Shopping

That's right, I finally went shopping for more supplies.  The closest place (that I know of) that carries good quality paper is in Atlanta.  Even that is 2 hours away from me :(  I just hate having to order things off of the internet because then I have to wait about 2 weeks for everything to get here, and on top of that shipping costs are horrible most of the time!

Anyway, I went to Sam Flax in Atlanta, GA to get some paper.  I am still in my experimental phase so I trying to find the best type of paper that will give me the look I want for my Cyanotypes.

This week I am going to test out my papers and hopefully pick my favorite so I can get this collection on a roll.
I have tested (and only had access to) 4 types of paper: Rives BFK, Strathmore Drawing, Canson Drawing, and Arches Platine.  Out of those 4, the Arches Platine is by far my favorite.  The Arches Platine allows the image to show depth unlike Rives BFK which loses just about all mid-tones.

All of these prints are Toned Cyanotypes

Rives BFK - I like the color of the toned prints and regular Cyano but I don't like the dullness and flatness of the image

Strathmore Drawing - the paper tears too easily

Arches Platine - I love the color that this paper tones to and it holds the image very well

Canson Drawing - My LEAST favorite (of course the cheapest paper too)

Those prints were my very first experimental set - I took the same negative (in this case an Ortho Film Negative) and exposed each paper in the light box for the same amount of time.  Then toned each Cyanotype in the exact same manner.  It is amazing to me how each paper causes a different chemical effect. I love it!

Here are two of my more recent works:

Cyanotype on Arches Platine

Toned Cyanotype on Arches Platine - this one turned out very well.  I love the color

For both of those I used digital negatives that I made using Pictorico OHP Film.

Tomorrow I am planning on printing out new digital negatives and then coating a lot of paper so I can test out my new purchases :)

Hidden Meaning

All of my professors keep telling me to find the 'hidden meaning', the true message, of my photography.  Deep down I know that I know the message I am trying to convey through my images, but I am scared to expose myself.  I know that I will have to stand up in front of all the Art Faculty, students, my friends, and family on the opening night of my exhibition, come December, and explain my works to them.  On that night, pretty much everyone that means something to me will know my deepest secret, my greatest fear & fault.  I don't know if I am ready for that.  I don't know how to prepare myself for that.  I do not like talking about my feelings.
That is why I make art! To portray my faults, hopes, fears, dreams, and ambitions in a not so revealing manner.

Father's Day is coming up.  I went to PostSecret's Blog and looked at the postcards sent in about Dads.

PostSecret Postcard

My Father and I when I was 1½ yrs old

Eh, stupid I know. Things happen.  People change...I have changed because of it.

I have to drive to go see him tomorrow so I should probably get some shut eye.

Dust

I can honestly say that I do not like dust. At all.

From 5pm-2:15am, I have been sitting in front of this computer removing little specs of dust and other unknown spots from my scanned in negatives.  In addition to that, I was adjusting the levels and curves of every photo.  As of right now, I am completely satisfied and finished with 81 negatives.  I still have to scan around 80 negatives (give or take a few crappy pictures).  After I get all those in I will have a total of around 180 negatives to remove dust from and do other fun stuff to.
And yet, I just want to go out and take more pictures.  I don't know why I am saying that like taking more pictures is a bad thing, because that is honestly what I need to be doing to learn more.  When I can actually get out and just escape from everything and everyone is when I feel the most 'in the zone'.  Having my camera in my hands allows me to forget everything and simply focus on my subject(s).  It is like a mini vacation :)

Enough deep thought for me tonight, my brain is mush from all of my Photoshopping tonight.  Here are my top 5 favorite images out of the 81 I played with tonight.  Let me know your thoughts please.

*All of these were taken using 35mm Kodak Professional Tri-X 400 film 

Chicago outside my sister's apartment

Bartram Forest - Milledgeville, GA

Burned down structure in Talbotton, GA

Located in the neighborhood where my sister lives in Chicago

Bartram Forest - Milledgeville, GA

Dreams

My grandparents are selling their house and it makes me really sad.  The thought of someone else living in that house doesn't appeal to me at all. It would be awesome if my sister our someone else on the family could buy the house.
Anyway, we were talking and if she could get a loan to get the house we would turn the downstairs into the creative studio. I would make a dark room, my brother would have his painting studio, and my sister would have herself a place to write.

Of what a dream that would be...

What do people think when they look at my images?  Do they get the same feeling that I get?

I don't want someone to say "O, this is such a pretty picture" and that be the only thing they say about it.  Explain to me in words, out loud, what you are thinking.  Even if it sounds completely stupid, I want to know.  I feel like the most important type of criticism for me right now would be in that form.  I feel as though I am in the stage of experimentation anyway so in a sense, I don't need/want people to criticize the form, contrast, and such of my images.  I simply want them to tell me what they feel and think of when they stare into one of my images.  What deeper meaning do they think of?

Here is one for y'all to get started on...

Be honest, I need some direction and insight on what my photographs bring to people.

Kodak 400TX B&W 120 film

Side note: all of my images are Photographed, Developed, and Processed by me.  I only use film and do not use photoshop for any 'special effects'.

finally

After so many years of my siblings, and basically everyone else in the world, having a blog, I have decided to create one.  I figured that typing out my thoughts and ideas would be helpful in the long run when it comes to forming my exhibition that I am having in December.  A lot of the posts will probably be random...much like my thought process actually.
More to come after I get some shut eye.