This photograph was taken on the upper floor of a Shaker residence in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. The Shaker village has been restored and serves as a living museum. A wonderful place to visit.
Right away I felt something about this photograph, I've just completed a room in my house and though it took too long to do I've been able to apply some of the old world craftsmanship. The direct simplicity of the Shakers is unmistakable. I used to go to the woodworking shows, the huge professional exhibits held in Atlanta and Anaheim alternate years. I would meet and talk with Norm Abram each time, he loved the Shaker craftsmanship and their ethic of working as I do.
I very much like your photograph and appreciate it for the craftsmanship you put into it and the subject, one that I can identify with.
If it is not a secret recipe, I would love to hear your selenium and thiocarbamide toning process. This print and the Chicago Cultural Center series are really enhanced / brought to life by the toning.
Thank you all for your nice comments. The Shaker village at Pleasant Hill is a marvelous place to visit if you get a chance. The beautiful simplicity and cleanliness of lines, as well as the obvious care in craftsmanship, is tremendously appealing to me. On the other hand, the Shakers' adherence to strict celibacy...
If you do visit for photography, be forwarned that no tripods are allowed inside unless arrangements are made in advance.
mhanc- no secret recipe involved. Normal developing and processing, followed by selenium toning (1:9 dilution) and a thorough wash. Partial bleaching with a dilute potassium ferricyanide/potassium bromide solution, brief wash and then redevelopment in the thiocarbamide toner (thiourea/sodium hydoxide solution). Check out Tim Rudman's book for an excellent description of this and many other toning techniques.