saints double
It has long been a photographic ambition to produce an image on a tin plate using collodion and silver nitrate – a photographic process developed in the 1850s. But it was never really viable because hardly anyone practised this old (and if not handled correctly, dangerous) process to teach me – certainly not in this country. But over the last 10-15 years, and originating in the States, some intrepid photographers have started to experiment and the “craze” has come to Europe. Portrait photographers are particularly keen to join the action as this method produces startling results. Watching a grainless (unlike film) image suddenly appear on a 4”x5” (or bigger if you really want to be brave) piece of tin while it floats in a tray of fixer quickly becomes addictive.
I eventually found someone in Manchester and did a two-day course never imagining I could set up my own dark room and mix my own chemicals let alone learn how to handle a large format camera with plate holders to hold the tin plate. But I was fortunate that there was a girl called Bex in Southampton who was knowledgeable about the process using her own dark room (she had also attended the same course in Manchester) and she has kindly given me a couple of days “work experience” which finally gave me the confidence to try and “go solo”.
There was a lot to do – source a large format camera and lens – duly done from the States, install a dark room in my cellar and buy all the equipment and most frighteningly, the pre-mixed chemicals. It’s not a cheap hobby and I had to sell my Leica camera to finance it. Yesterday was the day of reckoning with my first attempts and it was a frustrating day as so many things can go wrong but I am proud to say I did end up with some images although there is plenty of room for improvement.
These are two tin plates side by side, I tinted one later in PS for effect!
saints double
It has long been a photographic ambition to produce an image on a tin plate using collodion and silver nitrate – a photographic process developed in the 1850s. But it was never really viable because hardly anyone practised this old (and if not handled correctly, dangerous) process to teach me – certainly not in this country. But over the last 10-15 years, and originating in the States, some intrepid photographers have started to experiment and the “craze” has come to Europe. Portrait photographers are particularly keen to join the action as this method produces startling results. Watching a grainless (unlike film) image suddenly appear on a 4”x5” (or bigger if you really want to be brave) piece of tin while it floats in a tray of fixer quickly becomes addictive.
I eventually found someone in Manchester and did a two-day course never imagining I could set up my own dark room and mix my own chemicals let alone learn how to handle a large format camera with plate holders to hold the tin plate. But I was fortunate that there was a girl called Bex in Southampton who was knowledgeable about the process using her own dark room (she had also attended the same course in Manchester) and she has kindly given me a couple of days “work experience” which finally gave me the confidence to try and “go solo”.
There was a lot to do – source a large format camera and lens – duly done from the States, install a dark room in my cellar and buy all the equipment and most frighteningly, the pre-mixed chemicals. It’s not a cheap hobby and I had to sell my Leica camera to finance it. Yesterday was the day of reckoning with my first attempts and it was a frustrating day as so many things can go wrong but I am proud to say I did end up with some images although there is plenty of room for improvement.
These are two tin plates side by side, I tinted one later in PS for effect!