Today i finally had the time to run a quick test with my new fresnel groundglass made by Massimiliano Acanfora (Bomm Camera’s Italy).

I first saw this fresnel last year at the ECW on the Bomm camera of Dennis Ziliotto 

and this year on a bigger Bomm from Tom Klein. 

All I can say, the difference is huge!

It’s always difficult to make a digital picture of the subject projected on the ground glass.

 But when using the fresnel it’s easy. See the differences.

For focussing you don’t have to move your head anymore to see what’s happening in the corners. 

It’s like looking at an LCD screen, that bright.

The light is spread very equally. 

Even not covered with a dark cloth i am able to see the whole picture. 

This is one of the best investments I ever made on my wet plate gear!! 

For more information just contact Massimiliano or http://www.bommcameras.com

Standard ground glass

New Bomm ground glass

Several Petzval lenses for sale

Some of you might already know, I am downgrading my collection of wet plate gear.

Over the years I have collected quite some wet plate stuff.

But I have decided to sell most of it as I always use the same lenses and same camera.

So it's Time to let them go and have them used by others.

All 4 lenses are nearly the same size, 21-22cm in hight 

and rear lens part is about 9-9.5cm in diameter

No1 

Hermagis convertible Petzval Lens
Comes with Original Flange

300mm F 4.8

early serial number 9339

Nice sharp petzval ( I prefer to use Hermagis)

Downside: 

previous owner opened the back part with quite some force,

using "heavy" tools.

So the back glass has some chips of and look quite beaten of.

BUT, the projection on the ground glass looks just great.
Crispy as every hermagis.

And if you don't know you will never notice it as this part will be inside the camera.... :)

Asking price: SOLD!!!!

No 2

Very rare Alexis Millet cone Petzval

This petzval has access with a bajonet connection.

Aparture is inside the lens with rings.

no flange

330mm f 5.2

Very clean crispy glass. 

No scratches besides the normal tiny cleaning marks.

Rack and pignon sometimes slips, but who will ever use that??

Asking price:  1100,= euro

no 3

French Gasc & Charconnet Petzval

330mm 6.5

Ff you take out the fixed aparture it will be a fast 4.5

Front glass part has a few scratches and air bubbles 

Back glass all clear with also few air bubbles.

These are quite common and this will not be of any effect in the pictures.

Comes with it's Original flange.

Rack and pignon works smooth.

Asking price 950,= euro

no 4 

Very rare Dutch Lens!

Sold through J. Saarwächter Nijmegen.

330mm 5.2 petzval

Both front and back glass in good shape.

very slight edge separation front lens, but only 2mm

Will be of no effect.

smooth working rack and pignon

asking price:  950,= Euro

Some news...

Hi All, 

It has been quite some time ago that I have posted something on my blog.

Really need to start blogging again. 
Problem is that you have to keep up with facebook, instagram etc,

Loads of things happened in the past period. Many exhibitions, new contacts, travelling etc.

But from now on I will try to inform you again every few weeks.

 This post is about a picture I had in mind already for a few years.

Wanted to do something with a grand piano, water, nature etc.

Don't ask me why. It was just a crazy idea which popped up in my mind.

Sometimes ideas can take a long time before I am able to life on a plate.

In this case it took more than 2 years…

Always the biggest problem is to find the right location and the needed props.

By coincidence I was able to buy the grand piano and because of the extremely warm weather we had in the past few months the water level at the spotted location was at very low.
So perfect combination for this new plate.

The making of video

New book from Corroda D'Agostini

Just recently I discovered that Corrado D'Agostini published a new book about antique lenses.

This time he wrote about the famous Lenses coming form Germany and Austria.

like Voigtlander, Petzval, Busch, Steinheil etc.

 

This book is holding more than 300 well documented pages full of history about these lenses.

Full with pictures and background information about the makers.

So A must have for those who collect and use these kinds of beautiful brass lenses.

 

HIGHLY recommended like his first book I wrote about French makers:
http://collodion-art.blogspot.nl/2012/06/fabulous-book-about-antique-french.html

 

The book can be ordered through his website: http://www.oldphotographiclenses.com/about2.html

 

Dimensions of the book: 20 x 30 x 2.5 cm

 

 

The "Storytelling " book can be ordered!!

With pride, after long preparation time, I can finally announce my first book:  "STORYTELLING"

The book contains all the images from the series storytelling to the present.
All images are printed at  the original size of 26.5 x 26.5 cm.
This has resulted in a beautiful large format book with a size of 32 x 32cm!

 

Accompanied by text in four languages: Dutch, English, French and Spanish.

I am very proud  that a description of the Wet Plate Process is written by Mark Osterman.

!!!! Who orders the book or the limited edition within the coming 2 weeks, His or her name will be mentioned in the book!!!!! (closing date: 27-02-2017).

 

In addition to the book, there is also the possibility to order a limited edition.
This limited edition includes the signed  book, an original print of your own choice from the storytelling series. Printed on original format of 26.5 x 26.5 cm, numbered and with certificate.
All accompanied by a personal letter and packed in a beautiful, numbered, laser cut wooden box.

