Class Field Trip to AAU's St. Brigid's...

Saint Brigid, patron Saint of Ireland

Ni bu Sanct Brigid suanach
Ni bu huarach im sheirc Dé,
Sech ni chiuir ni cossena
Ind nóeb dibad bethath che.

Saint Brigid was not given to sleep,
Nor was she intermittent about God's love;
Not merely that she did not buy, she did not seek for
The wealth of this world below, the holy one.

~ † ~

Self Portraits at the former St. Brigid's Catholic Church
Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
Holga Camera | C-Prints | May 5, 2008

Ode to St. Brigid

Music: Trobo Treba | Sangre Cavallum

Amberlyn Nelson ©2008 | May 19, 2008

My Final Assignment for Ph 699 Pinhole and Plastic Cameras

~ Title: elle avoit vû le loup / she'd seen the wolf
~ Series: 8 images printed on Foma Chamois Paper
~ Film: Kodak PlusX & TriX
~ Camera: Holga with Bulb Setting

elle avoit vû le loup / she'd seen the wolf

"Little girls, this seems to say,
Never stop upon your way,
Never trust a stranger-friend;
No one knows how it will end.
As you're pretty so be wise;
Wolves may lurk in every guise.
Handsome they may be, and kind,
Gay, and charming — never mind!
Now, as then, 'tis simple truth —
Sweetest tongue has sharpest tooth!"
- Charles Perrault

~. ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~. ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Artist Statement

My series titled elle avoit vû le loup / she'd seen the wolf explores the relationship between Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. This story is a metaphor illustrating the transformation of an innocent girl, who wanders off the virtuous path into the seductions of adulthood. Though the narrative is subtle, I create a deliberate vintage quality using the bulb setting along with black and white images printed on Foma's chamois textured paper. This softens a well-known tale and allows the characters to dance between the fear of being hunted and the hunger of sexual awaking in a dream-like quality.

I grew up in a household filled with stories of folklore and fairytales, often playing dress up with my siblings and neighborhood friends, entertaining our selves endlessly. These creative and rich childhood adventures influence and inspire my work today.

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Today was World Wide Pinhole Day! Rayko Photo Center had a reception for their pinhole photography artists. A group of friends came to check out the work. We also had fun playing with pinhole cameras & posing in the 1950's vintage photo booth. We also took a joy ride in Bus Obscura. After all the fun we went to 21st Amendment and enjoyed food and beer. We just couldn't figure out who ordered the glass of Kendall Jackson? A few of us were quite disappointed they were out of the Watermelon Wheat Beer! (but it is strange we got billed for a pint!) But all in all it was a fun filled day.

very vlad!

very price!

This evening I edited a movie from the Bus Obscura Road Trip. I added a David Bowie Soundtrack.

The Santa Cruz Boardwalk

Holga Photographs taken on April 21st
Fujuicolor ISO 160C ~ C-Prints

Here are a few more images from the "final series" for my PH 699 class. I printed last night up at the darkroom... I was all alone & it was a great printing session. What a treat to have the facility all to myself. I also included some test prints for fun. I am not sure if I will include these in the final "8".

Class Field Trip!
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Today our class went down to Santa Cruz. It was a
lot of fun... I have not been down there in about 5

years! I took some Holgas & some Supacam. The

salt water taffy was delish as well as the mustard

corn dog that was washed down with a 24oz Bud! I also took
a few photobooth portraits... I will use one of the images for
my international student I.D. card.

Here are a few little movies...

The Hurricane! (with Debbie & Amberlyn)

Hung Over Pirate!

Grandmother's Prophesies

Here are two images from Sunday's Woof shoot last weekend. Images taken with a Holga and printed on Foma paper. I used the hand-made negative carrier... and burned in the edges of the images.

WOOF!

