Topic: David J Gillanders - collodion portraits and landscapes

[Ken B: eyes, I just do eyes.]

the uists 11aug11

How one Scottish photographer has gone back to wet plates

[LT]

nice stuff - thanks for this Ken.  I LOVE the landscapes.  I have to say I'm a bit over the wet plate portrait thing, but the landscapes are something else.

[Ken B: eyes, I just do eyes.]

I must say I don't mind any of it, I have not looked at a lot of the wet plate stuff for a while. I do tend to lean towards the landscapes though myself

[Andrea.]

Yep, the landscapes are lovely. Must pop down again myself soonish. It's only a ferry ride away :-)

[Karl]

nice link, I like his work.

[CarlRadford]

@Leon - Just as well I am not over the Kenna/Horne/Schwab knock offs. 

[CarlRadford]

Someone that is starting to make real headway with her collodion and other film work that might be of interest:  http://www.deborahparkin.com/ 

[LT]

Someone that is starting to make real headway with her collodion and other film work that might be of interest:  http://www.deborahparkin.com/ 

now these are something very different.  Very nice.  thanks for the link Carl.

[LT]

@Leon - Just as well I am not over the Kenna/Horne/Schwab knock offs.  

quite right!

[calbisu]

Someone that is starting to make real headway with her collodion and other film work that might be of interest:  http://www.deborahparkin.com/ 

now these are something very different.  Very nice.  thanks for the link Carl.

First images from the gallery time passes are just fantastic

[Ed Wenn]

I love photo forums!!

 

[Ed Wenn]

But on a more constructive note, I should say that I'm attracted to collodion-ish images (technical term which I hope covers a swathe of variants...all of which I like)....I just love the reduced contrast you get, the process back story and the "reach out and touch me" quality of the images. If I'm honest, a lot of it's to do also with the edges....but I'll probably burn in 'style over substance' hell for saying that.
 

Portraits vs Landscapes? When a photo's good, it's good and when it's not....it's not. Some of the portraits that the guy Ken has linked to aren't particularly strong, so its great to see those wider aspect landscapes further down the page when you scroll to them because they're stronger and have more impact, but a couple of 4 of the portraits are great too.

I think I tend to draw the line at re-enactment type collodion-ish portraits (that word again), and prefer seeing the here-and-now as opposed to a contrived version of a past that might have been, but other than that I'm all good with portraits....and landscapes.

Carl: Thanks for the link; I always follow your recommendations with interest. I have mixed reactions to Deborah Parkin's work which revolve around subject matter. I think she's great at what she does and occasionally there's a photo that literally blows me away, but on the whole, the vibe I take away is not one I'm comfortable with. Loved some of the collodion flowers though. Whoah!

[CarlRadford]

One for Ed - http://www.kerik.com/new/

Stunning flowers 

[LT]

Ed and Carl - sorry if I started something here - not my intention at all.  And Carl, I'm not making any statement about your collodian portraits, just that the process itself seems to have become the rage in general.  So what was once WOW to me is now kind of not - a bit like x-pro and the toy camera thing. So, when i saw the landscapes above, they stood out so much.

And anyway, since when did my rather distorted take on being an aesthete ever affect what other people do? My words never stopped people doing what they like and neither should they ....


... as long as it is square format, long exposure, mono, landscapes, heavily printed and slightly toned in the highlights then it is fine ....  

[CarlRadford]

I have stepped back from making plates for the next year or so in case any of the chemistry is linked aggravating my CFS/ME.  Of all the processes that I have seen both wet plate and daguerreotypes give a 3 dimensionality I have not seen elsewhere.  The reduced contrast range is something that good practitioners can achieve without the plates looking over exposed and/or overdeveloped and washed out as a result. So its back to film for a while a a new project is underway - its been done before but not at my location or by me  I was blown away by the print of August Sander at his recent exhibition in Edinburgh.  Back to some plt/pd and maybe gum over too - although the dichromate's might be a step too far.  I would also say that whilst Paul Gallagher was here we made a couple of prints on my epson 3800 which made me think too.

Didn't mean to highjack the thread.  Whilst I was showing David the process I made a plate of him that I thought I'd add just to bring it back to him.

[CarlRadford]

... Carl, I'm not making any statement about your collodian portraits, just that the process itself seems to have become the rage in general.

And anyway, since when did my rather distorted take on being an aesthete ever affect what other people do? My words never stopped people doing what they like and neither should they ....

... as long as it is square format, long exposure, mono, landscapes, heavily printed and slightly toned in the highlights then it is fine ....  

Its easy to go off at a tangent I collodion has taken me there - too be honest its nice to be reigned in and for me to get back to working on a project for myself.  I intend to publish a Blurb book of some of my wet plate to date and draw a line under it till I feel strong enough to return if that is were life takes me

Off to process 3 rolls of 120 from Lewis and cut the grass before the boss gets home

[Ken B: eyes, I just do eyes.]

But on a more constructive note, I should say that I'm attracted to collodion-ish images (technical term which I hope covers a swathe of variants...all of which I like)
 


I think I tend to draw the line at re-enactment type collodion-ish portraits (that word again),

Maybe Collodionesque

For those who don't wish to suffer too much their art:

Limited sufferance one

Limited sufferance two

[Francois]

Or Alien Skin Exposure