Monochrome Guild Show

The Monochrome Guild has a show coming up at a local restaurant.  This will be at Cafe Blackbird through the month of December.  The scheduled opening coincides with an concert by a local Jazz Trio.  I have two of my prints included in this show.  The official invitation is attached below.  If you are in the area next Friday, please try to check out the show.  If that doesn't work please try to stop by the cafe sometime during the month of December....

A New One....

This is a shot I took recently, up at the Kootenay Plains.  I call it "Deadhead".  This was taken when my friend Jon and I spent a couple of days up at the cottage in Nordegg.  I like the textures and the tonality of this weathered driftwood on the sand.  This was on the shores of the North Saskatchewan River.  I used the now discontinued Adox CHS-50 4" x 5" sheet film.  I rate this film at 25iso.  This shot was taken with a 210mm lens.  It was processed in Rodinal 1:50 for 5:30 minutes at 24C.  This one might make a nice print, but would have to be printed quite large so that the tonality and texture could be appreciated.

Tanja and Paul

Back in early September the girls and I were invited to our friend Tanja's wedding.  She was marrying Paul, who lives in North Dakota.  The wedding was in Youngstown in southern Alberta, where Tanja had been living and teaching school for the past year.  Tanja is a film photographer like me and we met when we was a member of the Monochrome Guild.

Tanja had an official photographer for her wedding, but I offered to take some film shots for her, so she would have some negatives that she could print traditionally for herself.  I used my Hasselblad and shot four rolls of medium format 120 roll film.  It was with the now discontinued Fuji Neopan Acros... a wonderful emulsion that provides a really nice rendering of skin tones.  Finally last week I was able to make some time to get down into the darkroom and process that film for her.  I scanned the film and will be sending some of those digital files to Tanja shortly.  She has since moved away to southern Manitoba, to be closer to her new husband.  I guess the process of immigrating to the United States is fairly involved and will take some time.

I didn't spend a whole lot of time on this image.... just adjusted the brightness and contrast a little, and threw a border around it. 

Rock Steps

Here's another one from the recently processed batch of Acros film.  Although the processing was recent, this image was taken well over a year ago... in August of 2017.  I used a slightly wide Schneider Super Symmar XL 110mm lens on my Ebony camera.  I placed a #11 Yellow Green filter over the lens to lighten up the leaves a little.  The exposure was for half a second at F36.0.  This was both to hold depth of field, and to show some motion in the water.  I like the way that the eddy at the left edge shows the swirling pattern of the bubbles. 
The location was on Shunda Creek, not too far from my cottage, in Clearwater County.

Wood Grave Marker

The most recent batch of Acros that I processed included some current work, like my recent post from Brazeau, as well as some older shots from 2017.  This image was taken in August of 2017 down in the badlands near Drumheller.  Anna and I went out exploring together for the day.  It was smoking hot and it was all I could do to pack around my heavy camera.  Anna and I hiked up to the top of the valley to check out this abandoned cemetery.  By the time we got up to the top Anna was suffering heat stroke and had to lie down in the shade for a while as I took some photographs.  It was relatively early in the day when we set out, but it was well above 30C by the time we got back down to the where we had parked the truck at the bottom.  The cemetery dates back over a hundred years and all but a handful of the grave markers are gone.  Surprisingly this one wood marker survives.  There are a couple of other stone markers remaining, though most are damaged.  A bunch of depressions in the group suggest where the graves are but not much remains of this place.  It is beginning to get swallowed up by brush and overgrowth.  This image was taken on Acros 4" x 5" sheet film with my Ebony view camera.  The film was exposed at iso 80 and processed in Rodinal 1:50 for 11:00 minutes at 24C.  A #25 Red filter was used for added contrast.

Briquette Plant

This is a scan of a recently exposed and processed sheet of film.  This was 4" x 5" Neopan Acros.  This film has now been discontinued, and I am slowly shooting my remaining stock.  This particular image is of the Briquette Plant at Brazeau Collieries, taken during my recent trip with my friend Jon.  I exposed the film at ISO80 and developed in Rodinal 1:50 for 11:00 minutes at 24C.  It was fairly dark inside the building, with just a little light spilling in some of the window openings.  I used a really wide Schneider Super Angulon XL 58mm lens, and a long exposure of 30 seconds at F20.0.

