Artes Lucidae Studio

Artes Lucidae Studio Artes Lucidae Studio represents my passion for collecting and exhibiting photographica, and making archival prints of, by, and from historical materials.

What I did over the past year of covid isolation. The lineup goes from 16mm square to sixteenth plate (3.5 x 4 cm), nint...
05/31/2021

What I did over the past year of covid isolation. The lineup goes from 16mm square to sixteenth plate (3.5 x 4 cm), ninth plate (5 x 6 cm), bon-ton (credit card size, common in antique stores) to the largest, 11 x 14 inches. I have an art series in mind for the large camera, and can bring the credit card camera to pop-up events. Contact me about touring the process, and you may go home with a pop-up portrait as my thanks for your interest.

Having fun with credit card size blanks. These are easy to fit down to Bon-Ton or 16th plate aperture cards. This is all...
05/31/2021

Having fun with credit card size blanks. These are easy to fit down to Bon-Ton or 16th plate aperture cards. This is all in getting ready for some potential graduation portrait opportunities.

Daryl J Watson blessed me with his patient sitting for some post-isolation wet-plate portraits. Texas music homie has Th...
05/08/2021

Daryl J Watson blessed me with his patient sitting for some post-isolation wet-plate portraits. Texas music homie has The Arresting Gaze.

Time for another update on the 11" x 14" camera project, a wood monorail view camera for film, paper, or wet plate. See ...
10/26/2020

Time for another update on the 11" x 14" camera project, a wood monorail view camera for film, paper, or wet plate.

See that light dot on the lower right of the ground glass? That is a focused image of a light bulb behind me. The front standard is finished, and the rear frame is complete enough to hold things in place with a clamp. Hence this little test is literally "first light" for it, using the main structures loaded up with a lens in front and the ground glass holder in back. Next I need to buy some more hardwood stock and a couple wooden drawer pulls to finish the tilting back. And then the bellows. And then a field test. It's happening!

Everything I was concerned about yesterday was confirmed in the daylight today... the white glides are over built, ugly,...
10/21/2020

Everything I was concerned about yesterday was confirmed in the daylight today... the white glides are over built, ugly, heavy, and too long for a short lens. At the hardware store I bought a wide door threshold, trimmed off the rounded edges, and tried again. The new glides correct all the issues I had with the former glides. So tomorrow I will start building up the standards with their view camera movements.

This photo shows the three new glides on the track behind one of yesterday's units. The tripod adapter is already installed in the middle glide. They look really good.

After researching some DIY techniques for positioning the standards on a tripod, I settled on trying a monorail system u...
10/20/2020

After researching some DIY techniques for positioning the standards on a tripod, I settled on trying a monorail system using wood that the locals call a "bonfire match." Today I built the three glides for focusing and balancing the components, and the first dry fit reveals that I may not be able to use a wide angle lens with a focal length shorter than the grouped together glides (currently 16"). But I think I can shorten the tripod mount by two inches or so. I'll add the T-nuts for tightening the glides and see if the system is overly sturdy enough to bear shortening.

Thanks for following this project this far. I aim to complete it far enough in the next few days to try a first image by using trash bags as a temporary bellows. Proper bellows and stain and seal can wait, don't you think?

Today I was able to build the finger-jointed lens mount and cut the pieces for the standard. Before attaching the side s...
10/19/2020

Today I was able to build the finger-jointed lens mount and cut the pieces for the standard. Before attaching the side slats they need to be slotted to allow the lens holder to be raised and lowered. This lens is capable of the 11" x 14" coverage, and the standard must bear the weight while allowing adjustments for composing.

With the back separated and configured to rotate, and temporary pressure gates added for testing, we now have a function...
10/18/2020

With the back separated and configured to rotate, and temporary pressure gates added for testing, we now have a functional back for an 11" x 14" view camera. Next up I'll assemble a front standard and deciding what movements to add to it. The plans are simple: use tricks I learned from my last build (an 8" x 10" camera with a sliding extension) and learn enough from this experience to try a 20" x 20" camera utilizing inserts to rotate the plates as needed. I have a 21" Kodak process lens that could probably cover 24" x 24", hence the upward trajectory in gaining build experience.

It's been awhile. Guess what is going on at the Studio? The opening is 11" x 14". I'll try to remember to update often.
10/16/2020

It's been awhile. Guess what is going on at the Studio? The opening is 11" x 14". I'll try to remember to update often.

Scaling up from static displays to a life-size dummy. This is a scan of a wet plate glass negative, 2x2.5" size (like a ...
03/21/2020

Scaling up from static displays to a life-size dummy. This is a scan of a wet plate glass negative, 2x2.5" size (like a business card) that prints fine up to 8x10", made in my new studio using blue LED floodlight arrays.

Wet plate images are most often made as direct positives, much like one-of-a-kind Polaroid prints. But with lengthened e...
02/11/2020

Wet plate images are most often made as direct positives, much like one-of-a-kind Polaroid prints. But with lengthened exposure and development, one can produce negatives with wonderful tonal scale and resolution, ideal for enlargement or alternative printing as digital negatives. From the new studio, a scanned wet plate negative:

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105 Kettner
Mason, TX
76856

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+15129923343

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