Connected – a wet plate art project about the bonds of friendship with Shane Balkowitsch
This is not about a technical perfect wet plate. This is about building connections from thousand miles away. Overcoming obstacles and being there for each other.
This 5-minute exposure captured more than just an image, it’s a short movie where the plate captured our thoughts and movements. Thanks to Shane Balkowitschto be a part of it.
We couldn’t do a lot of things because of the pandemic, but I won’t let this get me down. I also didn’t want to wait for some things I wanted to do. That’s when I came up with the idea to do things differently. With that I finally could meet Shane in a more direct way and we also were able to shoot a wet plate together. For me it was important to show, that there are always ways to do something. The only limits we have are in our head. At this point I want to say thanks to Pro-Digitalin Vienna who lent me this wonderful Dedolight light headwith the projection kit. This is an amazing tool! Without that it would have been much tougher to make this happen.
Dedolight head with projector
Darken my studio
First I had to darken my studio, because the tiniest lightleak would be visible in a 5 minute exposure.
I have blinds, but they were not enough. With a 5 minute exposure a tiny light leak could make problems, thats why I covered my windows behind the blinds with cardboard.
darken my stuidoblindes were not enough
Background
I wanted to have Shane’s background in my studio. That’s wehre things got a tricky.
As you saw, I used the projector on a gray wall to not overexpose the background and Shane.
During the test shots I thought for a moment I could use the projector light on me too, because on a digital image I looked as bright as shane. But the wet plate process fairy was against me – The uv light just sees it differently.
Using the projected image as light source – digital test shotTest plate with projector light
So I knew I needed an additional light source to get the exposure right. I have a Hensel spot adapter for a strobe and tried this one first. But with the modeling light the light was to uneven (it’s a 20 years old strobe), it just works with the strobe.
Hensel spotlight adapter
Then I tried it with the light blaster. This is a projector for speedlites where you can mount lenses on it to project images on as a background. But here I had the same problem, as soon as I used a flashlight, the light was to uneven.
Lightblaster with a Canon lens
Then I remembered a workshop where the guy there used a dedolight and that’s when I called Pro Digitaland asked them if I can have one. Some days later I went to their shop and Andreas explained all the possibilities I have with the light and showed my also the projection kit. From there I knew this is the right tool. Good to have local shops like that!
my solution, a Dedolight
As soon as I got home, I made myself a gobo that looks like me. A gobo is a Graphical Optical Blackout.
I printed it and then I used a cutter to cut it out.
A tiny myself as a gobomounted myself into the Dedolight frame
And with that I could make a projection on myself that does not brighten up the Shane and his background.
Finally a solution with my gobo in the Dedolight projector
Exposure
5 Minutes is very long for a portrait. And yet it was as short as I could get it.
I used my Century 8×10 camera with my Dallmeyer 2b Petzval lens – it’s a F3 lens by the way.
8×10 Century Field Camera with Dallmeyer 2B lens
I could only shoot 13x18cm plates, because the camera would have been in the way of the projector for 8×10 plates (I had to go closer).
the camera couldn’t get any closer – otherwise I would have been in the way
Using a longer lens would also have been an Issue, because then I would have an aperture of F4.5 or even F6. With that the exposure times would have been twice or four times as long.
Aa you could see in the videos, I set the timer on my watch and released the lens cap with a string that I squeezed between the lens cap and the camera. An then it was only us two and 5 minutes in front of the camera.
Manny of you have seen the apron I am using but only a view know that this apron is from my grandfather who used to have a shoemaker shop in this house. Thats the reason I like to wear it, because it is part of our family.
5 minutes for a long lasting memory
It was such a great experience and so much fun. I will for sure do it sometimes again. Maybe some people even want to do a portrait like that. It’s a great way to get memories during that time where we have to be at home
Ich hatte ja schon mal Freihand mit einer Nassplattenkamera Fotografiert. Diesmal war der Plan mit Autofocus auf Kollodium-Nassplatte zu fotografieren. Dazu habe ich das Mamiya 645 AF AFD Polaroid Film Back HP402 an meiner 645 AFD II verwendet. Leider wurde meinem Vorhaben ein Strich durch die Rechnung gemacht. Warum genau zeige ich euch im Video. Vielen Dank an Jasmin fürs Modeln: https://www.instagram.com/real_better_me/
Zum Lichttest habe ich ein iPhone Foto erstellt – das einzig Scharfe in der Serie 🙂
Manche Platten schauen ok aus, aber im Scan sieht man wie unscharf sie sind.
