My Ermanox Journey

[Vince Lupo]

Wonderful portraits, Vince. In a sense, the best thing about them is that the Ermanox has become effectively invisible. What I mean is that anyone encountering these images, and not knowing how they were made, would still find them to be powerful and beautiful. It's not about how they were made, but what they are. The fact that you used an Ermanox is just frosting on the cake for us equipment geeks.
What strikes me is how instantly identifiable these photos are as your work. Though there is an identifiable "vintage analog" look to them, the similarities to your monochrome digital work are striking. The type of subject, your rapport with the subjects, the lighting, all demonstrate a continuity of approach that is unmistakably yours. With these two images, I would certainly say your project has been a resounding success. Congratulations!

Many thanks, and that's been pretty much my intention from the get-go, and I think that's how my personal work has generally been for the last 30 years. The camera is super-duper, but at the end of the day the thing that matters is the image.

I appreciate your encouragement!

 

[p.giannakis]

Brilliant pictures in here - i like this thread a lot.

 

[drmatthes]

Yes, amazing plate shots these are, admirable immediate contact to the sitter, and beautifully creamy bokeh by the Ernostar, too.

Found some rarer Salomon shots in this "immediate" spirit, like

https://www.getty.edu/art/collectio...ed-at-a-table-slumped-over-german-about-1930/,

showing that he was also interested in social photography, and interiors, too, as one can see here

https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/1736/erich-salomon-german-1886-1944/

in some of the 31 examples.

For all those who would like to have a look into the book Berühmte Zeitgenossen (Famous Coevals) by Salomon like you, Vince, here

https://www.projekt-gutenberg.org/salomoer/zeitgeno/zeitgeno.html

is the German online version, with photographs appended.

Google Translate is of great help, and here is a passage, typical of Salomon's witty approach:

Where psychological obstacles stand in the way, one can sometimes get closer to the goal by overcoming technical difficulties. When I came to the first Hague Conference in the summer of 1929, I learned that the so-called eviction ministers: Henderson, Stresemann, Briand, Wirth and the Belgian Foreign Minister Hymans used to meet every afternoon at 4 a.m. on Henderson's balcony at the rear of the Grand Hotel Scheveningen. Negotiations with Henderson's press officer, Mr. Stewart, failed because of the nervous tension already mentioned above that was prevalent at the time. Since I couldn't take a picture of the balcony from the inside, all that was left was to take the picture from the outside. The balcony was sixteen meters above a car park, then came the beach and behind it the North Sea, so no house opposite. So I rented a fire escape, mounted on wheels, nineteen meters higher, and had the four-man escort bring me a painter's smock, a bucket, and a paintbrush, so that I could pretend to the Dutch police that a billboard was being freshened up.

 

[helen.HH]

First glass plate image from the Ermanox.


Jack 2021 Ermanox by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

J. Lane Glass 'Speed' Plate, ASA 25 (exposed at ASA 12), about 1/8th of a second at f/2.8. Scanned with my Hasselblad 907x digital back on a Hasselblad 500C/M body, 120mm f/4 Makro Planar lens on a Novoflex copystand, Skier Copybox.

Really pleased with the result, and the highlights weren't as bulletproof as I thought. I think I may still back off on the development a bit just to keep them in check.

I think I have a good system now, both for exposure and development of the glass plates. Loading them is pretty straightforward (I have a changing tent), and the modified Kodak hangers work perfectly in the daylight tank. Now I just need more subjects!

One thing about this particular image -- I did 'clean up' the various white dust marks throughout the image, but I left the black dots/marks. The black marks are in the emulsion itself and are a result of the hand-coating of the glass plates. I didn't want to make a completely clean final image, as there are some inherent 'imperfections' in the entire process.

This glass plate negative (along with others) is going to the Dresden Technical Museum.

Really see the Beauty and the 'Glow'... A Warmth and endearing charm
Congrats on your journey and the good Fortune in. the outcome ~

 

[Vince Lupo]

Innumerable thanks everyone - I do appreciate all the encouragement!

Clearly I’m going to have to increase my purchase of glass plates 🙂

 

[farlymac]

The separation from the backgrounds is what I notice the most. Good craftsmanship on yours and the lens's part.


