was breezy, rainy and chilly, but the skies cleared for Sunday and temps were in the low 60s.

2009-03-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

David, Killer and Rusty at Battle of Bogalusa, La., in Cassidy Park

This was taken March 1, using my new Dallmeyer lens. I was at the Bogalusa re-enactment for Sunday only, so I missed a big rainstorm Saturday. It was quite chilly, in the 30s, until the sun came out just before lunch. I didn't strike many images because folks seemed to be pre-occupied just staying warm and getting ready to bug out after the battle. Some participants from Mississippi left early out of concern that they wouldn't be able to travel north on icy roads. This event was even bigger than last year's, with double the number of troops. The Bogalusa Chamber of Commerce is considering the event for the 2nd weekend of May.

My next event is a demonstration March 7 at the LSU Rural Life Museum during the Ione Burden Symposium: http://appl027.lsu.edu/rlm/rurallifeweb.nsf/$Content/Symposium?OpenDocument. I may be going to the Civil War re-enactment at Springfield, La., on March 14-15. For sure, I'll be at the Port Hudson re-enactment, March 27-29.

Pete and Robyn

2009-02-06T06:07:00.000-08:00

This is Pete and Robyn, an Australian couple we met in Big Bend National Park a day or 2 after Christmas. While chatting in Cottonwood Campground, we invited them to stop in Lafayette while they head east on their 6-month vacation in the U.S.

While they were here for a few days, they joined us at Kristine and Gerard's house and we made this image on the front porch just as the sun was going down on the same day that we took the tintypes of Gerard in the previous post. Pete is wearing a traditional Australian outfit. JUST KIDDING. He borrowed Gerard's fez hat and embroidered coat for an exotic effect.

We took Pete and Robyn to the Blue Moon in Lafayette, Cafe des Amis and Coffee Break in Breaux Bridge. It was a wonderful weekend.

Gerard Dole of Paris

2009-01-22T17:53:00.000-08:00

Gerard Dole is an author and Cajun musician who has been coming to Louisiana for several decades now. He also is a collector of tintypes, ambrotypes and daguerrotypes. He called me after seeing my photos on display at the Coffee Break in Breaux Bridge. While visiting him and his companion, Christine, at their home on Potato Shed Road, I photographed him with his accordions and fiddles.
I hope Gerrard returns to Louisiana soon, so we can make some more pictures and play music.

You can see and read, see and hear more about him at his website: http://gerarddole.free.fr/

Get in gear!

2009-01-22T17:48:00.000-08:00

This is a huge gear, about 10 feet in diameter, from an old sugar mill. I photographed it at the LSU Rural Life Museum in Baton Rouge. The museum director, David Floyd, told me this pile of gears would be re-assembled onsite to make a replica of a working sugar mill.
Exposure on a 7x9.5 inch aluminum plate was f/11 at 10 seconds with a 180mm lens.

WELCOME to the world of wet-plate photography

2009-01-19T05:57:00.000-08:00

So...here's my first entry.

I often ask myself: why do I live in this 3rd world country called Louisiana? It's flat, miserably hot and humid for several months, and then there's several social aspects that are the subject of national scorn and ridicule. But weekends like the past 2 come around, and I'm reminded of the reasons why I've stayed here for more than 35 years.

Barry and Caroline Ancelet hold their annual pre-Mardi Gras party every January. It is a wonderful event that I look forward to every year. You never know who will show up from around the world. Everyone brings a covered dish and a bottle of wine. Barry and his crew roast a pig. As the sun goes down, fiddles, guitars and accordions rise and Cajun music fills the house.

Here are a few images I made in late afternoon on the side of their house. Let me know what you think.

Caroline and Barry Ancelet.

Katie and Francois Ancelet with hog's head

Louie Ancelet and Anna Laura Edmiston

Jean and Mindy Ancelet

The Ancelet Family

David Greeley of the Mamou Playboys with his new fiddle

D.L. Menard, singer and writer of one of the best Cajun songs ever, "The Back Door."