Chief Cook and Bottle Washer at The Light Farm (and author of any text not otherwise attributed.)

"For me, it's always been about photography - its art, science, and history.  By the time I graduated from high school, I had worked up a draft for a book about the old processes.  By the time I was ready to start on an MFA and my book, William Crawford had written The Keepers of Light - A History & Working Guide to Early Photographic Processes.  No one could have done a better job than Crawford.  I was delighted.  But, even at the time, I was disappointed there wasn't information on the silver gelatin processes.  Of course, then, no one suspected that film-based photography would ever become 'alternative'.  And, as I soon discovered, the information was locked away and unavailable. 

It was another twenty years before I decided to return to the questions.  My education, employment and interests all finally led me toward picking up where Crawford and others had left off.  It was to my great relief that I was no longer the only one interested.  Silver gelatin is a big topic - too big for any one individual (certainly me), but it is not too big for a cooperative effort.  Creative people with a passion for photography, the miracle of the internet, and a growing philosophy of Open Source have all come together to make The Light Farm possible."

Jim is well-known to many of us for his work with dye transfer materials - both emulsions and coating technology.  Jim's example of history rescue into the public forum was the inspiration for The Light Farm.  To learn more about Jim and his work, please visit www.dyetransfer.org, a wealth of information and inspiration.

We have a rare and valuable opportunity to expand our knowledge of the iconic Kodak papers. Kit Funderburk was a papermaker at Kodak and today is an historian of photographic papers.  Kit isn’t an emulsion maker, per se, but he understands the substrates and the essential character they bring to b&w paper. It is his belief that we should be able to get very close to the original papers – closer even than I had dared hope.

Here is Kit’s contribution to us:

“In 2006, I edited/authored a book (spiral bound booklet) titled History of the Paper Mills at Kodak Park which was intended as a memento for Kodak papermakers (the last papermachine was dismantled in 2005). I won't go into the details but that book led to lots of questions about the history of the fiber based B&W papers so I wrote a second book in 2007 titled A Guide to the Surface Characteristics, Kodak Fiber Based Black and White Papers. I'm strictly a papermaker (retired). The books are about manufacturing paper support and there is nothing about emulsions, emulsion coating, or photo products (subjects I don't know much about). Both books are available at no charge though I do ask that requesters cover the mailing costs. The mailing cost is $4.60 within most of the US but is as high as $14.00 for some international locations. If you would like a copy or want more info you can contact me at 'KitFunderburk at gmail dot com'. I'll also be happy to try to answer questions here.”

Kevin Klein,  kevinklein.biz

Although Marco isn't yet an emulsion maker, his work with liquid emulsion prints is an artistic inspiration when it seems sometimes as though there's too much science to photography.  Marco has supported The Light Farm from the beginning.  His latest contribution is here.  Also, make sure you look at his plans for constructing a handcoated paper drying box along with much else at boeringa.demon.nl

Mark has been the process historian for the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography for the past ten years. His full time job is doing primary research using the collection and teaching photo conservators how early photographic processes were made and used. The scope of Mark’s work runs from pre-photographic, early Niepce, Talbot and Daguerre variants all the way up to gelatin emulsions for developing and printing-out materials.

Recently, Mark has been involved with readying the launch of a new Eastman House program — The Center for the Legacy of Photography.

Mark and his wife, France Scully Osterman, are internationally recognized masters of the wet plate collodion process. Please visit www.collodion.org.