Making a Daguerreotype

"A good daguerreotype was as perfect a kind of photograph as was ever made." ~Edward Steichen

The most incredible thing happened today, we made daguerreotypes. The real things. We actually did it according to the 1839 instructions by Daguerre himself. If you're not a photographer at all, watching this process will make you one. I understand and know the chemistry behind it, but it still feels like magic when it happens.

Our professor, Mike, is the sole daguerreotypist in all of Canada. So he's an authority on this subject. He showed us Daguerre's method for making a daguerreotype. I'll retell it here, because it really is magic. First, you need to take a copper plate that is coated in silver. It's really made by taking silver and copper metals and rolling them together several times until you get a bonded, thin plate.

The plate (silver side up of course) is polished with pumice powder and olive oil. Pressure is applied using a rag to polish the surface. After doing that a few times, the plate is rinsed with a spray of 0.5% of nitric acid and then wiped off. Then it's done again until the surface is extremely shiny. This gets out any chemical impurities. When it's ready, the plate is buffed with a velvet pad and then checked for dust. Sadly, this process takes about 20 minutes and usually induces sweating.

Next, the plate is put silver side down, in a special box. Then it is exposed to iodine vapors. This is the halogen the sensitizes the plate. It turns the silver to Silver Iodide, which is the light sensitive substance. After about 30 seconds, the plate is checked to make sure it is a dark yellow. Then, it is taken in a darkroom with the safelights on, exposed for 10 more seconds and then put in the film holder.

The exposure was 20 minutes at about f16 of the street. It was a landscape and while that was taking we heated up the mercury vapor to 158 degrees to get the right saturation of mercury. Mercury is what will act as a developer for the plate.

When the twenty minutes is up, the cover is returned on the film holder and the case is taken into the darkroom where it the plate is removed and put in the mercury bath. The plate will sit in the mercury bath for another 20 minutes until fully developed.

After developing the plate is put in a tray and sodium thiosulphate (or thiosulfate, depending the country you are in) is poured evenly over the plate. This is the fixer and only has to react with the plate for maybe a minute. Then the fixer is poured out and several rinses of distilled water are poured over the plate and agitated.

After the plate is rinsed, it is gripped with pliers and held over an alcohol lamp. The lamp is moved back and forth along the back of the plate, drying off the remaining water.

And like magic, over and hour later, you have a 1839 daguerreotype. It really was magic. What was even more incredible about today is that I got to touch polished, unused daguerreotype plates that belong to Southworth and Hawes. I was practically shaking it was so unbelievable. Those two owned an upscale studio in Boston during the height of the daguerreotype. They are considered masters of the craft and if you ever see a Southworth and Hawes, you will understand. Making a daguerreotype is hard.

The process we learned today was just the first official version of the daguerreotype. Within the next 10-14 years, during the golden years of the daguerreotype, the process was changed and complicated. New halogens were added, galvanizing, guilding, toning, coloring and other changes were implemented to improve the tonal quality and shorten exposure time. It's mind boggling how many different variations there are to the daguerreotype.

Yet, no matter how it is made, the daguerreotype is incredible. It was like watching the 19th century come alive in that studio. Both chemistry and a magic trick. I can only imagine what 1839 must have been like when people saw a daguerreotype for the first time. I love our past, it makes me proud. There's something inspiring in the things we invent, triumph over, create or the way things change life forever.

Part of knowing where we're going is knowing where we came from. And to think, I'm going to have a part of preserving that past for our future. It's a pretty powerful feeling.

Fall in the City

"Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain." ~Pierre E. Trudeau

Fall has arrived and with that hockey pre-season. Now I am starting to understand the Canadian obsession with hockey. It's everywhere. In other news, I finally got the hang of the subway and street cars. The buses will have to come at a later date, but shouldn't be that bad. It's just hard to find the street car stops because they don't do a very good job of marking them. And in the rain, it's rather easy to walk right by them.

Canadian TV commercials, to put it bluntly, are just strange. They are either ridiculous jingles (such as the Cadbury commercial jingle set to a Beach Boys song) to the "milk rap" to the Sunsilk hair commercials that take place in a women's room where three girls talk about sex and almost nothing about hair. I haven't quick gotten used to how odd they are.

I'm eating Smarties at the moment. Not the sugary-sweet candy in the States, but the kind you find in places like Britain. They are the chocolate candies that sort of want to be M&Ms but have a different taste. I think they're good. In fact, I haven't seen a Snickers in a while. Instead Canadians have lots of Cadbury candy, Smarties, Aero bars, Coffee Crisp and Bounty. I actually have to admit I prefer this candy to the candy in the States. I can't tell you why and I have a terrible sweet tooth. Thumbs up for Canadian tasty treats.

Canada has also launched a major "Peanut Free" campaign for candy, granola bars and other things that used to say "may contain peanuts" on the packaging. They're trying to make things more "friendly" for the people with peanut allergies. So the package of my Smarties read "Peanut Free" and "Sans arachides."

