My newest imaging adventure is Wet Plate Collodion. Collodion is the first true commercially successful photography method. The process is based on light converting dissolved silver salts to pure silver. A glass or blackened metal plate is coated with collodion – a type of cellulose. The collodion is dipped into a solution of silver nitrate. Then the plate is put into a view camera and exposed. The plate is developed, fixed (to remove underacted salts) and dried. It is known as “wet plate” because the whole process must be completed before the collodion dries out – about 20 minutes.
I have spent more than a year putting together my wet plate system. Much of that time was waiting for my camera to be built and delivered – supply chain issues in the UK caused a 9 month delay! I am using the Intrepid 8×10 camera with a 120 year old Petzval lens.
The top is the BTS (Behind The Scenes) digital photo – check out my Alchemy Page to see the tintype final image!
See more of what I have been doing on my Blog
