Continuing this series of posts from Alt Photo, I bring you to my favorite photo from the Albumen Process. We were introduced to this process during an Artist Workshop at the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Jacksonville (of which UNF has recently taken ownership). The artist that hosted this workshop was a well-known alternative process Fine Arts photographer Dan Estabrook, where he taught and guided us for three days through the 19th century process.
On the second day of the workshop, Dan also gave an inspiring lecture on his work to fellow students and faculty. We were given some great insight into his work, how to be an artist, and how to make work from within.
One excellent piece of advice he gave me during a personal meeting was how your work may not convey every specific point you wanted to your viewer, including back history, where it came from, etc. The viewer doesn’t have to know those things to have it be a successful piece, but it still has to come from there. That back story blends itself into the photo, making it’s story and history evident in it’s visual qualities.
Which brings me to this photo. Dan said those things in reference to this photograph. This was taken up in the mountains during my trip to Japan. We stayed in Hakone, in a lakeside hotel. When we woke, we were at such an elevation that we were in a literal cloud. Before our bus ride back down the mountain I looked out the window and had this. Raindrops were on the window while you can see a tree and the lake in the background. It references the physical and spiritual beauty of the place.
Disclaimer: I know that the above print is a Salt Print. But the two were nearly identical and I don’t have a scanned version of my Albumen print which is now framed.