Best Buy just had a Grand Opening two weeks ago. So, they hosted artists in Dundas Square for free concerts. I went to the John Mayer concert that Saturday with girls from my program. He was awesome. And it was free.

I admit, I have a lot on my plate this week, including an interview, but I'm just excited to get it done so I can have Kat come visit this weekend. I am so excited! My first visitor here in the True North. I hope I can show her just what a great city Toronto has been so far.

And to take to her to her first on-campus pub. Because American University was a dry campus there wasn't a pub, but Ryerson isn't. And aside from eating "street meat" on campus (aka: hot dog vendors) there's a cool pub the boast cheap eats, beer and pool. It's nice to have a place to hang out that's not the Tavern at AU. The only downfall, Toronto is colder than DC ever was.

Sacrifices had to be made. I've got my winter boots ready.

These Dirty Feet Were Worth it

So, today began the exciting adventure of exploring Toronto. Let me start by saying that I must have walked about 10km today. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but my feet certainly feel it. They have also collected half of the dirt in the city, which is a little bit gross. I look forward to washing them when I complete this entry.

I spent most of the day exploring the Harbourfront. I also road my very first streetcar. It was enjoyable, though I find Toronto's subway system much less user-friendly than DC's and that saddens me a little. It also makes me look like an idiot when I walk in circles.

I actually spent the day exploring the Harbourfront with an Australian friend of Ben's. Turns out him and I come from 12,000 miles from each other and happen to be studying in the same Canadian city at the same time. So, we took it as an opportunity to explore a new city together.

Wouldn't you know that in the first five minutes of being at the harbour I find a tall ship? The 'Empire Sandy' is her name. And she's beautiful. I know all of my friends who've sailed with me have to agree. It was nice to stand by the water for a while and walk along the docks. It felt a little bit like being back at the Marina.















I think Toronto has a beautiful waterfront. It's just hidden past the Gardiner Parkway, which is a little daunting. They even rent sailboats down at Queen's Quay! Perhaps, I will have to get a crew together and go sailing in the spring.















We also walked over the famous footbridge from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Yes, the film takes place in Chicago, but it was filmed in Toronto.




















After a late lunch at the Duke of Richmond pub, we headed over to the Skydome, now called Rodger Centre. It will always be the Skydome to me. But I digress. The Blue Jays played the Devil Rays and in an exciting ninth inning managed to tie the Devil Rays 3-3. I thought in the tenth inning it was over the Jays when the Rays scored another run. But the Jays scored the only homerun of the game that brought the score to 5-4. It was incredible, the Jays actually won.

I have to admit, I really got into it after awhile. You know me, screaming, shouting at the players. I get excited easily. But it was pretty incredible to look up and see the CN tower.
















I managed to stumble home feeling pretty content. I have a new-found love for this city. I'm starting to feel at home here. I promise that once my room is cleaned up tomorrow, I'll take pictures of the apartment. The new Matt is still moving in so the place is still a little torn up.

This is a city full of beauty in some unlikely places. I could spend all day just watching people or walking through neighbourhoods. There's just something about Toronto that has me excited. Maybe it's the people I meet, or the places I go. It could even be the small differences that make me feel intrigued. But that's for another entry. Toronto has the height of NY, the waterfront of Chicago, the nostaglia of DC and a sound all it's own.


Were my dirty aching feet worth it?

If I Were at a Canadian Spelling Bee...

I would spell things the British way. Seriously. Lots of extra "u"s and "e"s. Words that I find spelled like the Brits are:

• chequing
• centre
• theatre
• harbourfront
• programme

And so on. That ought to excite all my anglofile friends out there. Everything is also in French and English. So sometimes, I confuse myself for trying to read the French side as English. This is not advised as it won't help very much.

I'm standing in line at Financial Aid today and someone asked me if the line was for OSAP. I said I didn't know. OSAP is Ontario aid and scholarships of sorts. I am clearly not eligible, but I explained I had forms to hand in for international loans. So the guy asked where I was from. And I said the US and blushed. It feels strange to say international, but yet I'm a three hour drive from Toronto. Yet, he smiled and nodded.

Another confusing aspect of Canadian culture everyone in the States calls "Native Americans" Canadians call "Aboriginals" or "Natives." Well, every time I hear or read Aboriginal, I think of Australia. And it's taken me a while to be able to differentiate the two. I still think boomerangs and kangaroos when I hear it.

And that's about that. I had Research Methods today, a class that promises to be intimidating. I'm headed to the harbourfront this Friday and to a Jays game. I promise to have my camera fully functional by then--after all, all words and no pictures are rather boring.

With my life coming together up North and the rain still coming down, it's time for some Canadian programmes and reading. I'm taking things slow here, eh.

They Have Curling, but They Don't Have Beer Pong

It appears that the popular college fraternity and sorority sport of beer pong is a "States" thing. I, myself am not very good at the sport or care for it too much, other than the fact people seem to get better the more they drink. And considering how much hand-eye coordination the game takes, I find it a little puzzling. But, as I learned last night, many Canadians have only participated in the sport if they went to college in the US, like one of my roommates.

