This was a truly amazing event. We had a display of wooden cameras, a demonstration on wet plate collodion (tin-types) and a tour of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The food was great too!
Our host, John Powers, will be featured in the Western Reserve Historical Society exhibit in Cleveland, with his 7x17 photographs of the canal system.
Wednesday, December 3, 20087:00pmJohn Powers’ Ohio & Erie Canal PhotographsEast Boulevard ComplexJohn Powers uses a special 7”x17” camera to create stunning studies of the Ohio & Erie Canal which are on display at the WRHS. Learn from John how he composes his photos to show the fascinating results of the battle of age, the devastating effects of flood, neglect and nature on the canal - once a beautifully constructed work of engineering. Free with museum admission. http://www.wrhs.org/index.php/homepage/programsandevents
To get a visual idea/perspective, here is the 7X17 camera along side a 4x5. The negative on a 7x17 camera is actually 7" x 17", and is contact printed.
All this was made possible through a wonderful internet forum known as the APUG group or Analog Photography Users Group. http://apug.org/ This is an international organization promoting the use and preservation of film. If there ever was a technical resource for photographers, this is it. And much to my delight, there will be future gatherings.
