honorable mention
Kary Janousek united statesPhoto © Kary Janousek
title
Fire-caught
The image was inspired by the poem “Fire-Caught” by Langston Hughes:
The gold moth did not love him
So, gorgeous, she flew away.
But the gray moth circled the flame
Until the break of day.
And then, with wings like a dead desire,
She fell, fire-caught, into the flame.
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entry description
This image is a scan of an original 4x5 ambrotype, sensitized silver on hand cut black stained glass, using the wet plate collodion process. The exposure was 4 seconds in duration in natural light, the camera is an antique burke and James of solid mahogany, the lens used was a vintage Carl Zeiss Tessar 210mm 4.5.. I composed and focused the image while an assistant removed the lens cap for the exposure, as I was the subject. I applied, by hand with a paint brush, a chemical referred to as farmers reducer to create the flame effect after fixing the image.The image was inspired by the poem “Fire-Caught” by Langston Hughes:
The gold moth did not love him
So, gorgeous, she flew away.
But the gray moth circled the flame
Until the break of day.
And then, with wings like a dead desire,
She fell, fire-caught, into the flame.
about the photographer
I am an amateur ambrotypist, with a focus on portrait photography. I use the historical wet plate collodion process, sensitized silver on black glass, invented in 1851. My studio is located at the antique school house in eastern North Dakota. This school house is used primarily for the storage of the owner’s antiques, which I make generous use of in my work. It’s important to me to represent my subjects in a way that makes them feel proud of who they are, while also opening their eyes to life’s more whimsical side. I love classic literature and art, and often incorporate these themes in my images. I have only been practicing this process for a year. Prior to this my focus was antique and vintage millinery, which is still my day job.back to gallery