They have curling, which involves ice and brooms, but they don't have a sport that involves beer and ping pong balls. This from the country with beer that has a higher alcoholic content than in the US. Yes, you will get drunk faster off Canadian beer. I have yet to try this, so I can offer you no proof so far.

With the Toronto Film Festival, everyone is talking about star sightings. This is a new phenomenon as in the District, we merely got excited about polititans. And to be honest, they aren't that exciting. But, I'm suddenly caught up in the craze. I'm happy to report that as a big Degrassi: TNG fan (go look it up if you don't know, it's a Canadian show filmed in Toronto) I actually saw a kid from it last night on my way to Food Basics (a cheap grocery store). I was confused at first how I knew him until I heard his voice. He only had a few minor roles as a friend to Liberty's brother, but still, I was excited.

Not to mention, I've discovered the location of Degrassi Street in Toronto and am proud to report it exists--for the small number of you that would care.

Daily, I find more about Canada that I love, and more that proves I'm really somplace new. After all, they don't watch American Idol, they watch Canadian Idol. They don't eat Mac 'n Cheese, they eat KD. They don't have gallon jugs of milk, they have milk in bags. No joke.

Somedays I think Canada is more European than "American" or "States-ish" as I call it now. After all, they have the Queen on the back of their coins.

Greetings from Across an International Border

So finally, the long-awaited adventure has begun. I'm sorry it took me so long to finally get here, but life seems to be going in fast forward. As I walked to school Wednesday morning, I saw the CN tower and it affirmed the reality...I'm in Toronto, Canada. I don't even know where to begin; I've forgotten where the beginning really is.

So far, starting over a second time has proved easier and far more frustrating--as much of an oxymoron as it is. I believe moving internationally has something to do with it. Yes, I've come here to prove Canada is a different country from the US. Since I've grown up with Canada as my closest neighbor--yes closer than any other US state-- I feel I came knowing more than some others. So for a quick recap of the few things I came knowing:

1. Canada is on the metric system (however, you still find most things in feet at stores, especially when it applies to housewares)
2. They have 1 dollar and 2 dollar coins -- a "Loonie" = 1 dollar and a "Two-nie" is 2 dollars
3. "Eh" is a common form of speech and they do pronounce "o" differently...Which explains why we say "aboot" when we talk "Canadian"

But there's plenty of things I had no idea about. Which, if you're from the US and think Canada is just a large 51st state: you're completely wrong. First of all, when applying for a bank account, I immediately got a bank card. Strange, in the US you wait for days to get it.

There is also a store in Toronto called "Canadian Tire," but it sells anything but tires. It's actually like a housewares store and a sporting goods store in one. And I have yet to see tires there other than ones on bikes. It sort of reminded me of the Christmas Tree Shops in New England.

Something else that I have yet to understand is why at some grocery stores they charge 5 cents for bags. My suggestion? Bring your own bags to the store. It was a little embarrassing to carry home toilet paper, granola bars and water without a bag.

I live in Old Cabbagetown. The basic history of my area is that it was one of the poorest areas of Toronto when most of the immigrants were Irish. They grew cabbages in their front yard because that's all they could afford. Now, it's known for it's old Victorian homes and high (in the words explained to me by Canadians) "brown" population. Though I hate putting it that way, it feels wrong. But, I'm merely restating what was earlier said to me--to be fair.

My roommates are extremely diverse. There are four of them. Three of them are Canadian and male, the other one is a girl from Tanzania. They are all really different people and living with guys is certainly a change from before, especially since I share a bathroom with them. And we all know that I have a tendency to be a clean freak. But with fascinating roommates, I should be in for some fun. Not to mention, I'm the only one from the States, how amazing is that? Yeah, only a rare few get excited to be in the minority. I just feel as though I will learn a lot from them.

And lastly, my program. Canadian schools don't baby their students, so I'm finding out a lot of stuff I have to do on my own. Like enrolling in health insurance (yay for socialism and universal healthcare) or financial aid (which apparently is available). All I can say is, I'm feeling my way blindly through a cave with nothing more than a small stick. And that's the frustrating part, trying to get aid before it's too late and even more importantly trying to get money for my rent.

Side note: the frustrating part is it takes 20 days for US checks to clear. And it's a pain in the ass to wire money. So, we've had to settle for wiring money. Though it's costly. There was also and issue with cellphones and I had to change providers to get a North American plan. Canadian cell plans suck for any long distance calling. US plans suck for roaming charges. It was hard to get what I want. And to think, I live THREE HOURS away. I could almost use smoke signals.

Back to school. I've only been to one class, Historical Processes and it promises to be a lot of work. But I'm excited to go in depth to photography in a way I've only barely touched on before. To better understand theory and social context, to understand deterioration and cataloging collections and even the chemistry behind the conservation of photographs. It all seems new and exciting right now.

But that's the thing about photography it's both a science and an art. So, in the end I never have to sacrifice what I love.

Like Toronto, it's near home, but it's another country away.