Archive | silver darkroom

A normal life of inventories and maintenance…

By John on April 25, 2015 in 35 mm photography, beauty, biking, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, mountain bike race, mountain biking in Greece, Naxos, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, The Circle of Paros Bicycle Race, Uncategorized, working

Not much to report these days. More of the same–photography, working in the darkroom, mountain biking, road biking…a life beyond my wildest dreams.

I entered and raced the Athlos Nikolaos Stellas Memorial Mountain Bike Race last Sunday. I (phyllo 3, Mastero, John) came in 4th in my age group and event (35+, bike only) at 59:50. For some reason I cannot add links today. Go to https://twitter.com/poparou and click around…However, the scores listed have me coming in 6th in the 16-35 year old group. I am flattered. I haven’t been 35 in a long time.

JDCM in the yellow and black jersey…59:50, 4th place.

I took the ferry to Naxos the other day for a day trip and rode over 90 kilometers on my mountain bike. It was stunning. Spring in the Kyklades is not to be missed.

Agios Sozon Kalado, Naxos

Along the track past Maxairota, Naxos

I will be replacing the front forks of my mountain bike this week as well as the rear derailleur. This will be an expensive, but very necessary job. After almost two years of strenuous biking (with a bike that was well-used when I bought it) the current forks are worn out and have lost their lubrication. Unfortunately they are a sealed unit which means I cannot re-grease, etc…so out they go! After this big job I will have replaced almost everything except the frame. Necessary maintenance.

At the top…Agios Tryphonas, Naxos, 578 m.

I have inventoried my works in progress for my new portfolio. I have a few more prints to make, however this will not stop me from beginning the selenium toning process. I will be finished with this by the middle of May. It is an interesting portfolio, very abstract, and I sure many people will not understand it, or perhaps not understand what I see. So be it. We all bring ourselves to these things. It is not my job to guide people or tell them what they are viewing.

I will begin training in earnest for the 2015 Circle of Paros road race on June 6th this week. I have ridden the route many times since last summer. The rumor is that this year we ride the opposite direction. Clockwise…

–JDCM

Easter, biking, work…

By John on April 17, 2015 in 35 mm photography, beauty, biking, craft, Greece, hiking in the Cyclades, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, mountain bike race, mountain biking in Greece, Naxos, Paroikia, Paros, quiet islands, rangefinder camera, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, Uncategorized, working

Many years ago, when I was writing and playing my own music, I conceived a piece entitled “God; Family; Work.” The premise was that all of us (i.e. human beings) were influenced by these three aspects of modern life. It was to be a rock ‘n’ roll symphony in five movements. I never finished it.

I have been googling the term ‘artist’ and have come up with nothing relevant beyond a definition that everyone has heard before. The jist is that someone has achieved this status after years of labor perfecting their skills and craft. I know some artists here on Paros, people of curiosity and brightness. I have been working with some other young photographers as of late, perfecting our technical skills. If someone wants to call what we are doing ‘art’ then that is their business. I would rather call it ‘work’. I get up in the morning, go to work, have some leisure time away from work, etc…

Of course, there are some who hear the term ‘work’ and run for the hills. I, on the other hand, find great satisfaction “in a job well done.” I share this joy with family and friends.

Greek Easter was splendid and filled with the aroma of roasting lamb. We paid homage to the spirit of the lamb and honored its sacrifice. Our food had a face. We connected the source with our bellies.

Here is an interesting link regarding Francis Bacon…

Slow Art Day at the Paros Archeological Museum was wonderful. About 12 people showed up and we viewed three different works each for ten minutes a piece. The kouros below is a small statue that I enjoyed a great deal.

