Students develop new film skills
University class teaches different photo printing technique
By Glenn McKerrihan
Of the Emerald
A small group of students are learning
what it was like to be a photographer
before there were Fotomats on every
corner and cameras that did the
developing themselves.
They are in an advanced photography
course, Palladium Printing, which
teaches students to to use methods and
materials more than 100 years old.
Bill Bradish, the course instructor, has i
been praticing his craft since 1975 when
he met and began a two-year appren
ticeship with Tom Milea, a master
palladium printer in Carmel, California.
The palladium process was invented
in England in 1873 by William Willis. The
original metal used was platinum. Since
then both platinum and palladium have
been used to make photographic
emulsions.
Like silver today, the two metals were
used in commercial photographic paper.
But drastic increases in the cost of
these precious metals ended commer
cial production.
Palladium papers have been favored
by many creative photographers for the
exquisite delicacy of tones possible, but
since the 1930s, photographers have had
to make their own. Learning to prepare
the palladium coated paper has been an
important part of Bradish’s teaching.
Palladium printing attracted Bradish,
who uses the process almost exclusive
ly. He has since made only occasional
forays into the more common silver prin
ting. Bradish exhibited a group of his
prints at the Maude Kerns Art Center in
April.
The early weeks of the course found
students learning to make large
negatives, either directly using a large
format camera, or enlarged 35mm
negatives.
Students then learned to prepare the
three-part palladium emulsion, which is
brushed onto high quality 100 percent
cotton rag paper. Since the paper must
be coated evenly to produce a good
print, students often found this difficult.
Palladium prints are made when paper
and negative are exposed to an ultra
violet light source. Spring has meant
more students doing their printing out in
the sunlight.
This ability to stay out of the
darkroom is a quality that endeared the
process to Bardish. He also enjoys rely
ing on himself instead of Kodak for the
materials to print his images.
Bradish describes the work as
“...slow, methodical and meditative.” It
is the latter quality that is especially im
portant to him and this has been a fre
quent topic of discussion in class.
Students are encouraged to reflect on
the medium and the images they choose
to print. The notion of the image being
appropriate to the medium is another
important issue for him.
During class reviews the question is
often asked, “How well does the image
‘work’ in this material — would it be
more appropriate in silver?" Thus
photography students begin to consider
the various materials available to their
craft as well as the subjects found in
their viewfinders.
Janice McCann, a senior painting stu
dent, was pleased by the “hands on"
quality if the work. Others were impress
ed by the range of possibilities the
course opened for them.
At the outset Bradish described his
role of instructor as presenting “an open
forum for the expression of individual
areas of concern. I wish to create an at
mosphere of mutual exploration where
each of us is an essential part of the
process.”
By doing this a small group of
photography students are expanding
their vision in yet another direction.
Willamette natives history displayed
By Bob Webb
Of tha Emerald
Enter the library. Turn left at
the circulation desk and enter,
if ever so briefly, another
world.
It’s an older world, one
where basic survival was not a
given, where spirits were
sought out for the special
powers they bestowed, where
particular attention was given
not only to the climates of the
seasons, but also to their
sounds. It’s a world that never
really saw the 20th century.
“The Kalapuya: Native
Peoples of the Willamette
Valley” is a special traveling
display of the traditional tools,
weapons, stories and customs
of the Indians who dwelt in the
grasslands and forests of the
Willamette Valley for
thousands of years before the
settlers came.
“Linguists and an
thropologists have pieced
together the lifeways of this
now nearly vanished people
from archaeological finds,
diaries of fur traders, ex
plorers, and pioneers, and the
personal stories of a few sur
viving Kalapuya," said Betsy
Hennings, exhibit coordinator.
Highlighting the exhibit is a
seasonal diagram describing
Kalapuya activities and
resources throughout the
year, including Kalapuya
descriptive names for the
months. January, for instance,
is described as the month of
“burned breast” because the
cold forced the elders to sit so
close to the fire to keep warm.
A basic part of Kalapuya life
focused on subsistence, and
the exhibit consists largely of
those implements used in ob
taining and preparing food.
Spirit powers were an im
portant part of life too. Young
Kalapuya, of both sexes, went
on vision quests, fasting, and
performing hard physical labor
to make ready for a visit from a
spirit power who would serve
as a life-long guardian.
The Kalapuya artifacts are
from the collection of the
Oregon State Museum of An
thropology at the University.
The exhibit is sponsored by
the Library and the Museum of
Natural History through a
grant from the National En
dowment for the Humanities.
The exhibit will continue at
the Library through July 9.
TEETH
Ignore them
and they will
go away
Teeth Cleaning, Exam
and
X-Rays as needed
$25
Will Morningsun, D.D.S.
Thomas R. Huhn, D.D.S.
Sarah Hollander, D.M.D.
call for appointment
746-6517
| Vi miles from campus, next to Bike Path
528 Mill St., Springfield
f . \
^ Dissertations
^ Resumes
^ Theses
Ask for the
World’s Flnsst Coptors
Kodak
The very Highest Quality
• Enlargements
• Reductions
• Binding
.3*
Self
Service
Copies ..
KRAZY KATS
Print & Copy
^ 1219 Alder • 344-KATS J
Classifieds
check them out.
^fOREW/
School supplies. . . stereos. . . art supplies. .
computers. . . calculators. . . general books. .
all sports wear. . . gifts. . . cards. . . backpacks
sporting goods (rackets etc.). . . T-shirts. . .
candy. . . posters. . . electronic accessories!
Everything! Everything! Everything! , ,
Exclusions
(yes, always exclusions)
'textbooks 'tobacco products
'photocopies 'film and processing 'sale merchandise
13th & Kincaid
Mon-Fri 7:30-5:30
Sat 10:00-3:00
BOOKSTORE