I've been working with wet collodion negatives a lot and doing a lot of different kinds of printing. This is a quick overview of the evoliution of a Salt print. I'm going to wax this print, I'll post the final image when it's finished.
Denver Arts Week, Nov 4-12, 2011
I have some public events planned for Denver Arts Week. The First Friday (Nov 4) I will be in my studio offering some artificial light demos and then on Second Saturday, I will offer the public a rare glimpse at witnessing an ultra-large Wet Plate Collodion image being made with my 20"x24" Camera, aka, "The Mighty Quinn". CBS Denver (Channel 4) will be doing a piece on me as well. They are featuring three of us in the RiNo Arts District; Jonathan Kaplan (Ceramics), Yoshi Saito (Bronze) and me. Thank you, RiNo!
If you're in the area, please drop by. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.
Wet Plate Collodion Negatives - October 2011
I had a great group of people in my studio for the last three days. Doug Winter, Kathryn Mayo Winter, Robert Krawiec, Kyleigh Morgan (assisting) and Jeanne; they truly impressed me with their ability, passion and excitement. If you wanted to be surrounded by motivated and encouraging people, this group would rank high for those attributes. A big “thank you” to everyone! Jeanne kept us fed and made sure things ran smoothly - thank you!!!
Negative making is a fussy, unpredictable endeavor. It takes awhile to feel comfortable with it and “get the rhythm down.” However, once you do, it’s very rewarding.
The group I had here was incredible. Not only did they get it going, they got the mojo going fast! Almost every plate and every print was a success. And they were even doing some beautiful, creative portraiture work. It was very enjoyable for me to assist and watch the magic happen. There were tears and Goosebumps from this beautiful process. I don’t understand why more people aren’t working in this process!
We started on Saturday with introductions and conversation about art, life and the Wet Plate Collodion world. Saturday afternoon I demonstrated how to make a negative, redevelop it and then made a Salt and Albumen print from it. I showed them how to make Negative Collodion and Negative Developer and we talked, at length about chemistry. At the end of the day, they prepared glass (Half Plates) for Sunday.
Sunday was a great day. They all made Negatives, portraits of Kyleigh. I could see they were going to have some really beautiful prints.
And yesterday, Monday, we made Salt paper and Albumen paper and printed like crazy! Really impressive stuff! Remember, these guys had never made a Wet Plate Collodion Negative before or printed one on Salt or Albumen. How could you not be impressed? I hope to see them all again real soon!
Southern Utah University Art Insights Lecture
Last Wednesday, I traveled to Cedar City, Utah. Southern Utah University asked me to be a speaker for their Art Insights program. My wife, Jeanne, joined me and helped me with the Wet Plate Collodion demonstrations during the day. And Thursday night, she had to listen to another 45-minute talk about my work and process (thank you, Jeanne!).
It’s always a huge honor for me to do these kinds of things. I’m both encouraged and humbled by the response and comments from people.
Southern Utah University has a beautiful campus and I was surprised how nice Cedar City, Utah is – I’d never been there before – gorgeous views of the land and bright blue skies. The students and faculty were very kind and seemed to enjoy what they saw and heard from me.
They had me give my lecture in the Great Hall. The references to Harry Potter they made about the space were spot-on. It’s big, elegant and holds a lot of people. I’m not sure how many people were there, but it was full (200+?).
I’m always amazed that people come out to hear (and see) someone like me when they could be doing a thousand other things. It’s very humbling to me. I always try to be as sincere and honest (authentic) as I can be when talking about my work and my intent for the work. I think that most people want to listen about (and see) work that’s authentic and not gimmicky or made for consumption (shocking, crude, etc.). That’s what I try to give them – honest and real – like the people I photograph.
We would like to say, “THANK YOU!” to Deb and Harold Snider for hosting us in their beautiful home and for all of their wonderful hospitality.
Thanks to Jeremias Paul and Rheana Gardner from the photography department – I appreciated all the help and encouragement. I look forward to working with you again. And I would like to give a big thanks to all of the students of SUU and the general public that attended my “performative lecture” (Wet Plate Collodion demonstrations) and/or my Great Hall lecture.
All photos by Jeremias Paul and Harold Snider (thank you!)
Cadmium & Mercury: Check Your Levels!
It's been a while since I've had a complete physical. Last week, I went for the entire checkup.
I requested a heavy metals check when they took my blood. I asked them to check my cadmium levels (CdBr) and mercury (Hg) levels.
After almost a decade of handling a lot of heavy metal, I wanted to get a baseline for my new life in the states with a new fume hood and improved safety features in my darkroom.
I've always been extremely safe when I handle heavy metals. I get it, I know and understand the danger but still want to live my life and make my art.
Long story short: my cadmium (none at all) and mercury levels are normal - no problem at all. If you work in these processes and have never had the test, I encourage you to do so. These are dangerous and deadly metals, if you've been exposing yourself and don't know it, you could have a very grim future with diseases and major health problems. It's better to be safe than sorry.