This weekend I will jump back into the darkroom and, I hope, print at least 6 new pieces. I also have 4-6 rolls of film to develop. Next week I am off to the nearby island of Naxos for a couple of days. There is a 75km mountain bike ride I wish to take.

roasting lamb, Easter 2015

5th cent. BCE kouros

-JDCM

Spring in the Aegean…2015

By John on April 5, 2015 in 120 film, 35 mm photography, beauty, biking, black and white portraiture, craft, Cyclades stone walls, Cycladic stone walls, darkroom work, Greece, hiking in the Cyclades, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, mountain bike race, mountain biking in Greece, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, stone walls, The Circle of Paros Bicycle Race, working

It has been the wettest and coolest spring that many can remember. Since March there have been more clouds than sun, more rain than not. Yes, this may seem acceptable to friends in more northern climes, but around here it makes people nervous. Paros is, for the most part, an arid climate and our primary agricultural gifts (olives, grapes, figs, tomatoes, etc…) demand that the soil be dry and the water stop falling from April to October. I am hoping that by the middle of the month the rains will cease.

I have been printing a lot and I have 30 pieces so far for my exhibit next fall. Another 20 and I can begin editing, then selenium toning, then off to the framers they go. I will most likely use a local company here in Paroikia, but I must demand a better frame quality. The most recent batch were inexpensive, lightweight and thinly lacquered stock and some people have brought this to my attention. I will be a little more struct with this next exhibit. What have I been printing? Old stuff, new stuff, 35mm, medium format. A little bit of everything.

I am going to invest in some archival storage for my collection of portraits that are still in their frames, in a box, in my bedroom, in my flat. I should get them out of this situation and into something more manageable. Plus, it will free a cubic meter of living space.

I have been biking a lot lately, which I need to do. I have been working on my hills, getting advice, pumping the pedals. There is an 18km mountain bike race in a couple of weeks that winds its way from Marpissa, through Piso Livadi, along Molos, through the valley to Glyfada and back to Marpissa. I rode it yesterday with some very fit pro-am folks and we rode it in 1:16. This included taking two wrong turns and not really going too fast. I hope to ride it in an hour. It is a solid goal. Other than that, I have been out on the road bike and digging that, getting ready for the Circle of Paros road race on June 6th.

Orthodox Easter is next Sunday. I will view the proceedings at Panagia Ekatontapiliani for Friday and Saturday nights, then at midnight on Saturday will break the fast with some friends at a local taverna! Paidakia, kokoretsi, patates, salates…Yum! Then the next day there will be a big feast at a friends home with whole lamb on the spit, chicken, sausages, pork chops…Yum again…

Two days later I hope to be swimming in the very chilly Aegean for my first swim of the season. I feel a need to be anointed in wine dark sea…

–JDCM

The end of February…

By John on February 24, 2015 in 120 film, 35 mm photography, beauty, biking, black and white portraiture, craft, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, mountain biking in Greece, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, quiet islands, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, working

I am happy that February is almost done. It is the shortest month and here on Paros it has been very cold, but also quite beautiful with lots of rain, green fields promising spring. March harkens, change is just around the corner.

I guess this is a bullet-point post…

–I turned 50 a couple of weeks ago. Some friends took me out to dinner at one of our favorite tavernas and I was truly touched by their generosity and warmth. Thank you, thank you…50 years on the planet, half a century. Hmmm…there were moments that I didn’t think I was going to make it, probably a couple where I tried not to. Dark times, indeed, and a lifetime ago. Rearview mirror stuff.

–I have been printing a lot in the darkroom. Nothing really specific, just printing, going through negatives from 2006, ’07, etc…current work too…35mm, 120…lots of stuff. It is for an exhibit I would like to have next fall. Some wise friends reminded me to not be too concerned with content because it was art schools that put forth the idea that a solo exhibit must have a theme. There will always be a common thread running through the show. At the very least, it is all my work. I can’t help it if people get confused. I’m not.

— I have been getting ready for a mountain bike race this weekend in the hill-town of Kostos and have already biked the route a few times. I am eagerly looking forward to it–13 km of ups and downs, rocky, gravely, sandy farm roads, washed out and rutted. There are some short stretches of paved stuff, but thankfully not so much. I have biked it already three times and my best time so far is 53 minutes, and that is after a 9 km uphill ride to get there. I hope to catch a ride with some friends, so I’ll be fresh. The weather this week is rainy off and on. I am hoping for light winds and sun on the day. It’s going to be a fun and muddy ride.

