Info regarding prints exhibited at the Oassabaw Artists' Collective exhibit
Background Info regarding Russ Regnery’s Photographs exhibited at the Lyndon House Arts Center
Image capture and processing: The images of my photographs in this exhibit are all (with two exceptions as noted) captured with large format (either 5”x7” or 8”x10”) black and white negatives (either Kodak Tmax 400 or Efke 100). These large negatives require use of classic view camera technology such as used by many of my favorite photographers of the last two or three generations (think Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, or Clyde Butcher). Each negative was custom developed to specifications based on the original subject brightness range (contrast).
The exposed and developed large format negatives were scanned with a graphics arts scanner (Creo Eversmart Pro II) at highest possible resolution, producing very large digital files (e.g., 2 gigabytes). The files were then carefully ‘groomed’ for any possible digital or analog artifacts (e.g., flecks of dust) using computer software. The digitized images were also carefully analyzed for possible opportunities to enhance contrast control, and to ‘dodge’ and ‘burn’, in a digital process very analogous to classic photographic printing but with the caveat that it is possible to edit with much greater precision than was possible in the past.
Image Printing: My images in this exhibit were printed either of two ways with one important exception (see Figured Wood description below). The first method was to print them with an Epson 3880 printer using a Ultrachrome K3 pigment inks set to the “Advanced Black and White” mode and using Epson Exhibition Fiber Based paper. This combination of long-lived pigment inks and highest quality baryta-based paper produces beautiful, long-lived prints very analogous to classic silver-gelatin photographic prints…it is difficult to visually tell a difference.
The second method of printing is much more involved but circles back towards classic processes once again. An enlarged “Precision Digital Negative” of the original negative was printed on special transparency film (Pictorico Pro High Gloss White) using the same Epson printer mentioned above. This approximately 11”x14” digital negative was then used to contact print a positive image back to traditional silver-gelatin photographic emulsion (Ilford Galerie #2 grade, fiber-based, double-weight paper). The developed silver-gelatin prints were then toned with selenium for archival permanence and further carefully processed to archival standards.
Image presentation: Comparable images from both sets of pigment and silver-gelatin printing processes were compared for visual print quality. Those silver-gelatin images which met or exceeded visual comparison with pigment print images were selected for exhibition. And conversely, those images which had better visual print quality when printed with pigment inks were selected for exhibition. This explains why there are typically two different references to print type associated with my photographs.
Both silver-gelatin and pigment prints, selected for exhibit, have been dry mounted on pH neutral 4 ply mat board (Rising Bright White) using rag-based archival dry mount tissue (Bienfag) and the images are signed on the mat board next to the tissue. There has long been some difference of opinion regarding the desirability of considering the mat board as a permanent element of a photograph. It is my opinion that a print, properly processed and matted with archival materials, is generally far more robust and ‘safe’ than an unmated, free-floating print. A hinged-only print is extremely delicate and can only be handled safely outside of a frame only with the greatest of care. Similarly a print that is not dry-mounted has no assurance of remaining flat even within a frame. I subscribe to Ansel Adams’ philosophy that if you process and dry mount a photograph properly to begin with, there should be no further need for future modification; i.e., incompletely processed photographs are those that are candidates for hypothetical re-matting at some future time. Dry-mounting a photograph also permits the artist’s signature to be a permanent element of a photograph, adding to the image’s authenticity and provenance. This is in the tradition of Adams and Weston and has been a part of my practice for many years.
All of my images in the Lyndon House Arts Center exhibit also have custom cut ‘window’ mats (again, archival quality Rising pH neutral 4 ply) and the images are framed in Nielson frames. Each frame adds a substantial cost to each photograph. I understand that someone wishing to purchase a print for their own presentation may prefer a different style of frame and purchasing a print without frame is of course a way to save on the original investment. Please contact me if you would prefer a print without a frame: (404) 558-1085 or [email protected].
Similarly, pigment print versions of the silver-gelatin images presented at this exhibit are also available and, since this process is much less intensive, such prints are considerably less expensive. Contact me as suggested above.
Individual Print narratives:
Witness Oaks, Smoke, 2009
Selenium toned, Silver-gelatin print, matted print size 16x20, $500
5x7 Rittreck view camera, Kodak Tmax 400 sheet film
The oaks and the north entrance to the Main Road (north-south) on Ossabaw Island are special. The road itself is said to be one of the oldest dirt roads in continuous operation in the U.S. (it is referenced as a Native American trail on some of the oldest existing maps). If you pace off the oaks along the roadside, as I have, it becomes apparent that they exist at regular intervals and hence were either likely planted by hand, or at least selected for growth in their current locations. The trees must have provided welcome shade to the road as far back as the Anebellum-plantation era, just as they do today. The nearby tabbies, originally built to house slaves, add poignancy to the trees’ shaded presence. When looking at the massive oaks near the north end of the road, one can’t help but wonder what these trees have witnessed.