My final project will be a series of black and white images of Little Red Riding Hood and the Woof! These images will be printed on Foma's chamois textured photographic paper... printed about 7X7 and matted in white.

little bite productions
presents... Little Red Riding Hood

By: Amberlyn Nelson ©2008 | Music: Andrew Liles

Churchill's of London | f/291
Carousel Pinhole Camera Caramels a la Creme

Pinhole Assignment # 1:
make pinhole camera and test exposure times
- determine f-stop by dividing the focal length by the pinhole diameter
- 5.25 / 0.018 = f/291.66667 (ok, let's just say 291!)
- in full sun this camera needs a 2 minute exposure

Sutter Street Window
test pinhole print | 3 minutes


Union Square
test 2, pinhole print | 2 minutes

I am not having too much luck with my little tin - 

but I plan to take it out this weekend for some pinhole action.

Field Trip to Marin Headlands | March 24, 2008
Point Bonita Lighthouse & Self Portraits at Battery Mendell

Point Bonita Lighthouse
Diana+ 100T
C Prints from Gassers

Point Bonita Lighthouse Tunnel
Holga 120 CN - TX 400
double exposure - bulb setting

Self Portraits at Battery Mendell
Diana+ Pinhole
Agfa 100 - f/150
8 second exposure

Diana Pinhole Portraits: Jo Alibob is BACK! I did a few pinholes w/ Jo. The exposures were about 10-13 minutes long. (Below are the digital test shots taken during the pinholes...)

Below are the Diana pinhole portraits of Jo...

He wasn't too pleased, so we will shoot again soon.

Pinhole Jo
2-3 minute exposures
TX-400 | f150

Diana Cat Pinhole Portraits: BEEBZ! Mr. Beebz wanted to be photographed, too... So he sat for about 10 minutes... I am sure he will be a ghost cat, because he was grooming himself for some time...

Beebz Sniffs Christ
(digi test image)

6 O'clock
Diana Pinhole
25 minute exposure
TX-400 | f150

Cat Nap and Diana
(digital test image)

Ghost of Beebz!
Diana Pinhole
25 minute exposure
TX-400 | f150

Diana Still Life (II) Pinhole Images:
After high school, during the Summer of 1986, I was busy painting plaster statues. I have several still at home with my mother. I did a lot of Egyptian and Christian religious statues. Here are two of my favorites - Christ and Moses. I still really enjoy them - with age they have become more beautiful... tragic and sad, too. (I did not paint the St. Cabrini statue, I bought her up on Haight Street in 1995, when I first moved to the city)

Below are the digital test images...

Through the Eyes of Diana

Still Life Shoot Documented

Below are the pinhole images!

Of Teeth & Horns
Diana Pinhole Image
12 minute exposure
TX-400 | f150

From Snakes & Claws
Diana Pinhole Image
2 minute exposure
TX-400 | f150

Campbell gave me an early birthday present... Diana+. I was very excited to know this camera has a pinhole setting... so tonight I did a test roll shooting in B&W 400. I chose a subject matter that would not move. Exposures were from 30 seconds to 4 minutes. I developed the film at work during my lunch break - it was a disaster... 1/2 the roll was damaged due to air bubbles. At least the bird photo came out - so you can see the comparison of (film negative) pinhole vs. digital capture.

Little Birds and Pods | (digital exposure test image)

Little Birds

Diana Pinhole Still Life, No. 1

4 minute exposure,
TX-400 | f/150

Note: These birds were brought into the house by my cat Billy - who is now 15 years old. He is still quite the hunter! Rats, Mice, Humming Birds and etc... were all gifts he would bring home to me. Anyway - these two birds are quite lovely - yes, sad.... but they have been treasured since. meow. ^.^

Midterm Madness

it was a weekend lost in the darkroom,
drowning in coffee...
and haunted by Victorian visions...

The Gingerbread flavored coffee was awful,
but it makes for a nice toned print with a little spice!

~ ••• ~

Here are the decorative mixed media pieces
I put together to hang in my hallway...
I could see them for sale at this lovely little shop,
Paris to the Moon

~ ••• ~

Mission Dolores, San Francisco
I took 4 rolls of film (PX-125 & TX400) last Sunday...
here are a few I like...

