This Is Not A Daguerrotype by Chipka
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Description
I like digital photography because it can (and is) often so much more than point and shoot, or point and capture. It’s so much more than the easy and instantaneous payoff of having a picture just as soon as you’ve made it. I like digital photography because it’s cheaper than the same art, utilizing the Daguerrotype Process, the Lomo Process, or any other ancient (and nearly-forgotten) means of photographic development.
I’ve become interested in the method of developing photographs, as introduced (a long time ago, in a world far, far away) by Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. Images are formed by an alloy of silver and mercury, and all sorts of interesting combinations of mercury vapor and other things you can probably learn about just by googling “daguerreotype” and clicking on the first link—probably Wikipedia. Wikipedia is nearly always the first link. Anyway, the daguerreotype process involves all sorts of interesting bits of potentially-lethal chemistry, and I suspect this is one of the primary reasons why such photographic methods are not commonly used today.
It wasn’t my intention to create an aged photograph, or to try to imply great age by digital fiddling. In truth, I was interested in removing someone from this image in a quick manner. The easiest way to do so—I imagined—was to postwork this image to within an inch of its life. As I began the postwork process, I found myself thinking of daguerrotypes; I googled the word and searched for images. I found a few…one of Edgar Allen Poe, shortly before his death, one of something strange and murky, one of a boxer or athlete of some other sort, flagrantly shirtless and kinda cute, in that…well…in that repressed Victorian sort of way.
This image is of two pedestrians walking near the new Modern Wing of Chicago’s Art Institute. There were three pedestrians in this shot: two guys and a Bears Fan. The Bears Fan didn’t quite make the final edit. Something about “antiquing” a photograph really goes against the grain of a red baseball cap, brim backwards, and rather than change the very nature of the shot and its intended postwork, I just…well…lets just say I took a photograph of a different reality: one where the people are infinitely more polite, even if they’re talking on cell phones—in the alternate reality (the one not in this photograph) the guy on the cell phone and his companion, walked around Corey and I as we were taking shots. The shorter (non-communicative) guy bobbed his head in a friendly nod, while the cell-phone talker did the same, and did an odd little dance in an attempt to duck out of digital camera range. The dundering thing in the baseball cap…well…lets just say that those who believe in the social value of Alpha Male behavior, generally don’t survive photographic processes involving skinny science fiction writers attempting to capture the illusive nature of Chicago architecture.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this little foray into artificial…or at least pseudo-tinted, ludicrously-fake daguerreotype digital photography.
Comments (25)
RodS
There used to be a couple guys in Lexington, Missouri, who made photos using the old Daguerrotype process. It was thier hobby, and they actually made some really nice prints. I'm not sure what happened to them - last time I was in Lexington, the house they lived in was up for sale. I'm of the same mind as you - I absolutely LOVE digital photography. It frees you up so much - I find myself doing a lot of things I probably wouldn't have tried back in the 'film days.' This is a great example of the versatiltiy and wonder of shooting onto pixels rather than plastic. And the fun you can have with it afterwards. Most excellent work, Chip!
kgb224
Outstanding post work my friend.
CoreyBlack
I'm listening to endless repeats of the theme to "Space: 1999" ( I LOVED being a kid in the Seventies!)so this might be a little dis-jointed. I like this a lot. I'm familiar with the original and it took me a minute to get used to this version. my first absurd thought was: oh, he's run it through the washing machine. How novel. And then: what happened to the foul mouthed knuckle dragger in the Bears outfit? I love the fact that you can now get revenge on obnoxoius jerks by simply editing them out of your photos. If only you could do that in real life! Anyway, I really like this a lot! If it weren't for the modern trapping of this scene it would really look like a Daguerrotype. Nice work!
geirla
Great effect! Yeah, probably best you killed off the Bears fan. Not period.
babuci
I am realy happy for it you share this work with us. Now I know another fine artistic way of handle photography in my 'computer darkroom'. Now I go chase up some fine tutorial about this method.
auntietk
Whatever steps you took to remove the Bear's fan and make this look like a period piece, I LOVE the result! Corey's idea of running it through the washing machine really appeals to me, but I'm loath to tumble my Canon (or even just the card) for half an hour in hot water just to see what happens. Not to mention the dryer. (Of course he didn't (mention the dryer), but that's the next logical step in my world.) Excellent work!
Crabbycabby
Great narrative and postwork.
lick.a.witch
Forgive me for first referring to Corey's comment - "I love the fact that you can now get revenge on obnoxious jerks by simply editing them out of your photos. If only you could do that in real life!" - my only problem on that would be where to begin! I love it! ^_* I also love this. The scene lends itself to this process (especially the elimination part) quite wonderfully. My heart lies in days long passed anyway - albeit farther back than this - but any image which recalls a gentler time (even if it is seen through rose coloured spectacles), is just fine with me. 'Tis a lovely image Chip! ^=^
durleybeachbum
Oh I do so feel with Corey and Carpathia! I love the end result, although I still feel a bit of disgust when I see two folk walking together and communicating not with each other, but with third parties. I wonder what can be so urgent as I see them pass still on the phone after several hundred yards.
marybelgium
wonderful postwork !
blankfrancine
Great concept.Love how you have linked early photographic technique with the latest digital tools, and how the title refers obliquely to that transgressor of photographic norms, Man Ray.