On the day that this image of the oaks and road was made in 2009, there was a massive fire somewhere off to the west on the mainland. Smoke was drifting on an easterly breeze over the island. The veil of smoke among the trees helped to make the trees stand out from each other and helped create a feeling of depth. The road disappearing into the forest has an airy feeling. Typically, on most other occasions when I have looked down this same lane, the shaded lane starts off as very contrasty and becomes darker and darker as it disappears into the distance; quite a different effect.
Main House Detail, 2009
Selenium toned, Silver-gelatin print, matted print size 16x20, $500
Rittreck 5x7 camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
The architectural complexity of the 1920’s era Main House on Ossabaw Island stands in contrast to anything else currently on the island, however, it represents an important era of the island’s cultural history and future. I was intrigued with the beautiful, delicate spiral staircase and arches…even the small bell that hangs almost directly in the center of the image. The hint of a light within the darkened house lends a touch of mystery to the image, while reminding one that the house is still a home. I like to think the original architect, current and past residents, as well as the many visitors to the Main House, would appreciate this vignette of architectural creation and how the view camera enabled correction for apparent distortion by keeping upright lines parallel.
Antebellum Tabbies & Fog, 2009
Silver-gelatin print, matted print size 16x20, $500
Rittreck 5x7 view camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
The three tabbies, still standing together, are undoubtedly a most dramatic architectural reminder of Ossabaw Island’s plantation past. Tabby is of course a concrete-like material that derives much of its calcium composition from oyster and other seashells. Presumably most of these shells were ‘mined’ from Native American middens found on the island, so the components of these dwellings go even further back into the human history on the island. In addition to their Antebellum origin, these modest but very sturdy structures were ‘home’ to families for generations following emancipation. In recent years, there has been extensive archeological investigations relating to the tabbies and this effort has removed much of the shrubbery and additional lean-tos from around the structures as they appeared in the 1990’s, for example, when recent human occupation was more obvious.
On the morning this photograph was made, a high fog descended on the island; something I always am hoping might happen. I knew I wanted to photograph the tabbies from this perspective and I rushed to this spot to make the exposure.
1940 Pontiac “Torpedo Eight”, 2009
Selenium toned, Silver-gelatin print, matted print size 16x20, $500
Rittreck 5x7 view camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
Islands seem to encourage the accumulations of junk yards and Ossabaw Island is certainly a case in point. Of all the various decaying vehicles, this example retains a certain classic character, and remains one of my favorites. The hood ornaments and other obvious insignia appear to have long since disappeared. Recently, I thought to make a rubbing of a rusted metal plate (visible in the photo) that is attached to the firewall of the classic sedan. And the rubbing clearly revealed its identity as a 1940 Pontiac sedan, fondly nicknamed in that era as the Torpedo Eight for the long straight, eight-cylinder engine block . It was one of the last models of cars that Pontiac made prior to WWII. Presumably, this once very nice car belonged to the Torrey family when Ms. West’s parents owned the island.
Flotsam at Moonrise, 2011
K3 pigment print, matted print size 16x20, $400
Rittreck 5x7 view camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
After sunset and before sunrise are favorite times to photograph when the ratios between shadow and highlights are frequently diminished and the light is ‘soft’. On this occasion, our group had previously discussed the phenomenon of the sun setting and the full moon rising at approximately the same time and I was anticipating the moons rise. I was attracted to the interplay of foreground and meandering marsh waters. Although the moon appeared over the horizon further to the north than I had originally anticipated, I still find the overall composition pleasing. Note the slightly elongated shape of the rising moon during the course of the long exposure and its subtle reflection in the creek.
Cane Patch Causeway, 2011
Selenium toned, Silver-gelatin print, matted print size 16x20, $500
Rittreck 5x7 view camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
The Cane Patch causeway connects the main part of Osssabaw to one of many smaller islands. Cane Patch Island is the home of probably the largest nearby Native American shell midden. The long causeway and the small bridge, which permits the tide to come and go, appears to have a very old history, judging by the remnants of old pilings. Perhaps the causeway allowed access to the midden during Colonial and Antebellum times when shells were critical for building tabbies and even for making raised causeways themselves. The island and the causeway remain favorite destinations and visual subjects, however, unless repairs are made soon, the little bridge’s days appear numbered as recent higher tides have threatened its permanence.
