Looking at one photograph at a time
Untitled (Entanglement #2) expired (1983) Illford FP4, photographed May 2023 copyright Douglas Stockdale – In my last article I discussed how using really, really expired 40 year old film might create some unexpected outcomes. In my tech notes, what I did not state was that this roll of black and white film was processed by... Continue Reading →
Illford FP4, expired June 1983, photographed May 2023 copyright Douglas Stockdale - When I recently wrote about embracing unexpected outcomes with my expired film, the photograph I featured was from a roll of very old 120 FujiChrome 100F. A recently used roll of Illford Black and White 120 FP4 film that I exposed earlier this... Continue Reading →
Untitled (Camouflage) expired 120 film, solar cyanotype, 2023 copyright Douglas Stockdale - Camouflage is used by the military with any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment. Also it is a process to hide by making objects hard to see, or disguising them as something else, to blend into the surroundings. A continuation of my... Continue Reading →
Untitled (Entanglement), Solar Cyanotype, Expired film, 2023 copyright Douglas Stockdale - Asking the question: Can a multi-decade old, decommissioned WWII/Korean War practice bombing range be representative of historical social issues that are current today in America? I have started to investigate this question using both expired 120 film and solar cyanotype prints. The expired (120)... Continue Reading →
California Sycamore, Spring (#2224) 2023 copyright Douglas Stockdale - The first time I wrote about this California Sycamore, above, using the original digital photograph, I had cropped it tighter to create an 8 x 10" image on the 11 x 14" cotton rag. That image of this composition was also posted as a digital black &... Continue Reading →
California Sycamore, Fall (#2399) copyright 2007/2023 Douglas Stockdale - When I started experimenting with making solar cyanotypes last year, I somewhat arbitrarily started printing on an 11 x 14" sheet of rag, since the 11 x 14" printing frame was relatively inexpensive, a pre-coated 11 x 14" cyanotype paper was easily available and using a... Continue Reading →
California Sycamore, Spring, Fog (Into the Woods), 2007/2023 copyright Douglas Stockdale - When I first encountered the very old California Sycamore trees in Trabuco Arroyo that runs thru O'Neill Park, I found that it was kinda of strange in how these trees over the years and years essentially have 'laid down', but then keep extending... Continue Reading →
31 step wedge & Nextav 3A photo copyright Douglas Stockdale Last December I had written an article about using a Zone system gray card to determine my solar cyanotype exposure times as a means to obtain the Dmax (Maximum Darkness, e.g. blackest tonalities) for my solar cyanotype printing process. I have actually moved on from... Continue Reading →
Untitled (Gardening For Ordnance series) 2023 copyright Douglas Stockdale A couple of days ago, I wrote an article about the need to embrace unexpected outcomes when solar printing cyanotype prints. So imagine my surprise when last night I obtained the film scan results from a lens test while using some of last reserves of expire... Continue Reading →
Sycamore, Fog, Spring copyright 2007/2023 Douglas Stockdale One of the things I am adapting with my solar cyanotype printing, perhaps common to most alternative photographic processes, is to embrace unexpected outcomes. As a scientist, this aspect of alternative photography has been the most vexing. Way back when learning the Zone system, it was always about... Continue Reading →
Singular Images 