 

The expected shipping date is by the end of March.

.

I hope you all will support me and buy my book and make this project to a huge succes!

 

For ordering go to my Website: www.alextimmermans.com and visit "Shop"

 

Many thanks in Advance,

Alex

A more easier to make lens cap?

 

Already a few years ago I wrote a blog about making your own lens cap for your precious lenses.
http://collodion-art.blogspot.nl/2010/08/making-your-own-lenscap-isnt-that.html

Recently i visited a friend of mine, Henk Peters,  and he showed me his made lens cap

for his "new" Hermagis petzval.
This cap is even  easier to make.

 

But at the same time I realized I had a lens holding a similar cap.

It is one of my first large format lenses I ever bought, a Voigtlander Heliar Universal.

On that lens there still is it's original lens cap which works exactly the same way.

 

 

How to measure the focal lenght of a lens

I recently made a short video which demonstrates how to measure
the focal lenght and f-stop of a lens.
Of course you could mount it on a camera.
In that case it's quite easy to determine the focal lenght.
But without a camera it's also quite easy to measure it.
On important thing. If you want a accurate measurement be sure you
always focus at infinity!

Here you can find the video: https://vimeo.com/164965108

Lens owned by Jacob Wothly

I Just recently discovered that a lens I own was previously owned by Jacob Wothly.

Jacob Wothly was a German photographer. His real name was Jacob Woodtlj.
Don't know why he has changed his name but it sounds nice.

 

Jacob invented the Wothlytype back in 1860 which was patented in England in 1864
and in Paris in 1865.

Don't know how it worked but he was using some radioactiv material
combined with collodion which made it able to produce positive pictures.

Here you can find some more information about Jacob Wothly ( sorry it's in German):
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Wothly

The lens itself is exactly the same as the famous Jamin/Datlot cone lenses.
But this one has a tube like end instead of the typical cone.

 

Is anyone actually using this old process?

Would love to know more about it.

 

 

European Collodion weekend 2016

Starting May 13, this year’s European Collodion Weekend takes place.
Over 40 collodion photographers from all over the Europe are going to show their skills, creativity and passion.
This all based on Fredrick Scott Archers technique, from 1851.
Antique wooden camera’s and 150 years old lenses as well as
modern 35 mm and up to 50x50 cm glass plates are going to be used.

International renowned collodion artists will join us and will also show their work.
Collodion artists coming from: Norway, Germany, France, Belgium, Tjechie, The UK, Holland,Poland, Sweden and many other countries will gather during that weekend.

There are only a very few free spots left.
So when interested please drop me an e-mail.

Interested in this wonderful  ancient photographic process and its craftsmen?
Don’t hesitate and take the opportunity to visit us on Sunday the 15th of May.
Free admittance!

 

           The location:              
Camping ‘De Volmolen’
Volmolen 1
5561 VH  Riethoven
The Netherlands

Further information:  
Alex Timmermanscollodion-art@onsmail.nl
www.collodion-art.blogspot.nl

 

 

Marcel Wanders

Recently I had the opportunity to "shoot" Marcel Wanders.

Marcel Wanders is a famous Dutch designer,
well known for his awesome products, all over the world .

 

Just have a look at his beautiful website: Marcel Wanders

 

I was able to use his own studio which is located just in the middle of Amsterdam at the third floor.
We were extremely lucky finding a parking place just in front of the building.
As you already might know my car is fully loaded will stuff which I need
to make just a single picture. So it took us some time to lug everything up....
That's the only downside of wet plate photography.

Setting up everything always takes me about 1 hour (including making a test plate).

Normally with these kind of shoots we are very limited in time but Marcel loved the process
and he was very willing to pose and was in no hurry.
 

We were able to make 3 plates and as always the last one was the best... :)

26,5 x 26.5 cm Tintype
Exposure time 6 seconds

Dallmeyer 3a at f4

 

Digital pictures made by Ferry v.d. Vliet

The making of.....

Wow, just noticed I wrote my last blog more than half a year ago....
sorry for that. I promise you, you will see some more blogs very soon!

A lot of things happened in the meantime. Like an exhibition during Photo Shanghai, several publications in magazines, some new pictures made for the storytelling series, new BIG studio and a lot more. So I have been quite busy in the past half year.

For now I want to share the making of a picture (actually two pictures).
I had this picture in my mind for already a long time and wanted to include it in the storytelling series. click here for the series
But I was asked to make an exhibition picture for a very talented Dutch photographer who uses tulips for making his art. just have a look at his work: www.basmeeuws.com
So this time we used the same setting for making 2 almost identical pictures.
One for the exhibition of Bas Meeus and one for my storytelling series.

It always fascinates me how colours do change while using the wet plate process.
The umbrella was black, and the Tulips did have all kinds of colours.

Many thanks to Bas Meeuws for posing (and sorry for the wet clothes.... :) )
To Oogenlust for hosting their garden again.
To Paul Jongerius for helping me with the Tulips.
And to Ferry vd Vliet for being the model in this picture and the digital picture he made during the shoot