2008 Texas Area Alt Process (and stuff) get together II

[photomc]

I'm currently at home horizontal in bed pumped full of muscle relaxers and unable to drive due to muscle spasms in my back so I don't think I'll be able to make it :-(

Bummer Hope you feel better soon.

 

[schrochem]

Just finished loading the truck with photo gear (the whole back end....). Tomorrow I need to load up camping provisions and then my son and I are off to Guadalupe State park. Maybe I'll bump into some of y'all then. Anything happening Friday night?
Looking forward to saturday. I REALLY wish I could stay longer but duty calls and I have to get my son to a soccer game.....

 

[photomc]

Hey Scott, there are a few of us (matt,david and I) heading that way in the morning - hope to run into you there.

BTW - anyone headed out this weekend, be sure to watch out for deer...they are all over and tend to run in front of you. Saw some this evening just south of New Bruanfels, 2 across the road and then 2 more right behind them..can be fun, but can scare the devil out of you when you aren't expecting them.

 

[rbender]

I will be camping at Guadalupe River S.P. also. I should be setting up camp in the late afternoon Fri. I don't know anyone yet, but I will look for any suspicious characters with large view cameras and tripods If I don't see you then I will see you Sat.

Robert

 

[schrochem]

Maybe I'll bump into you robert.
I've only met Matt so I don't know anyone either!
Looking forward to having some fun.

 

[photomc]

Well, the gathering was very nice...sure Matt will post his thoughts when he recovers from the past couple of days. There must have 20-25 good people show up, and there was some very good work shown. A special Thank You to Matt's parents for hosting everyone, and to Matt and Scott for the wet plate demos.

There were some new friends made, and old friends missed ... hope everyone had a great time.

 

[schrochem]

Mike it was a pleasure meeting you and a lot of other great folks. James and I made it to the soccer game in time so I fulfilled that responsibility! I wish I could have spent more time there to chat some more with everyone and see everyone's work and processes.
I also want to thank Matt and his parents for letting us do this at there home. It was a beautiful place and a wonderful day (and also to congratulate them on a being new grandparents!). Oh and Mike, that's a nice day to have a birthday!
It was certainly my pleasure to share the wet plate plate process with more people. It's something I truly love to do and letting others see how it works it's always a lot of fun. Perhaps next time we can get people pouring plates and getting there hands black!
Oh, and mike that is an outstanding camera you have! I'm still blown away by how light it is.

 

[photomc]

Thanks Scott, and good to hear you and James (a very excellent young man) made it to the soccer game. Was really surprised there were so few APUG folks that showed up..Several from the Large Format Forum and a strong showing from the Austin Alt Process group were there. Would say you and Matt were a hit though, everyone (including a couple of distinguished guest from Santa Fe - Bostick and Sullivan) were interested in the demo you guys did.

 

[scootermm]

Thanks for the kind words about the Texas Shindig.
It seemed to go pretty darn well.
Good time meeting some new people, getting to see ALOT of new and really impressive work, seeing familiar faces, and even helping scott with the collodion demo.
Big thank you to scott for all his help with the wet plate demo (and all the equip he loaned me).
Also, thank you to Mark Hall (not sure if he's an APUGer) for letting me use his "Company Photographer" darkbox.
Hope that people enjoyed the get together, and hope they enjoyed the wet plate demo... especially my really efficient demo of how incredibly finnicky and unpredictable wet plate can be. David Brown's portrait had some crazing bronzing I still can't figure out.

Big thank you to Mike's wife Deb. She was an immense help.

Really enjoyed getting to finally meet Melody and Dick from Bostick & Sullivan. Nice of them to come all the way over from Santa Fe.

Thanks to everyone for attending and hope we can continue to have these get togethers.
I really enjoyed it and had a great time.

 

[scootermm]

Also, here are a few of the plates made on friday at Guadalupe River State Park and on sat morn at my parent's house.

GRSP:

Canyon Lake (parents house):

 

[pdoyle]

Matt,
I would like to add my thanks to you and your parents for you gracious hospitality. I could not imagine a better location for the gathering. Also you & Scott were most informative and entertaining with your wet plate demos! I especially enjoyed getting to meet so many like-minded (ie obsessed) people. The great work shown, the food, the conversation, etc could not have been better.
As Paul and I drive back to Dallas we talked about how we could not wait to start shooting some more and get back in the darkroom. This get together was most inspiring!