University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder)
I was invited to do a lecture for the History of Photography class at CU Boulder in Boulder, Colorado. The students were very receptive and impressed me. It was mostly about my work and the processes that I use. Of course being a history of photography class, I gave my perspective on what's happened, what's happening now and what I think wil happen in the future.
I packed some Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Albumen prints, Salt prints and even a faux Daguerreotype for them to handle and look at - they were like kids in a candy store. It was fun.
I'll return to CU Boulder soon to do another lecture. I had a good time and really enjoy sharing my work and talking about these processes. I hope to offer the students/school something very unique in the future, we're working on it now.
A big thanks to Jeanne for helping me and listening to my lecture for 1000th time! I love you! And thanks for the photos, too!
Southern Utah University Art Insights Lecture
I've been invited to speak and to do a performative lecture at Southern Utah University (SUU). I just received this press release this morning.
If you're in the area, and you can make it, please join us.
Back In The Saddle
After almost six years, I'm back in America and teaching Wet Plate Collodion to Americans, again. It feels good.
I held the first (of many) Wet Plate Collodion workshop in my studio from September 3 - 6, 2011. It was a great feeling to be back and to speak the language, understand the culture and have people laugh at my jokes. I had some fantastic people in the workshop, too. A big thanks to Chris Kirk, Rob Perisho, Jeff Graves and Izah Gallagher. They're great people with a great Collodion future ahead of them! I hope to see them all again in my studio soon!
If you're interested in joining me for a workshop/course in a historic photographic process like Daguerreotypy, Calotypy, Wet Plate Collodion, Albumen Printing and/or Salt Printing, keep your eye on this link or send me an email and we'll get you in! I have a nice big (safe) well lighted studio in the RiNo District in Denver, Colorado.
RiNo
RiNo stands for River North Arts District. That's where my studio is - they made a nice announcement for me in their newsletter for Friday night and my little "open house".
Workshop: Making Wet Plate Collodion Negatives & Salt/Albumen Printing
(Limited to 4 Students)
$650
October 8-10, 2011
This course is designed for people who have worked with the positive Wet Plate Collodion process (Ambrotypes, Tintypes, etc.). Darkroom experience is preferred and students should have a good understanding of traditional silver gelatin negative making. Large format camera experience is preferred, too.
Demonstrations
Students will get to see the negative making and redevelopment/intensification process executed from start-to-finish and the workflow methodology that Quinn uses for his work. He will also demonstrate making a Salt Print and/or Albumen print from the negative. Also, this course starts on the Second Saturday in Denver, Colorado. Quinn will have the doors open for the public to see what takes place in the studio!
Chemistry
Quinn will do an in-depth segment on chemistry. Chemistry for negatives is different than positives. It’s subtle but affects the quality of the negative. He will also work through the chemistry for redevelopment and intensification; two very different methods for making negatives. Each individual chemical will be discussed and described in detail. Students learn about each chemical’s function and purpose in making and redeveloping/intensifying negatives – this is very important as it relates to troubleshooting. Safety, storage and handling are also major components of this segment. Students will participate in making each of the chemicals for the process.
Plate Making
This workshop will use Half Plate and Whole Plate format sizes. Students will have the opportunity to work in both of these formats. The second day of the workshop is devoted to making negatives which includes preparations, glass cutting, cleaning, etc. pouring plates, sensitizing plates, exposing plates, developing plates, fixing plates and varnishing plates. The third day will cover printing processes.
Negative Redevelopment & Intensification
Quinn will cover both of these techniques and show the difference between them. Students will learn when to use hardcore redevelopment or a simple intensification.
Salt & Albumen Printing
Each student will select their best negative and make a Salt and/or Albumen Print from it. This course will not cover making Salt and Albumen paper, but will provide students the paper and supplies for printing the negatives.
Critiques & Troubleshooting
At the end of the third day, there will be an overview/critique about the images made. This critique is based on troubleshooting – things that went wrong and things that worked. It’s a very valuable part of the course.
What’s Provided?
- You can attend the workshop with nothing but a pen and notebook. Cameras, chemistry, substrate and facilities are all provided. You are welcome and encouraged to bring your own camera (if you can). Using your own equipment helps when you start making images on your own. Be sure to have a Half Plate and/or Whole Plate insert.
- You will receive a copy of Quinn’s manual, “Chemical Pictures: Making Wet Collodion Negatives”. The manual will be used throughout the course.
- Lunch will be provided each day (it's unbelieveably delicious food). There will be drinks available at the studio (coffee/espresso, water, soft drinks, etc.) throughout the day.
- On Monday night, we will have a small "celebration party" with drinks and nosh. We'll also award the Wet Plate Collodion Certificates of Training.
Course Date: October 8 - 10, 2011
Location: Studio Q / Quinn Jacobson Photography
3519 Brighton Blvd. Unit G Denver, Colorado 80216
Time: 9AM - 6PM (with a lunch break)
Cost: $650
IMPORTANT: This is "first come, first serve". To ensure a place in the workshop, please send $100 deposit to sales@studioQ.com (PayPal) or email quinn@studioQ.com to make other arrangements.