–That’s it, really. Not much else to report.

–JDCM

The true gifts…

By John on January 1, 2015 in Athens Greece, beauty, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, Paroikia, Paros, rangefinder camera, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, Uncategorized, working

–It is New Year’s Day, 2015. Happy New Year! May this next year bring us all the best that life has to offer. I am sure there will be uncertainties, enough for all: jobs, businesses, pursuits of all colors. The best thing I have found is to be active and know when to let go of something that simply will not budge. It is better to walk away from the brick wall than to keep banging your head against it.

–Sometimes the best gifts can be those that have been worked on and constructed by the giver. I gave some of my family photographs this year. This past autumn I was lucky enough to be in Paris for a week and photographed the Parc de Bagatelle with my Voigtlander r4M using Rollei 400s film. The negatives were lovely and I chose three specific images for presents. I worked carefully on the pieces, choosing specific papers for the right feel, adjusting the developing chemistry to activate the proper tonal scale and contrast. They are lovely. I was happy passing them on to good homes where they would be appreciated.

–I return to Greece this week. If all goes well I will be back on Paros by Tuesday lunchtime. My name day is January 7th, which is also the birthday of a close friend, mentor and colleague. I hope to cook her and her husband dinner that night. Probably pork chops.

–The real gifts are non-material. I no longer live in an imagined world of fear, where people are out to get me, shaft me, or otherwise take advantage of what I like to think of as my good nature. I no longer play the victim card. I no longer need to open up my Bag from the Past to show people what-tough-time-I-have-had-and-if-you-had-my-life-you-would-be-like-this-too! I am so happy I found a way up and out, have been able to let go of so many bad ideas and open my heart, embracing change as a positive force. Yes, I have days that are not perfect, but that is OK. That is the gift of being right-sized: I am a person among people, a worker among workers. I am emotionally secure among grown-up people.

–I heard a good quote the other day…

“You know what the big problem is in telling fantasy and reality apart? They are both ridiculous!”

–JDCM

Paving my own road…

By John on November 30, 2014 in 35 mm photography, 4×5 photography, autumn, beauty, craft, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, quiet islands, silver darkroom, skill and craft, Uncategorized, working

–My ‘Cafe/Kafe’ show went very well. It is such a quiet time here on the island that an event like this was a wonderful way to have a get-together. It was a community event in a small community. A good chin-wag with friends on a windy autumnal eve. Mikro Cafe was packed and the opening lasted for about 3 hours. I feel it was a great success for us all. I took down the pictures a few days ago. On to the the next one.

I have begun printing my second portrait show, which I have slated for October 2015, here on Paros. I have ideas about the venue, which I will evolve. The show itself will be a continuation of the first ‘Paros Portraits’ exhibit, but this time I have relaxed my eye. The first show was strictly large format 4×5 and printed digitally. As lovely as the 4×5 is, the process began to feel formal, something I wish to avoid in this next installment. There are a few 4×5 images in the new portfolio, which I will contact print, but the remainder are 35mm. I am hoping for about 35 to 40 pieces and they will only be printed in the darkroom. I want this next show to be more loose, more casual, with an element (just a smidgeon) of the ‘street.’ The prints will also be smaller with most of them falling into the 8×10 category, or thereabouts. If I can print them all by the end of April then I can shuffle them off to the framer and pick them up at the end of the summer.

The weather here turned distinctly autumnal last week. It was about 14C before Thursday and the drizzly, dark streets were perfumed with the aroma of burning olive wood. It was damp, but then the wind is shifted from the south. For the past two days we have seen sun, balmy breezes and well over 20C. Lovely.