PF

 

[Vince Lupo]

The separation from the backgrounds is what I notice the most. Good craftsmanship on yours and the lens's part.


PF

Many thanks - I think a lot of it is also due to the incredible work that Frank Marshman put into bringing this camera back to life. Without his tireless efforts, I wouldn't be able to make these images. He's been working on my cameras for the last 25 years -- he's a great friend and has been a huge help to me.

As an aside, I'm now thinking seriously of shifting part of the Mapping the West project in this direction. Of course there'd be some logistical items I'd need to work out, not the least of which is having Jason Lane make me about 100+ glass plates for the month of January, then processing, scanning and printing everything in New Mexico. Hmm. I'll have to give it more of a think to see if I want to go that route.

In the meantime, I'd like to just work with the camera a lot more to get more good images under my belt.

 

[ironhorse]

Excellent work, Vince! I am enjoying this thread and your journey tremendously. Sharing your work and this type of thread (along with "Let's see your Leica M") is what makes this site so special.

Thank you!

 

[Vince Lupo]

Excellent work, Vince! I am enjoying this thread and your journey tremendously. Sharing your work and this type of thread (along with "Let's see your Leica M") is what makes this site so special.

Thank you!

Thank you Joe -- this journey isn't without its many stumbles, but I like to think that's where the learning and growth have the potential to occur.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

A bit of advice if you're coming to NM with the Ermanox. I assume you'll be in Santa Fe, where the water supply is local wells without high mineral content. Processing your plates won't be an issue there. Outside of Santa Fe, in moral rural areas, water is supplied by local wells that tap the aquifers that run through limestone deposits. The mineral and particulate content can be so high as to make processing film impossible. I live in the East Mountain area, and can't even attempt home processing, for example. The water is also undrinkable; nothing toxic, just unpalatable, though the problem is a little less intense in the winter months.
Of course, you've been here and have experienced our water. But I would guess that your previous processing here has only been on the computer!

 

[Muggins]

Here's his work: https://www.harrisrubin.com/

The words vintage yet contemporary could be used for those too - thank you for the link.

 

[Vince Lupo]

A bit of advice if you're coming to NM with the Ermanox. I assume you'll be in Santa Fe, where the water supply is local wells without high mineral content. Processing your plates won't be an issue there. Outside of Santa Fe, in moral rural areas, water is supplied by local wells that tap the aquifers that run through limestone deposits. The mineral and particulate content can be so high as to make processing film impossible. I live in the East Mountain area, and can't even attempt home processing, for example. The water is also undrinkable; nothing toxic, just unpalatable, though the problem is a little less intense in the winter months.
Of course, you've been here and have experienced our water. But I would guess that your previous processing here has only been on the computer!

If I just use bottled distilled water for the chemicals that should be okay, yes? And then simply use the tap water for washing? I’ll be staying in Carrizozo for the entire month, so if I did happen to get up to Santa Fe, it might only be for a day. Not a huge fan of SF.

I was doing a rough calculation of how many glass plates I might need for the entire month - if I shot for say 21 of those 31 days, and maybe 10-15 glass plates a day, so likely 200-300 (maybe closer to 200), and if I could process 20 plates at a time, I’d then need 500ml of developer per round of processing. So I may only need two envelopes of D76 powder to process all of the plates, if my high school math serves me correctly.

 

[Vince Lupo]

The words vintage yet contemporary could be used for those too - thank you for the link.

Rick’s work deserves to be in MOMA - to me it’s that good. Only wish I could afford any of it!

 

[drmatthes]

If I just use bottled distilled water for the chemicals that should be okay, yes? And then simply use the tap water for washing?

There are mobile water purifiers for outdoor & camping on the basis of ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis. Found one online by a company called FS-TFC in Mr Jeff B's megashop for around sixty bucks. Might be worthwhile, though, to perform a test run first.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

Sorry I can't offer any advice about the water in Carrizozo. But I would suggest a quick boil, then letting it stand and cool. For some reason that's beyond my grasp of physics and chemistry, that causes a good deal of the minerals and particulates to precipitate out from my tap water. That should help with washing, and of course distilled water would be best all around, but expensive and inconvenient. Perhaps a call ahead to the location where you're staying in Carrizozo could give you a bit more insight into their water quality.
Refreshing to hear you're not a huge fan of Santa Fe. Lots of us locals ain't.

