Wet Plate Photography??

WheresMyCamera?

So I happened to stumble across this video this evening. It's really caught my imagination. Is there anyone doing this kind of thing on here? (and I don't mean with a van converted into a camera!)

http://player.vimeo.com/video/39578584

sineadw

I'm hoping to get into it for the last year of my masters. Had my assessment on tuesday and my head of dept stressed to me *again* how difficult it is, and that it takes years to really master. Plus, it's bloody expensive! (about 500 for the chems and bits). Still though, bought a large format camera last year with this is mind (as well as continuing a film portrait series i've been doing) and it keeps looking at me longingly

There's a group workshop coming up in Kilruddery House in the next few weeks. Posting this on the phone now and don't have the link handy, but if you do a quick google you should hit it. I want to do it myself, but it's 350 quid and i'm a bit short this month. Mind you, everything is included so it's very reasonable at the price. Monika also runs one-on-one workshops.

One of my fellow masters students, Gwen Wilkinson, does a lot of it. She's promised to take me out when she's shooting again, but she's using different processes at the moment. Apart from her, Monika and one other woman, AFAIK no-one else in Ireland is doing it, or not much anyway. It's very highly specialised and very costly. Not to mention dangerous.

I *absolutely* love it though they're really really beautiful. Scans just don't do them justice.

Ok, enough swooning

aidanic

Came across a father and son doing MF wet plate last year in Wellinton NZ. Images were great (but negative) - 5x7 at most. Looks very interesting.

Syferus

I'm at at loss as to how I'd comprehend that guy. The pictures are, well, nice but he seems boarderline insane and not in a good way. Tanturms because it's not working, playing it up like he's got a grenade in his mouth rather than the reality that if you're not stupid it's safe, $500 a pop to satisfy a rather iffy ambition. He seems to be playing every angle up for the camera (pardon the pun) to an almost comical degree. The directors also did a very poor job at detailing his process, favouring the asethic and hyperbole over something approaching documentary.

He seems to romantise, fetishise, the process to a level that, as he says himself, it becomes the very point rather than the end result being that.

To me that's not what photography, or art in general, is about.

sineadw

Yep, he's a bit of an eejit alright actually, anyone know a decent film on the process? The Chester Beatty had a nice short when they showed (insert photographer's name i can't remember, the guy who shot images in china at the end of the 19th century)'s work. That's all i've seen.

kjt

I've been researching this for the past few weeks and hope to get into it over the summer. Monika is running a weekend course on the 2nd & 3rd of june for €300 - Linky.

Sadly I can't make it but if there were enough people up for doing it another time we might be able to get one arranged?

sineadw

As soon as i get the cash together i'm there Kyle..

thefizz

I am currently planning to run a wet plate collodion workshop during the summer to be taught by a colleague of mine who is very big into the process. If interested, pm me with your email address and I'll forward more details when ready.

Peter

sineadw

Oooo! Thanks Peter!