I must stay busy with my own work, even if it a small casual show like ‘Cafe/Kafe’. As a friend reminded me tonight at dinner, “you have to pave your own road ahead of you…”

–JDCM

cafe/kafe, romanticism and keeping it light…

By John on November 15, 2014 in 35 mm photography, Athens Greece, autumn, beauty, craft, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, Paros, rangefinder camera, silver darkroom, skill and craft, Uncategorized, working

–I was eating my corn flakes and goat’s milk one morning and it occurred to me that I am an incurable romantic.

–I returned from Paris two weeks ago and I am back on Paros, about 2300 km and one vowel distant. My time in France was lovely. My heart was filled with warmth even though the weather had chilled by the time I departed.

–I was able to shoot 4 rolls of Rollei Retro 400s while in Paris. I also gave myself a Christmas present. I found a very affordable Leica M2 at the local Leica store. The deal was good and I was there. I had to get it. According to the serial number it was manufactured in 1966. I find it extremely cool that I bought a an old Leica in Paris. It just feels right. Very romantic.

–While in Athens on Friday, I ran a couple rolls AGFA APX 400 through it. That made 6 rolls. When I returned to Paros and checked my ‘to do’ box in the darkroom I found two more rolls of film (Rollei Retro 100) that needed developing. I spent Sunday afternoon developing of film. 8 rolls from three different places from three different cameras…Here’s the breakdown:

–4 rolls Rollei Retro 400s, Voigtlander r4M w/ Voigtlander 35mm lens, Paris; 2 rolls of AGFA APX 400, Leica M2 w/ the same Voigtländer 35mm lens, Athens; 2 rolls Rollei Retro 100, Balda ‘Super Baldina’ (c. 1956), fixed 40mm lens, Paros.

–While working I listened to The Clash’s ‘London Calling.’ It was released in the UK in 1979. 35 years later it still sounds fresh, complex and vibrant.

–Romanticism…OK. I don’t wish for days gone by. Whatever they say, life was not simpler, or easier. Thomas Hobbes referred to life as ‘…nasty, brutish and short.” He was right. I like living on a remote island. Romantic again.

–The ‘cafe/kafe‘ photographs are matted, framed and behind glass. I will hang this small exhibit this Friday at Mikro Kafe here in Paroikia. It is not a grand exhibition, just something light and easy, something small to keep my hand in while I continue the prep for the second, far more involved ‘Portraits‘ exhibit next autumn. There. I said it. Autumn 2015.

–JDCM

Departures and arrivals…

By John on September 17, 2014 in 35 mm photography, autumn, beauty, biking, black and white portraiture, craft, darkroom work, Greece, John D.C. Masters, John Masters, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, quiet islands, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, Uncategorized, working

The crowds have thinned out on Paros. The roads have become less treacherous and the island is, once again, for those of us who live here. There is a collective sigh of relief. I have been biking well, using my new Boardman road bike and loving it. In a recent post I stated that I wanted to ride at least 125km per week. I have done that in three days. I will have to up the ante. Maybe 200km? Easy-peasey. My mountain biking has been vigorous and rugged. As it should be.

I continue to build a solid portfolio of 35mm portrait pieces for my exhibit scheduled in the fall of 2015. I think I also have enough ‘cafe-Cafe‘ images for the small show I hope to hang in November. Now all I have to do is print, matte and frame 12 images. This will begin in October, when I return…

I am leaving for Italy tomorrow. It will be a short trip, only a couple of weeks, and I will hook up with friends and colleagues for some art, art history and good eats. I am all but packed with only my shaving kit to stuff in my rucksack. My camera bag is ready, awaiting my laptop and assorted odds and ends. I am only bringing two cameras: my trusty, well-used Canon G11 point-and-shoot and the small Pentax 35mm I bought from a friend last July when I was back in America. I will bring the 50mm and 135mm lenses. I have been having fun with this little machine and so it feels good to continue the joy.

Cavafy’s poetry continues to inspire and fill me with emotion…

Return

Return often and take hold of me,

cherished sensation, return and take hold of me–

when the body’s memory awakens.

and past desire again runs through the blood;

when the lips and skin remember,

and the hands feel as though they touch again.

