artreactor.org

Call for Entries – The Whole Plate Project

Monarch Novelties Store, 14th Street, Washington DC

Art Reactor is hosting its first juried photo exhibition – The Whole Plate Project.

The Whole Plate Project is a community of photographers working in the Whole Plate format (6.5 x 8.5 inches). Whole Plate was the original photographic size, derived from book printing requirements. It is an extremely well-balanced proportion, and offers a comfortable middle ground between the portability of 5×7 and the grand scale of 8×10. With standardization around 4×5, 5×7 and 8×10, whole plate fell out of favor and into obscurity. Along with the revival of historical processes such as wet plate collodion, platinum, and gum bichromate, the whole plate format has been undergoing a contemporary renaissance as more and more photographers are re-discovering their photographic roots.

The purpose of this exhibition is to showcase the work of photographers working in whole plate format. This exhibition is a contemplation of historical themes, genres, effects, or a historical meditation on modern and contemporary movements, events and ideas. Work submitted should interrogate the intersection between historical and modern through the aperture of the whole-plate window.

The Whole Plate Project show will be held at the Art Reactor Gallery in Hyattsville, Maryland. The show will be curated by Scott Davis, an internationally recognized fine art photographer. A catalog will be prepared from the show and made available for sale. Artists accepted into the exhibition will be given two copies of the catalog. Artists accepted into the show will also be considered for inclusion in the Whole Plate Book Project, a publishing effort underway to catalog and demonstrate the breadth and depth of work being done in the format.

• Submissions will be accepted of work shot in the whole plate format, and the final images must demonstrate whole plate size. Any images determined not to have been made by an in-camera whole plate medium will be disqualified, and no refund of the application fee will be made.
• All genres of work are welcome
• All non-digital media will be considered.
• The submission fee is $25 for three images, or $50 for six. Please submit a coherent body of work that demonstrates a consistent theme.
• Collections of “greatest hits” will be rejected.
• Images must be submitted on CD, mailed to Art Reactor Gallery, attention Scott Davis.
• The CD must be labeled with your name, email address, and phone number.
• Images must be in JPEG format, 1000 pixels on the long side. Images must be labeled with the photographers’ initials, “WPP”, and sequence number , separated by underscores (SD_WPP_001).
• A separate document in Word format should have an index of image titles, media used, and date produced. The document should also include a no more than 250 word artists statement that directly relates to the work submitted.
• Entries must be received no later than June 15, 2010.
• Accepted entrants will be notified via email on July 1, 2010. PLEASE make sure the email address you provide is valid. If you do not get an email, you have not been accepted.
• Accepted entries must be delivered, matted and ready to hang no later than July 15, 2010.  If it is not at Art Reactor by close of business July 15, it is not going up on the wall. Please include a return shipping label with postage paid, and ship in a re-useable shipping container.
• If the work delivered differs substantially from the JPEGs submitted, it will be disqualified and returned.
• There will be an opening reception on July 17 from 6-9pm, and prizes will be awarded for best in show. Grand prize will be $100, and 2nd and 3rd prizes will be $50 gift certificates for classes at Art Reactor Workshops. In the event that the second or third place prize cannot be redeemed locally, an alternate prize will be arranged. The show will be taken down on August 21, and works will be shipped back no later than August 28.

To register, go to http://wholeplateproject.eventbrite.com

Introduction to Platinum/Palladium Printing – June 26-27, 2010

Iguazu Falls, Argentina - platinum print. Scott Davis, 2007

This class is an intensive, two-day immersion. Students will be able to walk away from the class with a solid foundation for doing their own pt/pd printing. On day one, I will cover

History of the technique

Historic/contemporary practitioners

Technical basics – chemistry, equipment, paper

Major controls – negatives, exposure, processing

Fine controls – contrast control, process variations

in the classroom. The discussion will be supported by extensive hands-on learning opportunities. Students will learn to choose subject matter, expose and process film to produce negatives suited for platinum/palladium printing. We will produce negatives for use the following day in the printing session.

On day two, we will walk through the entire process: we will set up the work area, choose materials, prepare chemical solutions, coat paper, expose and process prints, and discuss basic troubleshooting.  Advanced topics to include variations on the standard platinum/palladium process will be touched on. We will also discuss the future of this beautiful process, and how it can be combined with new media, with some examples provided. Students will have several finished prints each to take home. Information will be provided on inexpensive options for making a home UV exposure unit.

A substantial discount can be arranged for buying materials at Bostick & Sullivan for students following the class if they wish to continue working in the process.

Instructor bio:

Scott Davis is an internationally recognized platinum printer and published author on the subject of platinum/palladium printing. He has been practicing the craft of fine art photography for over 16 years, with extensive experience in silver based and alternative photographic processes. He received formal training at Maryland Institute College of Art and the Center for Alternative Photography in New York. His work has been exhibited nationally and locally, and published in magazines including Metropolitan Home and the online journal Creative Image Maker (www.creativeimagemaker.co.uk).

Register for Introduction to Platinum/Palladium Printing

Photographing the Male Nude

This will be an all-day seminar on photographing the male nude in the studio. We will start the day discussing the male nude in the history of photography, looking at examples from Muybridge to Mapplethorpe. We will discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of working with a male model. Lighting, posing, and working with props will be discussed, as well as solo and multiple model shoots. Please bring ideas and questions to share, a sketchbook to record poses, and images that inspire (does not have to be photographs). Plans are to have two models available. All camera formats are welcome. For those interested/able, a follow-up session will be scheduled to have a chance to share work created during the workshop. Tuition is $200 plus a $100 fee for the models.

There will be a break for lunch (there is a very good little sandwich shop at the end of the block, or Franklyn’s Restaurant/Cafe is a few blocks down the street).

Instructor bio:

Scott Davis is an internationally recognized platinum printer and published author on the subject of platinum/palladium printing. He has been practicing the craft of fine art photography for over 16 years, with extensive experience in silver based and alternative photographic processes. He received formal training at Maryland Institute College of Art. His influences run from F. Holland Day to John Dugdale, Stephen John Phillips to Robert Mapplethorpe. His work has been exhibited nationally and locally, and published in magazines including Metropolitan Home and the online journal Creative Image Maker (www.creativeimagemaker.co.uk).

UPDATE – due to a scheduling conflict, this event has been rescheduled to Saturday August 7.

Register for Photographing The Male Nude