A Photograph of a Photograph of a Photograph

When we were up at Abraham Lake, at the Mt. Michener viewpoint on Remembrance Day, Jon and I met up with this lady.  She was heading into Nordegg and stopped to check out what we were doing.  She was fascinated by my camera.  Jon took a photograph of her, taking a photograph of me, taking a photograph of Mt. Michener and the clearing winter storm.  Ironic.....

Holiday Monday

With Remembrance Day falling on a Sunday this year, most businesses were closed on Monday, mine included.  Jon and I stayed out at Nordegg on Sunday night.  We both awoke feeling a little groggy and with heads full of cobwebs... a result of a little too much celebration the night before.  We evenutally shook this off and got going.

We did most of the cleanup in the cottage that morning, making sure that the dishes were done and things were tidied up so that we could make a prompt departure later.  We both felt quite a bit better once we got outside into the fresh air and did some walking.  We headed up into Nordegg and parked the truck by the old railway trestle.  We walked along the old railway right of way.  Our first stop was at the shanty town of squatters shacks that had been built down along the railway track.  The mine operated from 1910 to 1953 so these shacks date back at least 65 years.  Some were just sort of cobbled together while others were made out of old railway cars.  They are badly deteriorated now and won't be around much longer.  Even the railway right of way is beginning to get very grown over with trees.

We also wandered in to the base of the mine site and poked around a little at the old briquette press at the lower edge of the site.  The mine is a registered historic site and access is normally by guided tour.  The tours don't operate at this time of year so we showed respect and only wandered around a little and took a couple of pictures before hiking back out.

It was quite a bit warmer on Monday with the temperature rising up to about 4 or 5 degrees.  But, it felt cooler than the day before.  It wasn't as sunny, the humidity level seemed to be up a bit, and there was a bit of a breeze.  But is was still a very pleasant day for mid November.

We got back down to the cottage by about 1:00.  We packed up our gear and locked up the cottage and managed to hit the road around 2:30.  We stopped for a late lunch in Rocky Mountain House and arrived back in the city at about 6:00.  Jon transferred all his stuff into his vehicle and headed for home.  By the time I finished unpacking my stuff it was time to head over to my weekly guitar lesson.  This topped off a very full and enjoyable weekend.  It was really nice to catch up again with Jon, and for a change I didn't work very much this weekend. 

Remembrance Day

When Jon and I got up on Sunday morning, it was snowing heavily.  We made some breakfast and had a pretty leisurely morning.  We watched the deer out in the yard, feeding on the oats I had put out for them.  The snow accumulated to about 4 inches before we really got mobile.  We eventually got our camera gear loaded into the truck and headed out.  We drove through a few snow squalls as we headed west and highway conditions were not great.  By the time we got up the valley to Abraham Lake the sky was starting to break and the snow tapered off.  Much to my surprise the lake was extremely calm with hardly a ripple on the water.  This was one of those rare occasions when Windy Point did not live up to its name.  We stopped at the Mt. Michener viewpoint near Windy Point and photographed a herd of bighorn sheep.  I set up the big camera and took a couple of shots of the clouds swirling around Mt. Michener and the sun trying to break through.  It was pleasantly mild with the temperature up near zero.  The fact that the sun was coming out, and there was no wind, made for a really enjoyable day.  

Later we headed further up the valley and made a stop at the Siffleur trailhead.  We walked down to the river and did some shooting on the gravel bars.  I took a shot of Ex Coelis Mountain with some sand patterns in the foreground.  Also a detail shot of some driftwood on the beach.

Still later we continued up the valley and made a stop at Whirlpool Point.  We wandered down near the river and took some shorts of the gnarled and windswept Limber Pines.  These trees have so much character and visual interest.  They are one of my favorties, as much so as the Cottonwoods of the badlands.

By this time the light was starting to fade so we packed up our gear and made the drive back to the cottage.  There had been very little snow up along the Kootenay Plains and near Abraham Lake but as we got further east back into the Nordegg area there remained quite a bit of snow.   It had quit coming down shortly after we left the cottage, judging by our tracks.  But is seems that it didn't melt much at all during the day.