Return often and take hold of me at night,

when the lips and skin remember.

–JDCM

Mid-March, Paros, 2014…

By John on March 16, 2014 in 35 mm photography, 4×5 photography, beauty, biking, black and white portraiture, craft, darkroom work, Greece, mountain biking in Greece, Paros, Paros Portraits, portraiture, rangefinder camera, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, spring in the Aegean, working

–Yesterday was the Ides of March. I made it through unscathed. Et tu…?

–The day before, march 14th, was my mother’s 90th birthday. She made it as well. 90 years…

–What has she been witness to since 1924! Well, almost everything worth talking about. Plus, she has raised three children and set them on their respective paths. One is a professor at a large University. Another is an artist living on a small island. The third is…well, that’s me. Funny. It feels like we three have all found our own islands we call home. Her love has been unconditional and generous. She may, at times, worry about our sanities, but she has always been there, no strings attached. She has never asked for proof of good will. If I have had any regrets or guilt, they have been my own and are non-transferable. Kind of like airplane tickets.

–Today I went to a mountain bike race in the hill town of Kostas. I could have raced it myself, but opted out so I could photograph instead. I brought my big Canon 5D MKII, my 35mm Voigtlander and my Wista 4×5. I packed up 16 pieces of Kodak TPX 320 and had some old-time fun with large-format sports photography. I am eager to see how they come out. While I waited along the dirt road for the pack to appear, I was suddenly struck by the knowledge that this is how it was always done, for almost a century. Photographers standing on the side of the road with their tripods and 8x10s/4x5s/etc…waiting for the runner/horse/bicycle/car/locomotive to come barreling down the track and trying to catch the moment. It’s not easy. I was thankful for my knowledge of depth-of-field so all I had to do was whip the film packs in-and-out of the back of the camera. I was loading, exposing, sliding the cover back on, unloading, and tossing the exposed film pack on the grassy ground. 15 exposures later (one dud) I was done. I finished up a roll of EFKE 100 35mm in the Voigtlander, made a few digital snaps of the closing events, and called it a day.

–I have been lining up some new subjects for continued portraiture. I figure that if I can practice diligence, I will have a large enough portfolio to begin printing next autumn. I continue to pray to the gods of photography for deliverance of a 4×5 enlarger.

–Spring seems to have arrived. The light has been superb. What else is there to say?

-JDCM

Happy Christmas!

By John on December 24, 2013 in craft, darkroom work, Greece, Paroikia, Paros, Paros Portraits, silver darkroom, skill and craft, spiritual journey, Uncategorized, working

Snowy morning sunrise, December 19, 2013

Snowy morning, December 19, 2013, 16*F. Leica M8

…and a few days later, December 22. 68*F. Very weird. Leica M8

Christmas is here and all through the house it is very quiet. The cat plays with her tail, my mother sits in the living room reading the New York Times. Tonight is Christmas Eve and we are having a Mexican dinner–pork quesadillas, guacamole, salad and a candied pumpkin dessert. The tree is up, decorated and there are presents beneath its bangled branches.

The best gifts this year have not been material. They have been the deep changes I have felt within myself and how I perceive the world. This, in turn, gives me the opportunity to respond in new ways. I am not always familiar with these aspects, nor am I always comfortable, but they are for the best and I feel have improved as a human as a result. Here are some off the top of my head…

— My role as a teacher is not to reward or punish via the archaic system of “grades” so common today. I am there to guide, lift up and hopefully inspire.

— My own work is a testament to long labor, arduous and fulfilling. I am grateful to have been able to have an exhibition of my photography this year. I am also grateful to have been allowed to exhibit it in a place I love–Paros and The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts.

— My future is unknown and uncertain. The best I can do is show up and be part of life’s rich pageant.

— That’s OK most of the time.

Merry Christmas and have a lovely New Year!

JDCM

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