ninetysomethings
I've wanted to make some wet plate collodion images of my grandparents since I started making plates. I finally got the chance to visit them, equipped with my portable darkroom, some sandwiches for lunch, and my assistant (my lovely wife).
My grandpa is 97 years old, and he has been a farmer here in California (walnuts, almonds, rice) all of his life. We have a common interest in old country-western music, and sometimes I bring my guitar over and sing a few tunes in their living room. I've heard some good stories of my grandpa playing guitar with his harmonica at small dances and parties when he was younger.
My grandmother (Nana) is 92 years old, and is an amazing woman. She was an educator, an avid quilter, and has always had an open (and tack-sharp) mind. She was an excellent sitter, as she seemed to love gazing deep into the 19th century camera lens!
The cold temperatures we were having in early January were just a bit too low to ask my grandparents to sit and wait for all my posing and processing, so we opted to bring a couple CFL lights inside and try our luck with man-made light. It wasn't really enough light. Even at full power, exposure times were 20-seconds, making holding still even more difficult than normal. They were troupers, and we had a great time visiting with them and my father.
Two, 8x10 wet plate collodion tintypes
20-second exposures with two CFL banks, indoors
11.25" Voigtlander Petzval lens from 1857 (wide open at F4.6)
Kodak Master View 8x10 camera
ninetysomethings
I've wanted to make some wet plate collodion images of my grandparents since I started making plates. I finally got the chance to visit them, equipped with my portable darkroom, some sandwiches for lunch, and my assistant (my lovely wife).
My grandpa is 97 years old, and he has been a farmer here in California (walnuts, almonds, rice) all of his life. We have a common interest in old country-western music, and sometimes I bring my guitar over and sing a few tunes in their living room. I've heard some good stories of my grandpa playing guitar with his harmonica at small dances and parties when he was younger.
My grandmother (Nana) is 92 years old, and is an amazing woman. She was an educator, an avid quilter, and has always had an open (and tack-sharp) mind. She was an excellent sitter, as she seemed to love gazing deep into the 19th century camera lens!
The cold temperatures we were having in early January were just a bit too low to ask my grandparents to sit and wait for all my posing and processing, so we opted to bring a couple CFL lights inside and try our luck with man-made light. It wasn't really enough light. Even at full power, exposure times were 20-seconds, making holding still even more difficult than normal. They were troupers, and we had a great time visiting with them and my father.
Two, 8x10 wet plate collodion tintypes
20-second exposures with two CFL banks, indoors
11.25" Voigtlander Petzval lens from 1857 (wide open at F4.6)
Kodak Master View 8x10 camera