Friends and Family Show

The Monochrome Guild Friends and Family Show was last night.  The one night event was graciously hosted by Guild member Arda Ozum in the offices of his Engineering firm.  The event went really well.  I didn't take an exact count but there must have been 60+ prints.  Some were framed and hung on the walls, while others were mounted and matted, and yet others were just loose.  

Guild member Gary Soo presented a number of wet plate collodion [Tintype] images.  These are unique one of a kind images created by means of a very old photographic process.  A light sensitive emulsion is coated onto the surface of a black finished piece of sheet metal.  While this emulsion is still wet, it is exposed in a large format camera, and then immediately developed.  This process is typically undertaken with antique cameras and lenses.  The optics of these old lenses give a very unique look and feel of an antique photograph.

The rest of us presented more typical silver gelatin prints, captured on film formats ranging from 35mm, through medium format, up to sheet film formats of 4" x 5" and 8" x 10" sizes.  On a personal note I have been so busy in recent weeks that I did not have time to print any new work for this show.  The 10 framed prints that I included were all older images that I dug out of my inventory.  That said, this included some of my stronger work and I certainly don't feel as though I had any negative impact on the quality of the show.

Margarit and I arrived at the show around 6:45 and the place was already pretty packed.  By the time we arrived some of the first guests were already leaving.  As the evening wore on people came and went.  I don't think that anyone took an exact count but there were over 100 guests that attended.  I certainly didn't know all of the guests that attended but it included a wide range of friends and family just as the title suggested.  This included staff of galleries that we have submitted to and shown at in the past, family members, co-workers, the photographic and arts community in general, interested potential new Guild members, former members, among others.  The show was very well received and all the Guild members are generally very pleased with the turnout, and the way the evening went.

We will give this concept some consideration but the general consensus is to make this an annual event.