Demonstration at Fotobond AWB

 

Last weeks I was invited by de FOTOBOND AWB to give a demonstration
about the colldoion process.

They organized a beautiful room equipped with a beamer, live video and plenty of room
to set up my darkroom tent.

During the shoot the camera man filmed the whole process and the audience was able to
follow it life on screen. Just great!

Monique de Zwart, thank you for the invitation

I told the audience about the history of the process, what brought me to wet plate
and we made some plates although the light wasn't optimal.
No studio portraits but an impression how wet plates look like

Some pictures made during the evening..

Pictures were made by Ferry vd Vliet who btw is hosting a great weblog
about Paris http://paris-fvdv.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

Great large format camera support

Recently I bought the Manfrotto 359 lens support as i wanted to give it a try using it as a camera support.

Many of you are using big camera's and are aware of the problems of instability.

Well, the 359 solved my problem.

It's a great tool, not very expensive and easy to carry around.

 

Clicke here for the review

youtube video

 



How to convert a filmholder into a wet plate holder

I got so many requests on how to adjust a filmholder into a wet plate holder
that i made a short movie of it.

It takes about half an hour to do this job.

Just watch the video and start making your own.

 

Use this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlb7DRoSSVI

Sneak preview

 

 

Tomorrow, 23-03-2013, grand opening of the new Unlimited Grain Gallery.

Fine Art Photography

from 16:00 till 20:00 hours.

 

 

 

 

So proud.....

 

Next saturday, march 23 the grand opening of a new fantastic photo gallery

http://www.unlimitedgrain.com/

 

Quote : "The Unlimited Grain Gallery is pleased to announce the start of this gallery, specialised in contemporary fine art photography. The collection of photography is carefully selected from photographers all over the world. Some of them well known, others less, but all creating a very high quality of fine art photography."

 

I am so proud that my work has been selected  as the only Dutch photographer amoung some very

talented photographers from all over the world.

 

 

Unlimited Grain Gallery
Dorpsstraat 30
2912 CB Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel
The Netherlands
Tel: 0031 6 55 362 006

European Collodion weekend 2013

European Collodion Weekend 2013 update

Due to several reasons I had to change the location for the 2013 ECW.
Don't worry. The date is still the same en it's also nearby Veldhoven (4 km).
The second edition of the ECW is going to be held at Camping Volmolen (Riethoven)
About 35-40 wetplaters from all over the world will participate,
so maybe this is going to be worlds biggest gathering of collodion artists.
They will show their wet plate gear, skills on wet plate and 
there will be a digital beamer presentation of their work.

It will be open for public on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th of May 2013
from 11:00 till 17:00 hours.
So if you are interested in this beautiful process,
Riethoven is the place to be.

Alex Timmermans

Beautiful Hermagis 350 mm petzval

So now and then you have those Lucky finds.

Recently I found a Hermagis petzval.  This one actually looks like new although it was made around 1862!
Most of you will know by now that I have weakness for Hermagis.
Not only because of the optical quality of these lenses but also because of the excellent finish and the fantastic engravings.

This lens which LOOKS like an “objectif a Transformation” but actually isn’t.
Normally these lenses were convertible to a landscape lens. Like the one in the picture.
On the bottom of the lens hood you can see a thread which is needed to convert them.

Now have a look at my lens.
You can see the thicker part at the hood, but no thread.  So somehow it was delivered not being able to convert.
In the box (which I assume isn’t original) there is a original set of waterhouse stops
and a small letter addressed to Colonel de Craversay, stamped 1937.
Although the writing is very difficult to read, it contains some information about
this lens like the design, focal length etc.
This combination makes it a very piece of optical history.