Christina Z. Anderson's TPS Talk: ADVICE FOR THOSE MOVING FORWARD IN ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES

© Christina Z. Anderson

Huge thanks to Christina for sharing the following information for her TPS Talk -

ADVICE FOR THOSE MOVING FORWARD IN ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES

  • Make alt your avocation, not vocation.
  • Commit to one process for a year and get good at it.
  • When you feel confident about predictable results, and you have read everything on it and tested everything, share process notes freely online to build up presence and authority. Don’t act like an authority if you are not.
  • Always give credit where credit is due. Always. And I mean always


SETTING UP A DIMROOM


ALT SUPPLIES


WEB PRESENCE

  • A personal website is a must, but a presence on alternativephotography.com is good, too.
  • Have projects on website according to concept not process but it’s OK to have one devoted to your process of choice.
  • Have a concise 150-word artist statement for each body of work; no artspeak, just clarity.In the artist statement point to process only in the last sentence if necessary (don’t talk about process throughout the artist statement in other words)
  • No need to display more than 20 images for each body of work.
  • Scan each finished print at the size it is, 300ppi TIFF or PSD and size the image to be exactly that size so you will know when asked.
  • Keep a low-rez copy of each work for your website and entering shows (size varies but a jpeg 300ppi 10” longest side compression level 10 is usually sufficient).
  • Join Texas Photographic Society www.texasphoto.org in San Antonio TX
  • FB groups: World Cyanotype Day, Cyanotype (recently been hacked, though), Palladium, Gum Bichromate, Alternative Photographic Processes, etc.
  • On IG use alt hashtags #palladium #gumbichromate #cyanotype, etc.
  • Personally I only use FB and IG for business/alt and both are great exposure that builds slowly.


FIND SHOWS

The call-for-entry section of the Society for Photographic Education (hosts conferences). Photo only.

A section of the College Art Association’s website devoted to juried exhibitions, solo and group show proposals, grants, awards, and residencies.


FRAMING

  • Museum board only safe matting—all rag, acid free, white or off white. (cyanotype has to be matted in unbuffered mat board! Only process that requires this!)
  • 2 ply = 1/32, 4 ply = 1/16, 8 ply = 1/8
  • Remember: a picture should not have to compete for attention with its surroundings.
  • Hang center of work 66” high
  • Piece of adhesive tape wrapped around middle of picture wire keeps it from tilting
  • www.Pictureframes.com (good site to “try on” your image and frame)
  • Standardize your sizes so you can switch out work when necessary.
  • Mat should be no less than 2.5˝ wide for an 8x10 print. I prefer 3˝.
  • I use Artique 4906 (it’s a natural white) and natural maple frames; I get my framing done at Frugal Framers in town. Sandwashed white wood or natural maple looks great with gum.
  • Put name on print, never the mat board.


WEBSITES

Alternativephotography.com

Photo Trio forum

Bromoil.info

Capworkshops.org Center for Alternative Photography

Dndr.org.uk/ Double Negative Darkroom, London

Nonfigurativephoto.blogspot.com

Petapixel.com

PlatestoPixels.com

Texasphoto.org

The Hand Magazine

Unblinkingeye.com

GET PUBLISHED: ONLINE PHOTO PUBLICATIONS

Analog Forever (analogforevermagazine.com) – An online magazine devoted to analog photography in all its forms, featuring interviews, features and online exhibitions.

Bokehbokeh (bokehbokeh.photo) – An online publication that features new work from all photographic genres.

Lens Culture (lensculture.com) – An online publication with features, interviews and calls for entry across all genres of photography

Lenscratch (lenscratch.com) – A daily journal on contemporary photography, with a fantastic “Resources” section of it’s own that includes publications, portfolio reviews, grants, artist residencies, and more.

Fraction (fractionmagazine.com) – A magazine devoted to showing work that is not necessarily seen elsewhere.

Burn Magazine (burnmagazine.org) – What started as a blog by Magnum photographer David Alan Harvey, is now transitioning into a magazine devoted to emerging photographers.

Feature Shoot (featureshoot.com) – A site devoted to myriad photographic genres that bills itself as showcasing international, emerging, and established photographers who are transforming the medium with their projects.

Landscape Stories (magazine.landscapestories.net) – An online Magazine dedicated to the presentation of stories and photographic work. Mostly, but not exclusively devoted to landscape in some way.

Photo Eye (blog.photoeye.com) – The website and blog of the Santa Fe photo bookstore of the same name. Bad website design. Good photography.

Emulsive (emulsive.org) – A blog/magazine where analog photographers share knowledge and experience

GET PUBLISHED: PRINT MAGAZINES

Shots Magazine (shotsmag.com) – An alternative/eclectic print-only (not online) magazine of black and white photography.

Outdoor Photographer (outdoorphotographer.com) – A magazine for all types of outdoor photography featuring “tips, techniques, and tools” for both amateur and professional.

Black and White Magazine (bandwmag.com) – “For Collectors of Fine Photography” is how they bill themselves. A publication devoted to black and white photography with a modernist bent.

Aperture Magazine (aperture.org) – An online, magazine and book publisher of “the most inspiring photography and writing on photography.” Founded by Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Beaumont and Nancy Newhall, Minor White, and others (google them). Is now decidedly not Modernist.

Blind Spot (blindspot.com) – A print-only (not online) art journal for unseen work by living photographic artists. They say, “Blind Spot is not about photography, our content is photography.”

Contact Sheet (lightwork.org/shop/category/contact-sheet/) – The publication of the non-profit photography non-profit Light Work. Publications usually feature artists who have served at their artist in residency program.

Dear Dave Magazine (deardave.org) – A contemporary magazine of eclectic photography from genres of art, fashion and photojournalism. Winner of a Lucie Award for photography magazine of the year.

Don’t Take Pictures (donttakepictures.com) – A twice annual photography magazine devoted to contemporary photography. Website also includes interviews and features more regularly

Diffusion Magazine (onetwelvepublishing.com) – A photography annual devoted to handcrafted, alt-process, mixed media, and experimental work.

British Journal of Photography (bjp-online.com) – A british publication focusing on fine art and documentary, and the cutting edge of editorial and commercial practices.

Hand magazine is a great first publication magazine to get lines on your résumé.

OTHER PLACES TO SEE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROJECTS

  • The Art Photo Index (artphotoindex.com)
  • Women in Photography (wipnyc.org)
  • Photography Now (photography-now.com)
  • Photo Lucida Critical Mass


MISCELLANEOUS URLS

Library of Congress, lots of gum prints to view.

Calvin Greer Gum

›Back to Top