NEWSLETTER # 9
Leaves on rippling water. Limited Edition of 50 only. Signed and including a Certificate of Authenticity.
Get it here: Leaves on rippling waters
Hello
Newsletter number nine already in just 1 year and 3 months or so. That is one newsletter every 7 weeks, give or take. That seems like the right frequency to me, and hopefully, you agree!
First news today concerns my last newsletter. In that newsletter, I told you about my new article “The Inside Out Photograph”, and the news today is for you to forget about that one!
Sometimes (all the time?) you have to be your own worst critic, and this critic told me that my last article was no good. I reread it, and it was just too long, too chaotic, too detailed, too unorganized, and too this and too that. In short, it was bad. I scrapped it and rewrote the whole darn thing. I also changed the title to “The Invisible Picture”. It’s a hint at the big picture and that part of photography that you can’t see in an image—feelings and emotions. It was a difficult subject, but I managed to put a few things on paper anyway.
It is a lot shorter now and much more organized. I think you can actually read it now without getting a headache. You might nod your head now, or even smile a little, from time to time. Read it here: The Invisible Picture
If you like it, feel free to leave a comment, if not, email me. 🙂
All that talking about writing brings me to the second big news I have for you. Well, it’s more for me than for you, but I would love to share it with you.
There is a new magazine on the market about alternative photographic processes, and it has my name on the cover.
Alternative photographic processes are the old-school processes the 19th and early 20th photographers used before the inventions of film, darkroom enlargers, and photographic papers, and all that other modern stuff we know today. These processes go back to the earliest days of photography. Photographers had to make their own emulsions and light sensitive inks. They photographed on glass or tin plates, for example. To print these images, they had to make their own inks from light sensitive materials and chemicals. Some of you might have experimented with Cyanotype in high school. Well, that is, what is called now, an Alternative Process. You can print with ordinary kosher salt, which was popular with the photographers of the wild wild west. You can even print with things from your kitchen pantry such as turmeric, vodka, and baking soda. It even has a fancy name: Anthotype.
There are dozens of techniques today that a growing number of photographers practice again. I am one of them, sort of. These practitioners value the art and craft of the old ways in much the same way as the original Arts and Crafts Movement that started in the 1860s and which is still active.
Polaroid transfer
Polaroid Transfer was an alternative printing process I did back in the 90s until Polaroid stopped making the suitable film for the process. Prints are available here:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/polaroid-flowers-rudy-umans.html
Pinhole photography is also considered an alternative process, and most of you know how much I love pinhole photography. I haven’t done any printing yet, but I have been talking about it for a long time now, and the day I find the courage to get the brush out is getting very close.
This new magazine is about all of that. It is called “Obscura Craft”. It is published in Sweden and distributed all over the globe. The magazine is growing rapidly in popularity and rightfully so, it is high quality, and it is in print, which is rare nowadays. (also available as a digital copy)
If you want to subscribe or purchase a one-time copy, digital or in print, you can do that here: Obscura Craft
I tell you this because the founder got a hold of my article “The Revival of Pictorialism” (on my site here: LINK) and he loved it so much he wanted to publish it in the magazine. (He used the word “Wow”!) You can imagine I was tinkled pink! This person is a professional journalist and publicist, and he loves my writing. How cool is that? But wait, there is more….. He loved it so much, he asked me to become a staff writer. “The Revival of Pictorialism” will be in the November issue. The magazine is monthly, meaning all my imaginary fear of ever getting bored is down the drain! Not going to happen!
UPDATE: AFTER 3 MONTHS, I QUIT THIS JOB
The book projects I am working on will not be done now in time for Christmas and will roll over into next year. That is okay. It allows me some more time to make that even better.
Have fun, and until next time. Don’t hesitate to contact me any time if you have questions, problems, or just feel like bugging me! (Love to hear from you, and you never just bug me)
Rudy
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