Ernie LaPointe "Crow Foot" The Great Grandson of Sitting Bull in Wet Plate Collodion
Ernie LaPointe “Crow Foot”, Lakota, the Great Grandson of Sitting Bull, captured in the historic wet plate collodion process of silver on glass.
Orlando Scott Goff captured Sitting Bull on July 31st, 1881 in Bismarck, then the Dakota Territory in the same historic process. I have now done that again for Ernie 138 years later in the same city. This is the third time Ernie has traveled to my studio for portraits.
His original plate was plate #1 for “Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective” and that portrait “Eternal Field” appears on the cover of Volume 1.
Ernie is in town to speak at my books signing tomorrow at the State Historical Society of North Dakota, 2pm at the Heritage Center in Bismarck. Please join us. Me and my dear friend Ernie Lapointe, we have been laughing together since the moment I met him in 2014.
This is what it is about for me, trust, friendship and moments of time preserved. How will we be remembered?
Congresswoman Deb Haaland to Speak at Book Signing for Northern Plains Native Americans
I just received formal confirmation, Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), U.S. Congresswoman for New Mexico’s 1st District is going to be speaking at my book signing "Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective". This is the largest honor that has ever been bestowed upon my work and the series I have been working on with all my friends.
PLEASE SHARE, the public is welcome and for the anticipated crowd size we are going to move the talks out to the outside amphitheater venue.
This is her first visit to North Dakota and she is a hero to so many people. Look at what happens when friendship, trust and collaboration take hold! Remember regalias are cherished and welcomed. Let us have a huge crowd to honor her work in Congress.
“The work that Shane does for its artistic merit as well as for its collaborative nature is genuine and enthusiastic, on a human level. For the folks of many different Indian tribes, who sit for his portraits, and who often become his life-long friends, Shane builds real rapport. Beyond the making of art photographs, it is this rapport, and the importance of honest collaboration between people of different cultures, that is so important for our country and is at the center of the moving forward of our country. I’ll strive to emulate the rapport that Shane has achieved in his work, in the work I’m doing in Congress. Shane’s photographs are not only beautiful, but they convey the best example of good people working together to achieve something great.”
Debra Haaland (Laguna Pueblo)
Congresswoman – New Mexico’s 1st District
March 21st, 2019
AVAILABLE NOW! Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective (Volume 1)
AVAILABLE NOW! "Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective" (Volume 1).
Limited to 1000 artist copies, all books are numbered and signed. Also includes a free limited edition modern day cabinet card of my wet plate "Eternal Field" with Ernie LaPointe, the Great Grandson of Sitting Bull.
The sale of the book will benefit my favorite non-profit the American Indian College Fund.
Please copy and paste below link to purchase:
https://www.balkowitsch.com/ProductID-7685-ProductDetails.aspx
Shane Balkowitsch Visits the European Collodion Weekend ECW 2019 in Luxembourg
I spent the afternoon scanning the plates that I received from my friends at the European Collodion Weekend 2019 in Luxembourg. The magical work of Maris Locmelis, Silvano Magnone and Anabelle Schattens. The next step is to frame them on black felt and hang them in my studio to share with all the visitors of my natural light studio.
I am so blessed to have such creative artists in my life. I feel that these images will bring a smile to my children's faces long after I am gone. The ultimate power of photography is to leave a permanent record of the past.
Thank you Maris, Anabelle and Silvano.
St. Mary's Church, Bismarck, North Dakota Captured in Wet Plate Collodion
Saint Mary's Church, Bismarck, North Dakota with Father Jared Johnson and both 3rd grade classes standing out front. This may be the first time the Church has ever been captured in the historic process I hold so dear. Orlando Scott Goff had already established his wet plate studio by 1875 in Bismarck. I am not sure if he ever pointed his lens at this structure. An original plate is going to be auctioned off next week for charity. Bonnie Balkowitsch was my wet plate assistant today and she helped me considerably on site. I love you.
The idea I had for the extreme angle shot was thinking about what it was like when I was young boy and I stood in front of this Church. How tall the steeple seemed to me. It felt like it reached into the heavens. I am calling the plate "A Child's View of the Steeple at St. Mary's". My grandparents, and my parents and my wife and I have all been married in this Church. I was an alter boy when I was ten years old and I helped with mass under Monsignor Feehan nearly 40 years ago. I remember that he would always reach into his little coin purse after ever mass and give us alter boys a dime for our services. I still have some of them to this day. I have fond memories of this place.
1875 - The Church of the Immaculate Conception, later known as the Church of St. Mary, is built at the corner of Main Avenue and Mandan Street in Bismarck. Fr. John Baptiste Marie Genin was the builder of the original St. Mary's Church.
Carl Zeiss Tessar 250mm lens, f11, 2 seconds of exposure, 7x7" square black glass ambrotypes in the historic wet plate collodion process of pure silver on glass. I used my original 5x7” camera, my first camera to capture these plates.
