2006 September | The Daguerreotype: Contemporary work by Jonathan Danforth

How to Destroy a Daguerreotype

Posted in Artist's Journal, Daguerreotypes by Jonathan on the September 29th, 2006

I posted this video as part of my Instructables.com post a couple of months back. I thought that you might enjoy taking a look. I overexposed the image so I decided to make an example of this plate. You can see that the Daguerreotype image is made up of a very fine dusty powder on the silver surface. What’s interesting is that there remains a ghost-like blue image on the silver that can only be buffed out. This is precisely why you must put a Daguerreotype behind glass!

[youtube]v3jBZOWq2Ps[/youtube]

no comments yet

Prototype Wooden Digital Camera from Olympus

Posted in Photography by Jonathan on the September 27th, 2006

I saw this little gem over at Luxist, one of my regular haunts. This is the sort of Prototype Olympus Digital Camera radical idea that needs to swiftly move from prototype to reality. Though the consumer-base is likely small, the attention to detail in such a piece makes it a very desirable camera to own.

Further, I don’t think that this would be a very difficult hack to acheive for just about any pocket digital camera. True, you’re not likely to be able to replicate Olympus’ “three dimensional compression of the wood” but you could get pretty close with some clever veneering or hand carving.

I can easily see why some fellow photographers opt to pay the premium for the Deardorf and Wista wooden cameras for their asthetic beauty and durability. Kudos, Olympus.

More information at Gizmodo after the jump.

no comments yet

Dennis Waters talks about Daguerreotypes in Maine

Posted in Daguerreotypes, News & Events, Photography by Jonathan on the September 25th, 2006

Both a collector and an authority on the preservation of Daguerreotypes, Dennis Waters will be giving a presentation at the Saco Museum in Saco, Maine on 9/30/2006 with the assistance of his son, Casey. Dennis operates finedags.com and offers restoration services.

If you’re in the area, I suggest going in for the presentation. Directions and times after the jump.

-Jonathan