How does a petzval lens looks like?

Every  now and then I receive questions about petzval lenses.
How does a petzval lens looks like, how the glass should be mounted, etc.

So I made this short video which shows you the inside of a petzval lens
and how the glass parts should be mounted.

 

For video click HERE

 

 

 

This is a new Video made by Patrice Lesueur. 

He acompannied me in the past few months during several wet plate shoots.

It gives you an insight how this process works behind the scenes.

 

Click here for : Escape to nature

 

 

 

 

The making of " Icarus....."

Idea's can pop up in my mind but stay there for months.

This was one of those.
I made this picture in my mind already a dozen times before and now it is ready
it's not exactly what I was expecting.

It's not a bad plate but still not exactly what I am looking for.

Actually this plate got by far the most likes and has been shared hundreds of times.
So in the coming weeks I will have a remake of this one.

Thanks to Patrice for the digital files!

26x26cm Tintype

Hermagis 12"f 4.5 petzval

Exposure time was 20 seconds.

"The Image Maker...."

As usual I already had this picture circling in my mind for months.
First I planned to make it inside a library or so but then realized that it would fit much better in the series when made outside again.
The risk is always the weather but yesterday the weather gods were with us.
Cloudy but bright. So perfect weather to make a wet plate.

Again Johan Verhulst was hosting this shoot with his beautiful garden
but he was also the model.
Normally he’s behind the camera so this were his first modeling steps....
While making  the first plate I pulled out the slide of the holder while the cap wasn’t on the lens.
So don’t know the exact exposure time but it came our surprisingly well.

We made some minor changes on the set up and made 3 other plates.
As always the last one was the best it and it turned out to be the fastest shoot I ever did.
Plate was made within 2 hours!

As Ferry wasn't the model this time he was able to make some pictures of the shoot itself.

26x26cm black glass ambrotype
exposure time 6 seconds
Dallmeyer 3a at f4

Jimmy Nelson

Today I had the honor to "shoot" Jimmy Nelson.

Jimmy is an extremely passionate photographer who has been working
on his giant project for more than 5 years.

Of that project his book "Before they pass away" is published.
A book is filled with extremely beautiful pictures of tribes living all over the world.
Most of his work is made with analogue photography.
A must have for every photo book lover.

If you ever have the chance visiting one of his performances, go for it.
In my whole life I haven't met anyone before talking about photography
with so much enthusiasm than Jimmy Nelson.

Just watch this video which is all about his project: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi_Dri5xDkk

Specials thanks to Ferry vd Vliet for assisting me and the digital pictures
and to Oogenlust for hosting their facilities.

The easiest "lens cap" to make

Recently I bought a very nice, in it's original case, Dallmeyer 8x 10" rapid rectilinear.
The lens in is extremely good shape including it's original set of waterhouse stops.
Matching serial numbers on lens and stops. Lens was made back in 1891.

So far a nice find but it was holding a great simple lens cap alternative.
As most of us are using these lenses and mostly petzval lenses wide open we never use the

waterhouse stops but we do need a lens cap.
What about using the waterhouse slot to close the lens???
In the leather case holder the water house stops there was also a thin black piece of plastic.

That piece of plastic just fits perfect in the waterhouse slot.
Est voila, you just don't need a lens cap anymore!
Why haven't thought about that idea before. So all credits go to it's previous owner, Henk Peters.

Sometimes life can be so simple......

If you still need to make a lens cap, then just have a look over here:

http://collodion-art.blogspot.nl/search?q=+lens+cap

Collodion portraits on wall paper....

Maybe some of you remember the shoot I did at Studio JOB.

More info on the shoot itself : http://collodion-art.blogspot.nl/2014/02/schoot-at-studio-job.html

Job and Nynke asked me to make them some portraits on wet plate.

These portraits were going to be used for their worldwide pr campaign.

Well, those portraits have been used on ... wall paper
For NLXL, a manufacturer of very exclusive wall papers, Studio JOB made some great designs.

On the outside of the sleeves covering the wall paper two of the portraits I made were used.

website of NLXL : http://www.nlxl.com/



The "bastard" way of cutting 4x5" tintypes....

As I don't have a large cutter and needed some 4x5" tintypes I had to cut them down with a
..... Festo saw.
To my surprise it went rather good.
Not as good as with a professional metal cutter, but I am able to use them for a test.
At least this is much safer than using a Stanley knife.

So next plates are going to be rather small...

I need those small plates for a review of Ty Guillory's new wet plate holder.

So stay tuned...