This photograph was made as the sun was setting behind me and when the marsh often takes on a glow of its own.
Turtle Town Marsh Panorama, 2011
K3 pigment print, matted print size 10x23, $400
Nikon D-200
Turtle Town is a nickname for a relatively unvisited area of the island where it is said that seasonal sea turtle technicians camped at one point within relatively recent history. This is frequently an idyllic spot to look out over the marshes, especially near sunset. It is one of the places one gets a feeling for the expanse of marshland that is so important to the ecology of the island and the coast in general.
This image is one of two digital capture images I have included in this exhibit. This image is a composite of seven sequential exposures.
Crepuscular Rays, 2011
K3 pigment print, matted print size 16x20, $400
Nikon D-200
This is the second of two of my digital capture images in the exhibit. The sun’s crepuscular rays, beaming through a transient morning fog were clearly not going to wait for me to run back to the building where we stay and return with my view camera and tripod so I made a hand-held exposure with the camera I had with me (note to self: never leave your view camera behind!). The little building to the left is referred to as the ‘smoke house’; part of the smoke house is tabby and includes a brick extension (visible in this image) presumably from a later era. The dirt track and the hint of the fence line that parallels all of the tabbies in this area of the island are significant visual features of this image.
Evening Low Tide, 2011
K3 pigment print, matted print size 16x20, $400
Rittreck 5x7 camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
Mud and almost perfectly quiet low water (with just a hint of a breeze) may not seem like dramatic visual subject matter, however, for me interplay of marsh, almost still water, and tree-lined shore conveys the peaceful, expansive feeling of an evening low tide near Middle Place, one of the three original plantation sites on Ossabaw Island
Oak at Pond’s Edge, 2012
K3 pigment print, matted print size 16x20, $400
Deardorf 8x10 camera, Efke 100 sheet film
This image and the next were both made with a film, no longer available, that was sensitive to infrared light waves. Other wavelengths of light are filtered out with an almost opaque dark red filter (#72) which, combined with an already slow speed film, requires quite long exposures (e.g., measured in minutes). The infrared light is reflected and transmitted differentially from the foliage of various plants; palmettos, for example, almost glow, helping to emphasize the form of the over-arching live oak tree.
Palms and Pond’s Edge, 2012
K3 pigment print, matted print size 16x20, $400
Deardorf 8x10 camera, Efke 100 sheet film
This image is a companion piece to the Oaks at Pond’s Edge mentioned above. The infrared rendition can occasionally emphasize local contrast that would have been lost with an exposure utilizing more of the spectrum. In this infrared image, for example, the palmetto fronds contribute to a rather ethereal feeling which otherwise would have largely merged together into an otherwise largely uninteresting dark mass (if a full spectrum had been used).
Figured Wood, 2013
Carbon-transfer print, matted print size 18x22, NFS
Deardorf 8x10 camera, Efke 100 sheet film
The South Beach area of Ossabaw Island is renowned for the ‘bone yard’ of dead trees that are eroding from the south-east tip of the island and which remain for many years as sculptures on an otherwise expansive beach. This is not to say that the dead trees don’t move around; last year’s high tides have significantly rearranged the entire bone yard. This image relates to the underside of a mat of tree roots that are now exposed to the sun. Figured wood is something an understatement for what is going on in this image which was made with the same Efke 8x10 film as the last two images discussed, but this time without filtration to emphasize the infrared spectrum.
The print on display was made as a collaborative effort with Dr. Sandy King, another of the OAC participants and one of the world’s experts in the carbon-transfer printing method. This classic 19th century printing method involves making a photo-sensitized layer of elemental carbon (e.g., India ink) and gelatin which is sandwiched with a large negative (a digital negative in this example) and then exposed to an ultraviolet light source (which could even be the sun). Carbon prints are unique in that, unlike any other photographic print methodology, they can exhibit a subtle three-dimensional ‘relief’ due to differential build up of carbon in darker areas of the print. Look at this print from off to one side and find the relief! Such prints are truly hand crafted, one of kind photographic images. My sincere thanks to Sandy King for offering to help print this image with carbon; see additional examples of carbon-transfer images that Sandy has exhibited in this same show.
Prints of the same subject can of course also be made with either pigment inks or silver-gelatin emulsions as previously discussed.