KateBlack10
Love this image and postwork Chip! Fabulous comments all around. I love Corey's use of "he's run it through a washing machine" and "getting revenge on obnoxious jerks" - wouldn't that be great to be able to do that in real life? and actually Space 1999 was a really cool show :) Ok, now I'm rambling - but I really like the effect on the shot - really neat, it looks aged and ancient, conjures up thoughts of actually a sci fi story but I'm not the writer so I will leave that to you! Really nice work!
flavia49
fascinating work!!
helanker
Chip, I think you did a very fine job with this photo. It really does look like an old "analogue" photograph. And the postwork is done beautiful.
MrsRatbag
Beautifully done, Chip! Thank god for CS5 and content-aware fill!
Cgaynor
There is so much you can do with photography and the computer-now if you could have only replaced those cars with buggies (lol) like what you have done.
anahata.c
yes Chip, you got that strange almost ultra-real lighting so typical of those older methods (Daguerreotype included), and the strange "aging" that so many film photographs get with the years. (Wouldn't it be amazing if jpgs, raws, tiffs, etc, aged mysteriously on hard drives & portable discs, like over time? Something no one knows about yet, but will discover in 10 years, as reports come in in the droves that "all my old digital shots are now a strange green! How the hell did THAT happen???") And you got the strange super-real coloration that actually looks like tinting, but which also was part of the processes used back then. (And btw, I've seen a number of shots of boxers from that era---from Russia, in fact!---who look fierce even though one guy was draped in freakin' furs! Some of the funniest, strangest, most sensual & totally incongruous boxing shots I'd ever seen!) Even the branch in the upper left corner is beautifully "stained" into the whole. As for that unreal color, the touch of green in the right-most walker is terrific, as is the green in a sign behind him. And the cell phones fit in finely. I don't know how you removed the other guy so well, but you've been doing these kinds of acts for a long time. And I like Corey's idea of putting these through the washing machine. (In conservation, they'll take the paint layer off an oil painting, and clean it: I always thought they should rip it off in front of the owner---who quietly passes out---throw it in a washing machine, throw in quarters, and yell to the owner, "Come back at 2!" When they put the paint layer back on canvas, they could secure it with Elmer's Glue---or staples. Basically, that's funny to about 6 people on planet earth, and they're not exactly rolling in the aisles...) Fine light & feel, and with your usual deep sensibilities, you've made a very mysterious image out of it, with a confluence of time & place all working in a simple street capture. Really fine work once more, Chip. Beautifully done.
sandra46
SUPER BEAUTIFUL POSTWORK! VERY COOL!
jac204
Great postwork.
Orinoor
I love this look, it gives it more character. I used to have a daguerrotype photo in a little leather frame, but it disappeared with so many other things in life. Lovely.
MagikUnicorn
Cool shot...I remember 1997 I have go see the Black Hawks Game :)
danapommet
I like your end results and fine postwork but more important, I understand your reasoning. Dana
praep
WOW - impressive work. The building looks like a train station in the town where I go to work. First I thought you where here and took this shot.
three_grrr
Nothing better the post-worked to hell and back, "pseudo-tinted, ludicrously-fake daguerreotype digital photography", LOL. Especially when it's done so well!! I love how this turned out .. truly old looking, and the guys just pop .. and then there's that incongruity of an ancient photo .. but with today's vehicles, and of all things, a guy with a cell phone!! There were cell phones back in the day??? Funny, I don't remember cell phones. ROFL
myrrhluz
I love that you were able to get rid of the obnoxious guy. I took a lot of pictures once (back in film days) of a jousting tournament. There was this guy's head in numerous of my shots. I wondered if he was taking professional shots for the group doing the tournament because he was right up front and moving all around. I tried to zoom him out, but he was always right where I wanted to shoot. I'll have to go through them sometime now and see if I can postwork him out. Wonderful look, with the two individuals both blending in and standing out from the sepia tones. I like the shadowed walking figures in the distance, on the ground level and on the walkway, and that one of the elements that stands out in a varying color is the pedestrian walking sign. Marvelous alternate reality. There is something infinitely pleasing about friendly greetings between people who will never be more than a brief moment to each other. There is no self serving reason to bob the head in acknowledgement or try to avoid ruining someone's photograph. (Well you may just not want to be photographed, but I think usually people are trying to be helpful) It is a recognition of another's worth. A simple thing that can really uplift the spirits. Excellent capture, postwork, and narrative!