 

 

VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdqhDiyt26o&feature=youtu.be

"Poetry in motion"

After weeks of work, work and more work I finally had a day off.
Weather forecast was good, so we (Ferry, Patrice and Lisa) packed everything
and went out for a shoot.

Chemistry worked well and we managed to make some very nice plates.
Another picture of my daughter  I am extremely happy with.

Actually, I made 2 versions. Don't know yet which one I prefer.
Thank you Patrice for all the work on my video and ferry as being an assistant this time
and as being  the maker of the enclosed digital pictures

26,5 x 26,5 cm Black glass ambrotype.

12" hermagis petzval

300mm at f4

Exposure time 3 seconds

2014 European Collodion Weekend May 4th

Just one more week to go to the next edition of the European Collodion Weekend ECW
at Riethoven The Netherlands.
Are you interested to see about 50 wet plate photographers showing their wet plate skills and work? Just give us a visit at May 4th 2014 starting at 11:00.
Also some international wet plate camera builders will show their fantastic hand made camera's.
free entrance and free parking!

Camping Volmolen
Volmolen 1
5561VH
Riethoven

PLEASE SHARE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. thanks.

Alex Timmermans.

 

 

My next exhibition at Do's interiors

 

The opening of my next exhibition will be on coming Saturday and Sunday
at 13:00 hours at DO's interiors in Eindhoven.
They are celebrating their 12,5 year jubilee. see: http://www.do-s.nl/

 Interested to see some of my new work?
Just hop in and have a glass of "bubbles"....

Many thanks to Anke and Ton  for offering me this opportunity!!

 

 

 

 

European Collodion Weekend ECW 2014

Dear wet platers, 

It’s official now!

The next European collodion Weekend ECW  will take place during the weekend of May 3-4

For now we have about 50 participants which also will be about the max.

I want it to be a gathering, not a festival….;)

Also this year wet platers coming from all over the World.
So maybe next year we will have to name it WCW?
The goal is to learn from each other, show gear and skills and just having fun.

May 3th will be exclusive for the participants.

On Sunday May 4th the event is open for public.
Free access.
So mark your agendas, May 4th 2014!!

Many thanks to Jan Dijkshoorn of Burogram for the design of the 2014 poster

Shoot at "Studio Job"

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the owners of Studio Job, Nynke Tynagel and Job Smeets.

Two top designers who's work is extremely creative.
Their work is in collections of several international museums all over the world.

They were looking for some new portraits for their pr request for 2014
After they saw the plate I made of Erwin Olaf they wanted to have something similar.

As you already know, to do this on location takes a lot of preparation and time.
It's my worst nightmare arriving on location and than realize that you have forgotten something to take with you.
But everything went just fine. Actually, every worked just perfect.
I was invited to use their studio, which was huge!  Would love to have such a place myself.

They were very patient and cooperative and really loved to see the whole process.

And, they were extremely happy with the final result.

  

Black Glass ambrotype
18x24 cm
exposure time 5 seconds

Black Glass ambrotype
18x24 cm
exposure time 5 seconds

"Christian"

At the end of todays shooting  I was able to make a "cuicky".
All kinds of trouble.... First plate was ready for use, but it turned out to be too wide so it didn't fit in the plate holder. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh.

So quickly cut a new one, cleaned it (to fast) and made this plate.
So not the cleanest plate I made but I somehow like it...

18x24cm black glass ambrotype
Dallmeyer 3a wide open f4
Exposure time 5 seconds

"To the end of nowhere...."

After nearly 5 months (times travels fast) I finally had the time to shoot outside again.
What a joy!!!

We first planned to make a other plate but unfortunately the item I needed for that plate
wasn't ready yet.
So that one will be the next plate for sure.

 

As the weather forecast was so good we just couldn't resist to "play" outside again.
Sun/cloudy and around 10 degrees Celsius. This time we packed two cars! and headed
to an old railway station not so far form my place.

As usual we met some very nice people and the owner of the old train way station even invited us
for a cup of coffee during the shoot. Many thanks for that!!

This plate looks rather simple but we made 9 plates till we were satisfied
with the pose, light, attributes.
We also expected longer exposure times but there was more UV than we thought.

Many thanks to the model, assistant, mental coach, Ferry van der Vliet.....

26,5 x26,5 cm tintype
exposure time just one second!
Dallmeyer 4a at f5

 

Gerard Schalkx and Frans Roefs are photographers who were passing by.
They both send me some pictures of the shoot.

Many thanks for that!!