Thanks again for all of your hard work,
Pat

 

[Venchka]

Matt,

Thanks again! Thanks again to your parents. Thanks to everyone who made the day a success!

David,

Thanks for the conversation, encouragement and the film! I used it yesterday around Gruene and in the Guadelupe River. I'm looking forward to seeing the negatives.

Mike,

Thanks for the help on alt. processes. No thanks for bringing the wonderful new Ritter 8x10. I may be ruined forever. No worries. There is a lot of Mr. Ritter in my wee Zone VI 4x5 camera.

I'm already looking forward to meeting y'all again.

Cheers!

Wayne

 

[David Brown]

Hey, everyone! Wife and I are back at home and recovering (we were in the Hill Country all week and were actually pretty shot by Saturday ). Great to meet some apuggers, LF forum folks, Austin alt processers and assorted others. Alas, I did not actually meet everyone, and only after leaving did I discover (from my wife) that there was a German and a Norwegian there! I should have mingled more ...

I was also surprised and pleased at how many from Dallas came down, including from my own neighborhood! "It's a small world after all ..."

Here are some evil snaps: (L to R)

• Mike showing his prints
• Matt showing his prints
• Some guy showing his ...
• Mike and Matt at the Guadalupe River (Matt in the water, Mike's new Ritter)
• Matt and his Dad having their wetplate portrait made by Scott
• My Canon Elph wishing it was Matt's 12x20

 

[Venchka]

I did learn two things on Saturday...

Never never ever ever...

Pick up a Richard Ritter 8x10 camera.
Look at the image projected by a 355mm G-Claron lens on the ground glass of a Folmer & Schwing 12x20 camera.

Amazing stuff.

I'm ready for Alt Process Get Together III. I promise I will bring prints next time. They will make everyone elses's prints look so much better.

 

[rbender]

I just got back home myself. Took the round about way from the Sat. get together to Mustang Island and a few stops on the way back to Dallas taking photos along the way. I ran across a few churches along the way and thought of those in the Church Group.
Matt it was a great shindig, Thank you, your parents and all who helped. Lots of good people, great photos, and photo conversation, the best kind. Look forward to the next shindig.
One BIG thing I came away with from this was a renewed respect for those who choose anything with a bellows as there weapon of choice to take pictures. The other weapons are challenging but, upside down, backwards, 7x11, 12x20, 4lbs lenses, only shooting 4 sheets in a day.

David pm me if you want to get a coffee sometime at the neighborhood coffee shop (Starbucks). Let me know if any of you locals are getting together.

Thanks again,

Robert

 

[photomc]

Hope you had a good trip down to the coast Robert, it was a pleasure seeing your work (you guys have no idea what you missed).

Wayne & Wes, it was good to put faces to the names, and a pleasure to meet you as well - you guys have to promise to bring your work next time.

 

[Venchka]

Wes brought work. Good work too.

I'm still in shy, overly self critical, stumbling, bumbling, hiding my work mode.

I promise. Next time I'll bring samples.

Wayne

 

[schrochem]

I really wish I could have spent the whole day there and had more time to look at others work. It was a hectic day for me and hauling ass back to austin for the soccer game was something I had to do....
I didn't take any digital pics or have any plates left to show so I can't help in that regard.
I hope some of y'all liked seeing what wet plate was all about and perhaps you'll get wet someday!

 

[pdoyle]

Here are a few pics of Matt and Scott doing their wet plate demo.

• Matt cleans his glass plate as Dick & Robert look on
• Matt pours collodian on the plate
• Scott shows us some screw-ups
• Scott discusses color reproduction in wet plate

It was all quite fascinating and great fun!

Pat

 

[photomc]

• Matt cleans his glass plate as Mike & Robert look on
• Matt pours collodian on the plate
• Scott shows us some screw-ups
• Scott discusses color reproduction in wet plate

Pat

It was great to meet you and Paul, Pat...one correction though..the first photo has Dick Sullivan (of Bostick & Sullivan) and Robert looking on.

I can wish I knew as much about alt process as Dick.

 

[schrochem]

Om my.
I had no idea I was so photogenic!!

ha!