"A Photographic Heritage" by Benoît Boucherot

Yesterday afternoon I received a call from Jeanne. She told me I had a surprise in the mail and wanted me to guess what it was. I had no idea. As I rifled through my mind, trying to think what it could possibly be, she said, "It's the DVD from Benoît and it is amazing!" I couldn't wait to see it. 

The backstory goes something like this: When I was in Paris this year (March - June, 2010), I was approached by an artist/filmmaker named Benoît Boucherot. He asked if I would be interested in allowing him to make a documentary about my time in Paris and my photographic/artistic life. He explained to me what he would do and what his intentions were and I said, "Yes".

The result of his hard work and incredible talent is this, a 44 minute documentary about me, my family, my work and my time in Paris. I think he did an outstanding job capturing the feeling and the passion behind all of the hard work and incredible fun we had in Paris. 

When I get permission, I'll upload a clip or two from the DVD. I hope to offer this in my store at some point, too. The front and back of the DVD. It's in English and French, depending on who's talking.

Un documentaire non commenté de Benoît Boucherot
44 minutes - HD 16/9e PAL - VOSTFR
2010 - Les productions Rwann Hearn

" Photographe américain vivant en Allemagne, Quinn Jacobson a exposé ses ambrotypes et alumitypes au Collodion humide pendant 4 mois à Paris au Centre Iris pour la photographie. Depuis trois ans, son van bluesy parcourt toute l’Europe pour transmettre, lors de workshops, cette technique héritée de Frederick Scott Archer, l’inventeur du Collodion humide en 1847, contemporain de Daguerre et Talbot, disparu totalement oublié dans une immense pauvreté. Assisté de sa femme Jean et de leur fille Summer, il invite également régulièrement les chalands à être photographiés lors de séances de prises de vue réalisées avec ses chambres traditionnelles. Et la magie du procédé ancestral, et l’émotion de la révélation de l’image unique se rejouent ainsi sous nos yeux lors d’instants fugaces frappés d’une stupéfaction sans cesse renouvelée. Il a accueilli mes regards, ma caméra et mon Leica, dans son studio éphémère au mois de Juin. Cela peut bien se passer de commentaires... "

 

Chemical Pictures - The Cover

Chemical Pictures - The Wet Plate Collodion Photography BookI'm very happy! After many iterations, the cover of my new book and DVD is finished. Sometimes, I think over-thinking can be as bad as not thinking at all. I may have over-thought the cover, at least on the first few iterations. Remember, text out of context is a pretext. I had some "pretext-ing" going on.

I'm very happy with the results of this cover (click on it to see it bigger) and of the book and DVD. It's been a project I've been working on for years. I published one other book on the process in 2006. That was mostly for my graduate work and I didn't feel like I had adequate time to include everything that I wanted to. This work includes everything you've always wanted to know about making positive Wet Plate Collodion images and even some things that you don't want to know about. I'm very proud of this piece. It's based not only on my own personal experience working in the process for a few years, but on primary literature. Over the last two years, I read and studied every 19th and 20th century manual or book on the process I could find. I was amazed and enlightened at what I found. Not only is there everything in the old manuals that you need to learn the process (technical, formulae, etc), each photographer had their own interpretation and ideas on what worked the best. Not unlike today - there were several people who called themselves "masters" of the process. However, a lot of them had glaring flaws in their techniques and methodologies - the recipes and techniques conflicted a lot. I found it very interesting and entertaining, to say the least.

A lot of people deserve credit for this book and DVD. I've asked people all over the world to be involved in it - contributing everything from a piece on artificial lighting to collaborating on this cover - it's been a great experience and I want to thank everyone that's helped me - I'm truly thankful (and Summer will thank when she's paying her tuition, too.)

The next step: I have to make some changes (after the second editing process) and wrap up the online content (.flv files) and then wait for the printer to make my books and DVDs! Oh happy day!

Time Goes So Fast… Make It Count!

Well, here we are beginning our third (read: 3rd) year in Germany. I can't believe it. Where does the time go? It must have something to do with the knowledge that our time is finite here. Wouldn't that apply to all human beings in relation to life? I digress.

Summer and I have been working hard on my video series called, "The Wet Plate Collodion Workshop DVD Series". I'm excited by all of this. I'll close this chapter of my life out with two new books, two DVDs, and a new web site. I'm going to try to launch, publish, produce all of those by the end of the year.  All of the proceeds from the sales of these books and DVDs will go into an account for Summer. She will be in college in a couple of years and we thought this would be a great way to get her some additional cash/tuition/car/etc. money. She is doing all of the editing on the DVDs and proof-reading/editing the books for me. She's working hard and earning her money.

I have two workshops planned for September and October. One in Vienna, Austria and another in The Netherlands. Those are confirmed.  I also have one tentative for Berlin in September and one hanging in October for Mallorca, Spain (an island west of Barcelona).  A lot of stuff and a lot of fun! That's how I like to roll ;-)  here's a frame exported from the video:

A screenshot from one of the videos in the series.

Next year, 2009, will be devoted completely to my personal work (other than a possible workshop in Finland). I'll be finished with all of the writing, teaching, and video making and will devote myself completely to my project. I still spend a fair amount of time working on my "Kristallnacht" project. It's difficult here and things move very, very slow.  I do have four images of the project showing in San Francisco right now. They are in a show called, "Into the Ether: Contemporary Collodion Work" at RayKo Gallery. I hear the crowd was large and impressed by the work. That makes me happy. However, the German people are the ones that need to see this work. And, moreover, think about it. I'm working on it.