I shot already wet palates handheld, but this time I wanted to shoot them with an autofocus camera. For that I mounted the Mamiya 645 AF AFD Polaroid Film Back HP402 onto my Mamiya 645 AFDII. Sadly it didn’t work out like I imagined. In this video I show you why. Thanks a lot Jamsin to for modelling: https://www.instagram.com/real_better_me/
For testing I shot one iPhone photo – the only sharp one 🙂 Some of the plates look ok for, but in my scans you can see they are way off.
“Gleich kommt’s Vögelchen raus”. Das haben meine Eltern immer gesagt, damit ich beim Fotografieren in die Kamera schaue. Viele von euch werden sich sicher auch noch an diesen Spruch erinnern können. Mit dem heutigen Video zeige ich euch den Uhrsprung dieser Aussage und bringe ein 140 Jahre altes Relikt wieder zum leben.
Diese Webseite berichtet, dass die erste Erwähnung dieses Fotografischen Relikts 1879 statt fand.
In einer Ausgabe der „Photographic News“ wurde ein Artikel von C.W. Davis veröffentlicht, der auf einen mechanischer Vogel verweist, welcher zwitschert wenn man einen pneumatischen Balgen betätigt. Ich habe mich gegen die pneumatische Lösung entschieden, da ich eine Hand für die Objektivkappe und die zweite Hand für den Blitzauslöser benötige. Das Auslösen des Messing-Vogels mit dem Fuß war mir zu umständlich.
Oscar Schwarzkopf hat sein Patent 1445362von 1923 als „toy bird songster“ benannt. Zur selben Zeit wurde auch ein “Victory Canary Songster” mit der Patentnummer2073922 patentiert. Mehr Patente und Illustrationen gibt es hier: http://www.luminous-lint.com/__phv_app.php?/f/_watch_the_birdie_01/ Es würde auch Sinn ergeben, dass die ersten Modelle dieser Vögel sich nicht bewegt haben, damit längere Belichtungszeiten eingehalten werden können.
Je mobiler und kleiner die Kameras wurden, desto weniger „Vögelchen“ waren im Einsatz. Aber bis zum heutigen Tag kennen trotzdem noch viele diesen bekannten Ausdruck. Wenn euch diese Geschichte gefällt, teilt sie um das „Vogal“ (öster. Vögelchen) am Leben zu erhalten.
Momentan hat Covid19 wieder Hochsaison in Österreich, deshalb muß der Messingvogel noch auf seinen Einsatz etwas warten – irgendwann wird er mit Sicherheit bei einem Nassplattenshooting ein Kind zum Lachen bringen.
“Watch the Birdie” – thats what my parents told me, to make sure I look into the camera before they took a photo of me. I guess lots of you guys remember this saying. With the renovation of a 140 year old historic brass birdie, I show you the origin of this phrase. Check out the video bellow.
As this websitereports, the earliest sightings of this kind of photographic “tool” was found back in 1879.
An issue of the “Photogarphic News” contained an article from C.W. Davis, that mentioned back then, that photographers were able to buy a mechanical bird that chirped when a pneumatic bulb was squeezed. I decided against that bulb, because I need one hand for the lens cap and the second one for the strobe. And I didn’t want to use my feet for squeezing.
Oscar Schwarzkopf labelled his patent 1445362from 1923 as “toy bird songster”. A “Victory Canary Songster” was also patented that time with the patent number 2073922. More patents and illustrations can be found here: http://www.luminous-lint.com/__phv_app.php?/f/_ It also would make sense if early birdies had no moving parts, so the photographer can achieve a longer exposure time without the kid moving.
As more portable and smaller cameras were invented, the less “birdies” were seen. But until today most people still know that famous phrase. Lets spread the word to keep this great phrase alive.
Covid19 is again spreading a lot in Austria, thats the reason I had to postpone a wet plate shooting with the brass birdie. As soon as everything gets better, I will catch up with it.
Diesmal wurde ich beauftragt Architekturaufnahmen auf Nassplatte von einem historischen Haus zu machen. Zusätzlich waren auch Familienaufnahmen gefragt. Mit der Hilfe von Alois Stingl gibt es dazu auch ein Making-Of video. Vielen Dank dafür! Natürlich hatten wir auch viel Spaß dabei!