Russ Regnery
[email protected]
(404) 558-1085
Image capture and processing: The images of my photographs in this exhibit are all (with two exceptions as noted) captured with large format (either 5”x7” or 8”x10”) black and white negatives (either Kodak Tmax 400 or Efke 100). These large negatives require use of classic view camera technology such as used by many of my favorite photographers of the last two or three generations (think Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, or Clyde Butcher). Each negative was custom developed to specifications based on the original subject brightness range (contrast).
The exposed and developed large format negatives were scanned with a graphics arts scanner (Creo Eversmart Pro II) at highest possible resolution, producing very large digital files (e.g., 2 gigabytes). The files were then carefully ‘groomed’ for any possible digital or analog artifacts (e.g., flecks of dust) using computer software. The digitized images were also carefully analyzed for possible opportunities to enhance contrast control, and to ‘dodge’ and ‘burn’, in a digital process very analogous to classic photographic printing but with the caveat that it is possible to edit with much greater precision than was possible in the past.
Image Printing: My images in this exhibit were printed either of two ways with one important exception (see Figured Wood description below). The first method was to print them with an Epson 3880 printer using a Ultrachrome K3 pigment inks set to the “Advanced Black and White” mode and using Epson Exhibition Fiber Based paper. This combination of long-lived pigment inks and highest quality baryta-based paper produces beautiful, long-lived prints very analogous to classic silver-gelatin photographic prints…it is difficult to visually tell a difference.
The second method of printing is much more involved but circles back towards classic processes once again. An enlarged “Precision Digital Negative” of the original negative was printed on special transparency film (Pictorico Pro High Gloss White) using the same Epson printer mentioned above. This approximately 11”x14” digital negative was then used to contact print a positive image back to traditional silver-gelatin photographic emulsion (Ilford Galerie #2 grade, fiber-based, double-weight paper). The developed silver-gelatin prints were then toned with selenium for archival permanence and further carefully processed to archival standards.
Image presentation: Comparable images from both sets of pigment and silver-gelatin printing processes were compared for visual print quality. Those silver-gelatin images which met or exceeded visual comparison with pigment print images were selected for exhibition. And conversely, those images which had better visual print quality when printed with pigment inks were selected for exhibition. This explains why there are typically two different references to print type associated with my photographs.
Both silver-gelatin and pigment prints, selected for exhibit, have been dry mounted on pH neutral 4 ply mat board (Rising Bright White) using rag-based archival dry mount tissue (Bienfag) and the images are signed on the mat board next to the tissue. There has long been some difference of opinion regarding the desirability of considering the mat board as a permanent element of a photograph. It is my opinion that a print, properly processed and matted with archival materials, is generally far more robust and ‘safe’ than an unmated, free-floating print. A hinged-only print is extremely delicate and can only be handled safely outside of a frame only with the greatest of care. Similarly a print that is not dry-mounted has no assurance of remaining flat even within a frame. I subscribe to Ansel Adams’ philosophy that if you process and dry mount a photograph properly to begin with, there should be no further need for future modification; i.e., incompletely processed photographs are those that are candidates for hypothetical re-matting at some future time. Dry-mounting a photograph also permits the artist’s signature to be a permanent element of a photograph, adding to the image’s authenticity and provenance. This is in the tradition of Adams and Weston and has been a part of my practice for many years.
All of my images in the Lyndon House Arts Center exhibit also have custom cut ‘window’ mats (again, archival quality Rising pH neutral 4 ply) and the images are framed in Nielson frames. Each frame adds a substantial cost to each photograph. I understand that someone wishing to purchase a print for their own presentation may prefer a different style of frame and purchasing a print without frame is of course a way to save on the original investment. Please contact me if you would prefer a print without a frame: (404) 558-1085 or [email protected].
Similarly, pigment print versions of the silver-gelatin images presented at this exhibit are also available and, since this process is much less intensive, such prints are considerably less expensive. Contact me as suggested above.
Individual Print narratives:
Witness Oaks, Smoke, 2009
Selenium toned, Silver-gelatin print, matted print size 16x20, $500
5x7 Rittreck view camera, Kodak Tmax 400 sheet film
The oaks and the north entrance to the Main Road (north-south) on Ossabaw Island are special. The road itself is said to be one of the oldest dirt roads in continuous operation in the U.S. (it is referenced as a Native American trail on some of the oldest existing maps). If you pace off the oaks along the roadside, as I have, it becomes apparent that they exist at regular intervals and hence were either likely planted by hand, or at least selected for growth in their current locations. The trees must have provided welcome shade to the road as far back as the Anebellum-plantation era, just as they do today. The nearby tabbies, originally built to house slaves, add poignancy to the trees’ shaded presence. When looking at the massive oaks near the north end of the road, one can’t help but wonder what these trees have witnessed.