We settled down in the cottage and got the fire going.  We got some supper on the go and then ended up sitting around visiting until the wee hours.  Jon tied into some red wine and I had more than my fair share of beer.  We would both awake to that infamous Nordegg headache the next morning.

Old Friends

Last Friday I hosted a meeting of the Monochrome Guild at my place.  The group has continued to grow and this meeting was one of the largest ever.  We had fourteen members present, there were a couple missing, plus some guests that couldn't make it.  I remember back in the early days, 16 years ago when I started the group, we struggled to get more than 3 or 4 people out.  Its nice to see that film photography has been resurrected and there is all this renewed interest.

On Saturday morning I got up early and packed a bunch of gear into my truck.  I had a crate of glass loaded in the truck from the day before.  My good friend Jon was meeting me and we were heading out to Nordegg for the weeekend.  Jon and I met over 20 years ago.  He was one of the original members of the Monochrome Guild and he and I spent many a weekend driving backroads and photographing together.  Jon was forced to give up the darkroom several years ago for health reasons, and moved on to digital photography.  He and I drifted apart somewhat in recent years and this was an opportunity to reconnect.  Jon is a few years older than me and retired from his long time position a year ago.  I hope to join the ranks of the retired in the next couple of years and hopefully this affords us the opportunity to get back together.

Jon had not been out to my place at Nordegg yet and this being the Remembrance Day long weekend would give us a chance to relax and get out with our cameras.  The first chore though was to unload and install the crate full of glass that I had in my truck.  There were six pieces of 1/2" thick tempered laminate glass that needed to be carried and, taken upstairs, and installed into the posts and clamps that I had previously prepared.  The largest ones were about 40" x 52" and weighed about 90 lbs.  It took us about 2 to 3 hours to finish this.  Despite a relatively early departure, the trip was a little slower than usual due to snowy road conditions.  We also had to unpack our stuff, make some lunch, and get a fire going in the cottage to take the chill out.  The electric furnace was working nicely when we arrived and the inside temperature was holding at the thermostat setting of about 10 degrees.

By the time we got all these chores done the light was begining to fade.  We made some supper and settled in for the evening.  We enjoyed a few beers together and visited and caught up on old times.  This would leave us the rest of the weekend to go out exploring with our cameras.

Environmental Portrait

My friend Gabor recently took this environmental portrait of me, in my shop.  It was taken with a Leica digital rangefinder of some sort.  I know virtually nothing about digital cameras but apparently this one is pretty special.  When I saw it I was disappointed at how old and fat I look...

New Work... !!!

Finally I am able to post a new image.  This is a shot from the recent Fall Photo Weekend down into the badlands near Drumheller.  I just processed a batch of Ilford HP5 sheet film, 4" x 5", in 510 Pyro Developer.  This was taken with a Schneider Super Angulon XL 58mm and a #25 Red Filter on my Ebony SV45TU camera.  We hiked out to this stone house in Special Area Two, about 40 miles east of Drumheller.  So nice to finally get back to shooting, and back to the darkroom, and to create some new images.

Pantry Complete

I finally finished the free-standing pantry that I've had under construction for months.  This will be set up out at the cottage.  I actually finished most of it last spring.  Then when I went to put the doors on earlier this summer, I found that they didn't quite fit.  The project was put on the back burner for countless weeks while I focused my attention on other work at the cottage.  Recently, with the cottage mostly complete, and a return to winter weather conditions, I refocused my attention back on this piece.  I routed a slight notch on the interior frame of the cabinet at the location of each hinge.  This allowed the doors to be mounted with proper clearance.  Then, the I secured the tongue and groove pine panelling into the hickory framed doors.  This past weekend I took a piece of Lodgepole pine that I had set aside.  I dried this trunk in the forming oven at the shop.  I split the pieces on the bandsaw, and finished them with a heavy coat of lacquer.  These were secured, pine cones and all, into the faces of the doors.  This generally matches the bathroom vanity that I previously made.  Our kitchen cabinets and cupboards will be made in a similar manner.  This cabinet, once it makes its way out to the cottage, will be set up beside our kitchen and used as a pantry to store dry goods, canned goods and dishes.  With the cottage as small as it is we have limited space for kitchen cabinets and cupboards and this will supplement that.  It feels good to finally finish this, and now I can turn my attention to some new work.