For this assignment I was creating architecture wet plates of a historic house. Additionally I did also a family portrait. With the help of Alois Stingl I can show you a Bits video – thanks a lot for that! And of course we had a lot of fun too!
Letzte Woche war ich bei der tollen Menschenbildereröffnung in Judenburg dabei. Außerdem hielt ich gleich zwei Vorträge über den Kollodium-Nassplattenprozess und über meine Herangehensweise beim Porträtieren mit diesem historischen Verfahren im Murtal Museum. Dabei hatte ich viel Spaß und lernte auch viele tolle Menschen kennen. Judenburg ist immer einen Besuch wert, neben den Menschenbildern und dem Museum gibt es auch noch das schöne Puchmuseum und den beeindruckenden Sternenturm zu sehen. Danke an Heinz Mitteregger, Karoline Straner und Philipp Odelga für die Fotos von mir. Zusätzlich nochmal Danke für die Einladung!
Last week I was at the amazing Human Pictures (Menschenbilder) exhibition in Judenburg . Additionally I had two talks about the collodion wet plate process and how I approach my portraits with this technique in the Murtal Museum. I had so much fun there and met so many great people. If you are in Austria, you will like you visit in Judenburg, Beside the Museum and the current exhibition, you can visit the Puchmuseum and the planetarium Sternenturm. Thanks a lot to Heinz Mitteregger, Karoline Straner and Philipp Odelga for the photographs of myself. Also thanks a lot for the invitation.
Meine Kollodium Nassplatte von Paul ist mit den Menschenbildern nach Neunkirchen gewandert. Hinfahren und ansehen, es gibt dort viele tolle Bilder zu sehen. An dieser Stelle möchte ich mich sehr herzlich bei der Innung der Niederösterreichischen Berufsfotografen für Organisation der Menschenbilder bedanken.
Termine der Menschenbilderausstellung: 17. Juli 2020 – St. Pölten 16. September 2020 – Neunkirchen 16. April 2021 – Stockerau 4. Juni 2021 – Armschlag
The humane picture exhibition including my wet plate of Paul moved to Neunkirchen here in Austria. This is only possible because of our professional photography association – Thanks a lot for organizing such great contests/exhibitions!
upcoming dates and locations for the exhibition: 17. Juli 2020 – St. Pölten 16. September 2020 – Neunkirchen 16. April 2021 – Stockerau 4. Juni 2021 – Armschlag
A different kind of corona project where I explored a nearby forrest. I had time to capture a duck, snails and a swan family. More in the video and the gallery.
They are getting bigger and bigger (video from yesterday):
Bei meinem letzten Kollodium Nassplattenworkshop haben wir eine “Tribute to Borut” Nassplatte erstellt und sonst gab es auch viel Spaß. Mehr dazu im Video und in der Gallery. Um einen Nassplattenworkshop zu buchen, kontaktiert mich hier: http://www.markus-hofstaetter.at/pages/kontakt/
During my recent collodion wet plate workshop we did a “Tribute to Borut” wet plate. You can see in the video and gallery that we had lots of fun during the workshop and also when we made the tribute plate. Contact me here for a workshop: http://www.markus-hofstaetter.at/pages/kontakt/
Für einen kommenden Auftrag habe ich mir ein Ross Xpress 5″ (127mm) F4 Weitwinkelobjektiv bei www.wetplatedreams.com gekauft. Welches ich natürlich vor dem ersten Einsatz testen mußte 🙂 Der Bildkreis des Objektivs deckt knapp 18x24cm ab und somit ergibt das bei einem Cropfaktor von ca. 0,15 19mm auf Kleinbild gerechnet. Ziemlich cool für ein Großformatobjektiv mit Blende 4.0.
I needed a wide angle large format lens for an upcoming assignment. I got myself a Ross Xpress 5″ (127mm) F4 Wide Angle lens from www.wetplatedreams.com . As you can imagine, I had to test it before using it at the assignment. The lens was made for 13x18cm plates, but it also covers 18×24 with a slight vignette. The crop factor on 18x24cm is about 0,15 and that makes it a 19mm lens compared to full frame. Pretty cool for a F4.0 lens right?