This was another evening spent on the book...

Midterm Assignment: Mission Dolores Cemetery....
Below are my few images from the Cemetery Gardens using my hand-made negative carrier. (My negative carrier actually works pretty well, I'm quite happy with it!) Smiles.

Sunday Afternoon at Dolores
Holga, TX400

Sacred
...with black border
Holga, TX400

Look, a little iMovie of love!

Mision San Francisco de Asis
Made on March 2, 2008 | By: Amberlyn Nelson | Music: "Graveyard" by Forest

I will present my Midterm Assignment in a hand-made book...

~ a Victorian Memorial style book of sorts ~

the fabrication of the book has begun...


~ † ~


~ Visual Theme and Color Palette for Midterm ~
I am using discontinued wall coverings from my former job at the SF Design Center... along with Holy Cards that I photo copied onto brown construction paper

Check out some links....
Museum of Funeral Customs
Victorian Mourning


For a birthday present (15 years ago) I was given Sleeping Beauty: Memorial Photography in America... (it is full of Victorian vintage photographs). Wow, I can't believe it is selling for $650.00... Thanks, Mike Lester! Smile.

I have posted some older work...which is a carry over into my midterm project. These two quicktime iMovies were made last summer - they contain movie clips and photographs taken on August 11, 2007 in the Vinton and Chilcoot Cemeteries, County of Plumas, California. Ancestries include: Swiss, Irish, English, German, Italian, & French from 1880-1900's.

Together Alone | By Amberlyn Nelson | Music: Tor Lundvall



A life More Ordinary | By Amberlyn Nelson | Music: Tor Lundvall

I made this filed out negative carrier for my mini panos...
Images taken in Boston at the Granary Burying Ground, circa 1660

Here are the results for the 2nd negative carrier I made on Friday night... I was trying to be very Michelle Bates with the vignetting border...

I'm trying to make a 120 negative carrier for my Holga... I don't think this is going to work out very well....

We will have to see how things look in the darkroom...

Midterm Thoughts...

I am more keen to focus on visiting some local favorite cemeteries and taking photos of some tombstones... Here are a few images I took with a Holga from my trip to Rockport, MA in October of 2006. I finally had the film developed a few weeks ago!!! The image above is a panoramic accident... For more images check out my East Coast Gallery.

There Will Be Blood - 02/09/08
The Eureka Ferry, built 1890
San Francisco Martime National Historic Park

There Will Be Blood, II - 02/09/08
The Eureka Ferry, built 1890
San Francisco Martime National Historic Park

There Will Be Blood, II - 02/09/08
The Eureka Ferry, built 1890
San Francisco Martime National Historic Park

Contact Sheet: There Will Be Blood - 02/09/08
The Eureka Ferry, built 1890
San Francisco Martime National Historic Park

Campbell at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Holga ~ 02/06/08 ~ 5:15pm

Campbell at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Holga ~ 02/06/08 ~ 5:15pm

Lost Weekend Video Photo Booth
02/02/08

2 minutes

RayKo Photo Center
02/02/08

RayKo Booth vs Lost Weekend Video Booth

(campbell vs nelson)

Self Portrait at RayKo Photo Center
San Francisco, 02/02/08

~

We were a bit sad that the booth at RayKo was "Out of Order!"

...so

We took BART to 24th Street and walked up to Valencia and 22nd and took a few film strips at the Lost Weekend Video - the woman at the counter didn't want to give me ten ones. But she finally agreed to break a ten. It was $3 per photo session. The booth at LWV is being removed next Sunday!

Lost Weekend Video:
photo booth iii
02/02/08

Lost Weekend Video:
photo booth ii
02/02/08

Lost Weekend Video:
photo booth i
02/02/08

RayKo Photo Booth

04/29/07

World Wide Pinhole Day at RayKo
04/29/07