Armoire

I think this is the first weekend since March that I've stayed home.  Almost every other weekend was spent working on the cottage, save a few when we were travelling.  We went to the Springfest in East Coulee in May, and the Pohl Family weekend up in Jasper.  I went on the road trip out to Saskatchewan with Chris, Connie, Rueben and Byron.  And then we attended Tanja's wedding in early September in Youngstown.  This past weekend it was the Fall Photo Weekend.  In between there were a lot of hours worked on all aspects of the cottage construction.  It is nearing completion now and I can spend the next few months with a little more leisurely schedule.

Yesterday I went to the shop for a while and worked on an interior door, a cabinet, and some handrails for the cottage.  In the afternoon Margarit and I checked out a second hand and antique store, and then went to a pub down on Whyte Avenue in the afternoon.  My guitar teacher Gary Wayne Meyers was playing a solo set at the pub and we went to check it out.  After that we stopped at the Mexican grocery store and picked up supplies for a big batch of enchiladas and tamales.

Today I got up fairly early, but it seemed like I'd slept in because of the switch from Daylight Saving to Standard Time.  

I actually went back into the darkroom this morning and processed a batch of film.  This was the first time I'd done any processing since February.  The film is still washing now but I will scan and post some of the images in the coming days.

I also dug through my archive of negatives and found a scan of one that I haven't posted yet.  This one was taken back in April of 2017 when Margarit and I were out on a day trip.  We found this old farmhouse, totally overgrown with carraganas.  Once we made our way inside, we found that it was still furnished, and full of the possessions of the former occupant.  I wonder what the story is behind that, and why all this stuff was left behind...?

I shot this one with a really slow large format film, Rollei RPX-25, which was processed in Perceptol developer.  I used a really slow shutter speed of 16 seconds, to allow for a small aperture, to hold depth of field.  This also blurred the curtains that were waving in the breeze.  After the recent trip to the badlands, and my visit to the darkroom this morning, I'm feeling really enthused about my return to photography.

Fall Photo Weekend - Day 3

One of the neighbors in East Coulee told me about the monthly pancake breakfast at the Community Hall.  It is held on the last Sunday of every month, except July, August and December.  The five of us decided to head over for something to eat.  We arrived at the hall at 9:00AM when it opened.  There was a big spread of coffee, toast, juice, hash browns, two kinds of eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes and ham.  Locals run the event and it is a fundraiser for the community.  The cost was only 12 bucks each.  Once we finished breakfast we went back over to the shop and packed up our gear.  

We hit the road around 10:30 and headed east.  We passed through Dorothy and headed up into the Hand Hills.  This is a large sprawling area of high land on some prominent hills that are signficantly higher in elevation than the surrounding plains.  We came across an old farm yard and shot there for a while.  It was heavily overcast and much colder and windier than it had been the previous two days.  Conditions were far from ideal, but we made the best of it.

Later we continued on to the town of Craigmyle.  I had shot here before and there were a couple of interesting old buildings.  The light was not ideal, and the buildings are mostly boarded up here, so we took a pass on any shooting.  We continued to the north west, looking for an abandoned house that Gord had visited in the past.  We couldn't find it, but eventually stumbled on the Springwater School.  This is a provincial historic site and is an old school house made of fieldstones.  It is deteriorating, and has suffered a little vandalism.  On this blustery fall day we ended up doing our shooting inside.  By the time we finished, the sun was breaking out a little, but by this point it was so late in the day that there really wasn't any opportunity to head to any other locations. 
We hit the road for home and ended up back in the city by around 6:30PM.  It was a great weekend and I really enjoyed getting out with my friends.  It was so nice to get back behind the camera again after such a long time away from any serious shooting.  I ended up taking 48 sheets of black and white film, as well as a couple of color shots.  There were also a few record shots captured on my digital camera and on my phone.  I now look forward to getting back into the darkroom so that I can start processing some of this film.