The Mark and Marc trip to Photostock 2013...and beyond.

Bill Schwab has been hosting an annual gathering of film photographers in Northern Michigan near Harbor Springs for the past 7 years or so.  The gathering, Photostock ( a photographic Woodstock of sorts), originally took place in the woods at Bill's site SE of Cross Village. It became necessary to move most of the events to the Birchwood Inn N of Harbor Springs as the event became more multifaceted and the crowds grew. This year, part of the event was a christening of Bill's newly-built workshop building that was launched with funding from Kickstarter.  About 70 people showed up throughout the 3-day affair and like any annual event, it becomes a time to renew acquaintances and make new friends.
Getting ready to make the trip, I assembled my photographic gear...a few cameras (not shown are the additional lenses, tripods, etc., that also went).

My good friend Marc Akemann and I drove up to attend Photostock 2013 last Thursday, and along the way did what photographers do -- eat and shoot photos.  We drove up M-52 to Owosso aand then went W until we hit US-127 and took that to I-75 and then to Mackinaw City where we stayed for the thee nights of Photostock, as we did not make our plans early enough to get a room at the Birchwood Inn.   However, it all worked out pretty well, and we had a great time seeing everyone and talking about photography.  It's always a very good-natured crowd, and I always come away with having learned something new, and new contacts.

Marc and I did some night shooting, too, as we were able to get some images of the Mackinac Bridge at night in the fog.  Morning fog was pretty good, too, but the coffee quickly took care of that :). Oh, and the fog over the water was nice, as well.

Mighty Mac at Night

Mighty Mac in fog.
I shot extensively with my N90s abd N2000 cameras, my Rolleiflex, the Debonair, and my Olympus Pen E-PL1 (which accounts for most of the digital images here).  I have 19 rolls of film to process, so these digi shots will have to suffice for now.  Having said that, the CCTV lens on my Olympus Pen really gave me a look that I like, especially at Fayette State Park.  I am posting a few shots of our Photostock trip here, but it's easier to go to the set on Flickr for all of them.

 Checking out Jamie Young's amazing prints from his panoramic cameras.  They really are quite spectacular. Jamie gave an engrossing presentation on the history of panoramic photography Friday night at the Birchwood Inn.

Marc (L) and Mark (R) at Wilderness State Park.  I was amazed to find that my cheap smartphone had a self-timer for the camera.  We spent a lot of time in Emmet County, and then went across the bridge to the UP for the second part of our trip.  I think that we put over 1,000 miles on the vehicle for this trip.

One highlight was seeing my daughter and her partner Stephanie in Marquette.  A visit there isn't complete without a few photographs from Presque Isle, and I know Marc really enjoyed being there at sunset.  I could shoot there every week and come away with something different each time.

The Black Rocks at Presque Isle are especially worthy of a few hours (days?) of a photographer's time.  Maybe that would be a good destination for a photo workshop in the future.










Snail Shell Harbor and the iron foundry at Fayette State Park.


Just a few of the fine photographers at Photostock.

Fun With Sun

I was surprised when I walked into the local Barnes and Noble bookstore a few weeks ago and saw a cyanotype printing kit by the front door. Cyanotypes are one of the oldest alternative photographic processes that are easily done, and combined with modern digital techniques, remain an accessible way to make original art from photographs (more on that later). You might have seen the original "Sunprint" kits in catalogs or in gift shops. The kits were really nothing more than a dozen sheets of 4x4" blueprint paper, a rectangle of acrylic, and a sheet of instructions for making prints. I used larger sheets years ago when I did a workshop with 4-H kids.

So, I purchased this attractively packaged kit for $14.99 (it was less with my B&N discount card), and opened it up after I got home. It's a nice little introduction to cyanotypes, and what sets it apart from the "Sunprints" package is the included book by Kate Marlowe. Sun Exposures, A guide to Low-Tech Photography is a nice introduction to photograms, alternate processes, and low-tech cameras, such as pinholes. I was surprised by the small book, and it's obvious that this kit would make a nice gift for budding photographers and anyone that enjoys the hands-on of DIY photography.


The kit includes the book, sheets of cyanotype paper, and acetate overlays to create some different photograms. The back of the book has a list of resources and suppliers for those that want to do more with cyanotypes and other photographic techniques. I think it's $15 well-spent.

You don't need to just use some flat objects to make photograms to have fun with cyanotypes. You can shoot digital and use a graphics program to make a digital negative, which you print on overhead transparency film (denser negatives work better) and then use that to produce a positive cyanotype. Or, you can scan in a film negative and do the same. Or, you can find antique glass photographic plates and make prints from them on the cyanotype paper. Of course, larger negatives = better prints. Anything larger than a medium format negative (6x6 cm) will be suitable.

The other beauty of cyanotypes is that if you use blueprint paper, all you need is water to process them. No darkroom needed. Cyanotypes remain a viable artform, and you only need to go to the Alternative Photography website to view some nice work. The Detroit Institute of Arts has held cyanotype workshops in its new wing. One web resource has videos showing how to make your own cyanotypes.

So, all you really need now is some sun. I see it it's going to be a sunny day here (finally). Time to go make some prints!