On the day that this image of the oaks and road was made in 2009, there was a massive fire somewhere off to the west on the mainland. Smoke was drifting on an easterly breeze over the island. The veil of smoke among the trees helped to make the trees stand out from each other and helped create a feeling of depth. The road disappearing into the forest has an airy feeling. Typically, on most other occasions when I have looked down this same lane, the shaded lane starts off as very contrasty and becomes darker and darker as it disappears into the distance; quite a different effect.
Main House Detail, 2009
Selenium toned, Silver-gelatin print, matted print size 16x20, $500
Rittreck 5x7 camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
The architectural complexity of the 1920’s era Main House on Ossabaw Island stands in contrast to anything else currently on the island, however, it represents an important era of the island’s cultural history and future. I was intrigued with the beautiful, delicate spiral staircase and arches…even the small bell that hangs almost directly in the center of the image. The hint of a light within the darkened house lends a touch of mystery to the image, while reminding one that the house is still a home. I like to think the original architect, current and past residents, as well as the many visitors to the Main House, would appreciate this vignette of architectural creation and how the view camera enabled correction for apparent distortion by keeping upright lines parallel.
Antebellum Tabbies & Fog, 2009
Silver-gelatin print, matted print size 16x20, $500
Rittreck 5x7 view camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
The three tabbies, still standing together, are undoubtedly a most dramatic architectural reminder of Ossabaw Island’s plantation past. Tabby is of course a concrete-like material that derives much of its calcium composition from oyster and other seashells. Presumably most of these shells were ‘mined’ from Native American middens found on the island, so the components of these dwellings go even further back into the human history on the island. In addition to their Antebellum origin, these modest but very sturdy structures were ‘home’ to families for generations following emancipation. In recent years, there has been extensive archeological investigations relating to the tabbies and this effort has removed much of the shrubbery and additional lean-tos from around the structures as they appeared in the 1990’s, for example, when recent human occupation was more obvious.
On the morning this photograph was made, a high fog descended on the island; something I always am hoping might happen. I knew I wanted to photograph the tabbies from this perspective and I rushed to this spot to make the exposure.
1940 Pontiac “Torpedo Eight”, 2009
Selenium toned, Silver-gelatin print, matted print size 16x20, $500
Rittreck 5x7 view camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
Islands seem to encourage the accumulations of junk yards and Ossabaw Island is certainly a case in point. Of all the various decaying vehicles, this example retains a certain classic character, and remains one of my favorites. The hood ornaments and other obvious insignia appear to have long since disappeared. Recently, I thought to make a rubbing of a rusted metal plate (visible in the photo) that is attached to the firewall of the classic sedan. And the rubbing clearly revealed its identity as a 1940 Pontiac sedan, fondly nicknamed in that era as the Torpedo Eight for the long straight, eight-cylinder engine block . It was one of the last models of cars that Pontiac made prior to WWII. Presumably, this once very nice car belonged to the Torrey family when Ms. West’s parents owned the island.
Flotsam at Moonrise, 2011
K3 pigment print, matted print size 16x20, $400
Rittreck 5x7 view camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
After sunset and before sunrise are favorite times to photograph when the ratios between shadow and highlights are frequently diminished and the light is ‘soft’. On this occasion, our group had previously discussed the phenomenon of the sun setting and the full moon rising at approximately the same time and I was anticipating the moons rise. I was attracted to the interplay of foreground and meandering marsh waters. Although the moon appeared over the horizon further to the north than I had originally anticipated, I still find the overall composition pleasing. Note the slightly elongated shape of the rising moon during the course of the long exposure and its subtle reflection in the creek.
Cane Patch Causeway, 2011
Selenium toned, Silver-gelatin print, matted print size 16x20, $500
Rittreck 5x7 view camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
The Cane Patch causeway connects the main part of Osssabaw to one of many smaller islands. Cane Patch Island is the home of probably the largest nearby Native American shell midden. The long causeway and the small bridge, which permits the tide to come and go, appears to have a very old history, judging by the remnants of old pilings. Perhaps the causeway allowed access to the midden during Colonial and Antebellum times when shells were critical for building tabbies and even for making raised causeways themselves. The island and the causeway remain favorite destinations and visual subjects, however, unless repairs are made soon, the little bridge’s days appear numbered as recent higher tides have threatened its permanence.
