In the past few weeks, I’ve continued my major project of cataloging and conditioning the collection of O. Winston Link negatives while still trying to nail down a more effective procedure for cold storage. I’ve got the process of cataloging and conditioning down to a routine that has become fairly easy, however the same problems that I mentioned in the last post concerning humidity are still present. We’re working with a few new ways of packaging the boxes of negatives, but the next step, if all else fails, would be to try a new bagging material that makes it harder for air pockets to formulate that allow humidity to increase. I haven’t yet explored those other options, but I’m anxious to make it work, since it can be rather frustrating!
Some things I’ve noticed from looking at over 1,700 of Link’s negatives now are patterns that he followed when taking photographs, as well as some preferred locations and angles in his work. Often times, Link would set up for a photo and then take several editions of the same subject spaced over very short periods of time. He was meticulous in his photography; there have been many negatives in the collection taken of him by his assistant that show his extensive amount of equipment and rigging used to take what appears to be a simple negative of a passing train. He also has a few favorite places that he would visit numerous times to take shots. These include Abingdon, VA, Rural Retreat, VA, and right here in Roanoke just to name a few.
Link was trained and educated as a civil engineer, and all of his photography talents were self-taught, as it became his main hobby and passion. Link’s analytical aptitude for thinking and problem-solving that came from his engineering education, and his extreme creativity and passion that developed out of his love for photography coalesced into the artistry that produced such popular work. This was the critical aspect of Link’s mind and career that set him apart from other photographers.