 

[rfaspen]

Definitely Not enamoured with SF.
I've always enjoyed Cloudcroft. Not much of a "destination". But it's a cool high altitude area. I found some nice vertebrate fossils around there.... Triassic herptiles of some kind.

Silver City used to be interesting and beautiful, but the retirement surge invasion has affected the town. An ermanox and supply of plates can mitigate a good amount of ugliness....no matter where you go in New Mexico.

 

[Vince Lupo]

Definitely Not enamoured with SF.
I've always enjoyed Cloudcroft. Not much of a "destination". But it's a cool high altitude area. I found some nice vertebrate fossils around there.... Triassic herptiles of some kind.

Silver City used to be interesting and beautiful, but the retirement surge invasion has affected the town. An ermanox and supply of plates can mitigate a good amount of ugliness....no matter where you go in New Mexico.

As far as towns go, I like the Mesilla and Cruces area, as well as way out in Clayton. I used to go to Santa Rosa quite a bit, as the editor of the Guadalupe County Communicator was a friend of mine and I did the odd assignment for him when I was in town (he has since moved to North Carolina). Farmington is another town that I find interesting. In a weird way Santa Fe reminds me of a place near me (Baltimore-DC region) called Bethesda, which is a very expensive area. I much prefer to be in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico, which is fortunately still pretty easy to do.

 

[chipgreenberg]

I live near Cloudcroft. They have a few new restaurants there in the last number of years that has upped its game.

Definitely Not enamoured with SF.
I've always enjoyed Cloudcroft. Not much of a "destination". But it's a cool high altitude area. I found some nice vertebrate fossils around there.... Triassic herptiles of some kind.

Silver City used to be interesting and beautiful, but the retirement surge invasion has affected the town. An Ermanox and supply of plates can mitigate a good amount of ugliness....no matter where you go in New Mexico.

 

[Brad Bireley]

First glass plate image from the Ermanox.


Jack 2021 Ermanox by Vince Lupo, on Flickr

J. Lane Glass 'Speed' Plate, ASA 25 (exposed at ASA 12), about 1/8th of a second at f/2.8. Scanned with my Hasselblad 907x digital back on a Hasselblad 500C/M body, 120mm f/4 Makro Planar lens on a Novoflex copystand, Skier Copybox.

Really pleased with the result, and the highlights weren't as bulletproof as I thought. I think I may still back off on the development a bit just to keep them in check.

I think I have a good system now, both for exposure and development of the glass plates. Loading them is pretty straightforward (I have a changing tent), and the modified Kodak hangers work perfectly in the daylight tank. Now I just need more subjects!

One thing about this particular image -- I did 'clean up' the various white dust marks throughout the image, but I left the black dots/marks. The black marks are in the emulsion itself and are a result of the hand-coating of the glass plates. I didn't want to make a completely clean final image, as there are some inherent 'imperfections' in the entire process.

This glass plate negative (along with others) is going to the Dresden Technical Museum.

These glass plates are wonderful! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Retro-Grouch]

Yup, many of us here regard Santa Fe as a weird chunk of LA that dropped out of the sky and now wants to metastasize to the rest of our state. The vibe there is definitely not the laid back and funky one that characterizes most of NM. It's the curse of money and gentrification that is happening in so many areas that once had character and a unique culture. Unfortunately, as gas and oil become less of a mainstay of the NM economy, tourism and the movie industry are rapidly on the ascent as economic drivers; I fear the consequences (not that gas and oil haven't caused their share of mayhem!). I experienced the widespread gentrification process on the East Coast and it's a major reason I moved to NM.
And yes, I suppose I can be accused of the NIMBY syndrome, and being part of the problem. But I do want there to be growth and development in our very impoverished state; I would just prefer it not to turn into a Disneyfied theme park.
Vince, your analogy to Bethesda is quite apt. Think also Ellicott City, MD, as a parallel to the smaller towns in Santa Fe's orbit. I lived there back in the 70's, when a poor student could afford to. Great bakery with killer doughnuts, but that was long ago...