This photograph was made as the sun was setting behind me and when the marsh often takes on a glow of its own.
Turtle Town Marsh Panorama, 2011
K3 pigment print, matted print size 10x23, $400
Nikon D-200
Turtle Town is a nickname for a relatively unvisited area of the island where it is said that seasonal sea turtle technicians camped at one point within relatively recent history. This is frequently an idyllic spot to look out over the marshes, especially near sunset. It is one of the places one gets a feeling for the expanse of marshland that is so important to the ecology of the island and the coast in general.
This image is one of two digital capture images I have included in this exhibit. This image is a composite of seven sequential exposures.
Crepuscular Rays, 2011
K3 pigment print, matted print size 16x20, $400
Nikon D-200
This is the second of two of my digital capture images in the exhibit. The sun’s crepuscular rays, beaming through a transient morning fog were clearly not going to wait for me to run back to the building where we stay and return with my view camera and tripod so I made a hand-held exposure with the camera I had with me (note to self: never leave your view camera behind!). The little building to the left is referred to as the ‘smoke house’; part of the smoke house is tabby and includes a brick extension (visible in this image) presumably from a later era. The dirt track and the hint of the fence line that parallels all of the tabbies in this area of the island are significant visual features of this image.
Evening Low Tide, 2011
K3 pigment print, matted print size 16x20, $400
Rittreck 5x7 camera, Tmax 400 sheet film
Mud and almost perfectly quiet low water (with just a hint of a breeze) may not seem like dramatic visual subject matter, however, for me interplay of marsh, almost still water, and tree-lined shore conveys the peaceful, expansive feeling of an evening low tide near Middle Place, one of the three original plantation sites on Ossabaw Island
Oak at Pond’s Edge, 2012
K3 pigment print, matted print size 16x20, $400
Deardorf 8x10 camera, Efke 100 sheet film
This image and the next were both made with a film, no longer available, that was sensitive to infrared light waves. Other wavelengths of light are filtered out with an almost opaque dark red filter (#72) which, combined with an already slow speed film, requires quite long exposures (e.g., measured in minutes). The infrared light is reflected and transmitted differentially from the foliage of various plants; palmettos, for example, almost glow, helping to emphasize the form of the over-arching live oak tree.
Palms and Pond’s Edge, 2012
K3 pigment print, matted print size 16x20, $400
Deardorf 8x10 camera, Efke 100 sheet film
This image is a companion piece to the Oaks at Pond’s Edge mentioned above. The infrared rendition can occasionally emphasize local contrast that would have been lost with an exposure utilizing more of the spectrum. In this infrared image, for example, the palmetto fronds contribute to a rather ethereal feeling which otherwise would have largely merged together into an otherwise largely uninteresting dark mass (if a full spectrum had been used).
Figured Wood, 2013
Carbon-transfer print, matted print size 18x22, NFS
Deardorf 8x10 camera, Efke 100 sheet film
The South Beach area of Ossabaw Island is renowned for the ‘bone yard’ of dead trees that are eroding from the south-east tip of the island and which remain for many years as sculptures on an otherwise expansive beach. This is not to say that the dead trees don’t move around; last year’s high tides have significantly rearranged the entire bone yard. This image relates to the underside of a mat of tree roots that are now exposed to the sun. Figured wood is something an understatement for what is going on in this image which was made with the same Efke 8x10 film as the last two images discussed, but this time without filtration to emphasize the infrared spectrum.
The print on display was made as a collaborative effort with Dr. Sandy King, another of the OAC participants and one of the world’s experts in the carbon-transfer printing method. This classic 19th century printing method involves making a photo-sensitized layer of elemental carbon (e.g., India ink) and gelatin which is sandwiched with a large negative (a digital negative in this example) and then exposed to an ultraviolet light source (which could even be the sun). Carbon prints are unique in that, unlike any other photographic print methodology, they can exhibit a subtle three-dimensional ‘relief’ due to differential build up of carbon in darker areas of the print. Look at this print from off to one side and find the relief! Such prints are truly hand crafted, one of kind photographic images. My sincere thanks to Sandy King for offering to help print this image with carbon; see additional examples of carbon-transfer images that Sandy has exhibited in this same show.
Prints of the same subject can of course also be made with either pigment inks or silver-gelatin emulsions as previously discussed.
Russ Regnery
[email protected]
(404) 558-1085