Albumen Silver Perspective in Pioneering the Photographic Essence of Joshua Tree

                This is an Albumen Silver Perspective in Pioneering the Photographic Essence of Joshua Tree National Park. Photography and photography gear has changed drastically since the beginning of recording our images. I am sure that if the early photographers that developed this creative art in the beginning saw what we had today would be both amazed and proud to have started this whole creative platform that we work with today.

What is Albumen Silver Print?

                The Albumen Silver Print process was used in the mid-1900’s and used until the end of the century. The albumen print is a type of photographic print made from paper coated with albumen, made with egg whites and salt on cotton paper. This new process was published in 1847 by Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard . This new photographic processing process became popular because it produced sharp, glossy images at a relatively low cost compared to the metal plates that were used with photography until this point. Many of the photographers in this time period of time switched to this new process because it was both cheaper and easier to work with.

Carleton Watkins

                Carleton Watkins (1829-1916) was an American photographer whose work was published from the rough timeframe of 1850 – 1890. Many of his works were of photographs from the American West, including Yosemite, the Sierra Nevada mining regions, and his home in San Francisco. His photographs along with the works of Ansel Adams were instrumental in preserving Yosemite and creating the National Park Service.

                I came across some of the works of Carleton Watkins online at the San Diego Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) in Balboa Park. The gallery of his photographs was displayed in 2017 and his photographs were made using the Albumen Silver Print process. One main focus of his photographs was landscapes, and this photography project is to mimic both the style and look of the works of Carleton Watkins.

Photographic Essence of Joshua Tree National Park

                Joshua Tree National Park, along with the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, are some of my favorite places to visit. On my way to and from Arizona on the motorcycle or 4WD, I oftentimes will route my trip just to go through Joshua Tree National Park. These trips are just for enjoying the scenery, and not normally for a photography tour. This trip was an exception, and I made a day trip for the specific purpose to take photographs and use them for this albumen silver print project.

                The drive to Joshua Tree National Park from San Diego is two-and-a-half hours, and I left my house around 9:00 am. Got to the city of Joshua Tree outside the park, filled up with gas, and bought a sandwich and a beer for my lunch stop in the park. It was a busy Sunday and waited 15-minutes or so to get into the park with my US National Parks Adventure Pass.

                My first stop was at a stand of Joshua Trees and grabbed my camp chair for my lunch, once I was done I then started taking photos of the Joshua Trees and landscape around them. I stopped at several separate locations in the park – Hall of Horrors, Skull Rock, the Cholla Cactus Garden and more.

                I had my 4WD Ram truck and hit a couple of dirt trails, one of the trails require 4WD because there is deep sand along the way. Next, I stopped on one trail and waited an hour or so before dusk and made my way to Barker Dam. Once I got near the dam, I parked and did the short hike just before sunset and got a few photos of the lake.

Camera Gear

                Because I am using today’s current camera gear, I have to use a different method of mimicking the albumen silver print process. I use Adobe Lightroom for my photography post-processing and for this project I searched for, found, and downloaded an Adobe Lightroom preset that simulates the Albumen Silver Print style and look. I selected some of the landscape photos and applied the presets on the photos. The presets give the photos the look you see above, and does look similar to the style of the photos of Carleton Watkins. I added a couple photos to the gallery below without the preset added, including a photo of the sunset. These few photos give you a small glimpse of what I saw during this journey.

“My Selfie”

                Not a selfie, but rather a shadow, and for this project it fits perfectly!

                I explored Joshua Tree National Park for a complete day, went on a couple of short hikes, watched a coyote run through the brush looking for prey, enjoyed the scenery, and got to view an impressive desert sunset at the end of the day. This was a great trip and photography outing, and I like the way the images came out using the Adobe Lightroom Albumen Silver Print preset. It is always a treat to learn or to try something new in my photography journey.

See our adventures on YouTube: @HBMaverick

Photographing in Joshua Tree National Park with a Holga Toy Film Camera

“We will see YOU on the next adventure!”