{"id":485,"date":"2015-12-08T12:38:13","date_gmt":"2015-12-08T17:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/?p=485"},"modified":"2015-12-16T15:01:29","modified_gmt":"2015-12-16T20:01:29","slug":"using-two-vintage-ambrotypes-for-our-2015-christmas-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/2015\/12\/08\/using-two-vintage-ambrotypes-for-our-2015-christmas-card\/","title":{"rendered":"Using two vintage Ambrotypes for our 2015 Christmas card"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We have a number of Ambrotype images from around 1855 that have been passed down from long gone relatives.\u00a0 Two in particular are Winter scenes, and I&#8217;m planning on using the images for our 2015 Christmas card.\u00a0<!--more--> The reason for blogging about this is to share some information about this interesting subject, especially for anyone in the same situation.\u00a0 It&#8217;s pretty obvious that very little care was taken over the years to protect these images (they have mold, paint splatter, chipped edges, fingerprints that seem permanent, you name it).<\/p>\n<p>Our two Ambrotype images are in very poor condition, not just due to the conditions mentioned above.\u00a0 They are very faded or possibly the original exposure was more underexposed than usual for Ambrotype, and these were not protected or framed.\u00a0 I see no evidence of the varnish protective coating that should have been applied.\u00a0 Hand held with no backing, they are essentially very old, fragile negatives.<\/p>\n<p>Wikipedia has a nice write-up on Ambrotype:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ambrotype\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ambrotype<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The original photography wasn&#8217;t that great, but still interesting and definitely worthy of Christmas card images, eventually&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>My initial digitization of the images was pretty straight forward:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Place the glass on black felt (thick, so no light leakage), this makes it a positive vs a negative without the black background<\/li>\n<li>Light the image with 5500K soft LED bank, not direct, but from the top side, that way it lit up the glass internally and externally, kind of like fiber optics light up<\/li>\n<li>Secure a Canon EOS 5d mk III to a tripod, 640 ISO, 1\/200, manual focus, focus via the live view (you can zoom in and get a very accurate focus), set to 5500K, and take the shot<\/li>\n<li>Pull into Lightroom<\/li>\n<li>Set to black and white (not grayscale)<\/li>\n<li>Adjust color channels for optimum spread<\/li>\n<li>Go basically crazy on sliders for exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, blacks, was necessary since very underexposed or possibly just faded over the years<\/li>\n<li>Export to Photoshop and use a combination of clone, heal, burn, dodge, and the light dialog to repair, but just enough to fix the really bad elements of the image.\u00a0 Any auto dust\/scratch cleanup made the image worse, so I abandoned using those after seeing the results<\/li>\n<li>Edited in ON1 Effects to add an antique bronze color<\/li>\n<li>Final edit in Photoshop to crop out the side junk and add a simple frame<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Original images:<\/p>\n<p><p class=\"wd_column_layout twocol_one first\"><a href=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-7-of-8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-510 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-7-of-8-300x227.jpg\" alt=\"JP (7 of 8)\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-7-of-8-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-7-of-8.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p><p class=\"wd_column_layout twocol_one \"><a href=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-4-of-8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-507 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-4-of-8-300x229.jpg\" alt=\"JP (4 of 8)\" width=\"300\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-4-of-8-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-4-of-8.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Images after Lightroom adjustments:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><p class=\"wd_column_layout twocol_one first\"><a href=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-8-of-8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-511 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-8-of-8-300x227.jpg\" alt=\"JP (8 of 8)\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-8-of-8-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-8-of-8.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p><p class=\"wd_column_layout twocol_one \"><a href=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-3-of-8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-506 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-3-of-8-300x229.jpg\" alt=\"JP (3 of 8)\" width=\"300\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-3-of-8-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-3-of-8.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p><\/p>\n<p>Images after initial Photoshop CS adjustments:<\/p>\n<p><p class=\"wd_column_layout twocol_one first\"><a href=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-6-of-8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-509 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-6-of-8-300x227.jpg\" alt=\"JP (6 of 8)\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-6-of-8-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-6-of-8.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p><p class=\"wd_column_layout twocol_one \"><a href=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-2-of-8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-505 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-2-of-8-300x229.jpg\" alt=\"JP (2 of 8)\" width=\"300\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-2-of-8-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-2-of-8.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p><\/p>\n<p>Final images with ON1 Effects colorization and Photoshop CS framing:<\/p>\n<p><p class=\"wd_column_layout twocol_one first\"><a href=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-5-of-8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-508 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-5-of-8-300x233.jpg\" alt=\"JP (5 of 8)\" width=\"300\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-5-of-8-300x233.jpg 300w, https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-5-of-8.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p><p class=\"wd_column_layout twocol_one \"><a href=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-1-of-8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-504 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-1-of-8-300x229.jpg\" alt=\"JP (1 of 8)\" width=\"300\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-1-of-8-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/JP-1-of-8.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I could have easily taken the Photoshop repairs to the point of completely restoring the image, but was overruled by my wife, she wanted some vintage worn out look to be left intact.<\/p>\n<p>Once I realized that these were Ambrotype images (thanks to Wikipedia and Google U.), my interest increased and after very little searching I found out that photographers are still offering Ambrotype services!\u00a0 It&#8217;s a mix of art and science with chemicals that probably aren&#8217;t great for skin or lungs, but I&#8217;m still intrigued.\u00a0 One such explanation of the recipe can be found at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alternativephotography.com\/wp\/processes\/wetplate\/wet-plate-collodion-process-ambrotypes\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.alternativephotography.com\/wp\/processes\/wetplate\/wet-plate-collodion-process-ambrotypes<\/a>, I must admit, I&#8217;m wondering if there might be some room here in Kalamazoo to offer such a service.\u00a0 Especially if I could find a large format camera for say an 8&#215;10 plate of glass.\u00a0 Maybe this is more of what might be described as retirement tinkering.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We have a number of Ambrotype images from around 1855 that have been passed down from long gone relatives.\u00a0 Two in particular are Winter scenes, and I&#8217;m planning on using the images for our 2015 Christmas card.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-photography-education"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=485"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":528,"href":"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485\/revisions\/528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/djansenphoto.com\/wp11\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}