Tips for Getting Started with Wet Plates / Collodion

[Tim Layton]

I have been doing LF for several years now and would like to explore trying wet plate collodion. I have no background in the process so I need to start at the beginning. Can you recommend some resources and where to start?

Thanks

Tim

[Fourtoes]

I'd recommend a workshop as a good starting point.
Also plenty of info over on collodion.com forum.

Where are you based?

[cyrus]

Warm up some pancake syrup, and practice pouring it over glass as if it was collodion. There's some physical dexterity required!

[Joe Smigiel]

My online article entitled "Getting Started In Wetplate Collodion Photography" has links to resources including photographers holding workshops.

Artcraft or Bostick & Sullivan can set you up with all the chemicals for the process. Chemsavers is another source.

[WootSK]

Adding on to the question, I am curious about a few things for wet plate. (I am from Singapore and there isn't anyone there to guide me there)

1. How do you determine the exposure on the glass, it isn't like film where there is a ASA/ISO.

2. I seen a few videos where people burn the glass after processing. Is there a different between burning it and not burning it cause I see no different in the end result.

3. There are a few that wrote that from the glass came out of the nitrate dip to the exposure must be at most 15mins and some wrote from the glass came out of the nitrate dip to developing must be at most 15mins. Which one should be it?

4. I currently have a sinar and planning to upgrade to a 8X10, can I use it for wet plate or I must need a camera dedicated for it?

Hope someone can answer the above question. I am planning on slowly saving up for my set up starting from a grow house for gardening for mobile darkroom.

[WootSK]

@ Joe Smigiel
Your article is very helpful after I read it and it covers my query about exposure and using of modern cameras. But about the burning after processing where I saw some did and some didn't as well as the question 3, hope someone can explain about it.

[BarryS]

By "burning", I'm guessing you mean varnishing the completed plate--since some photographers use an alcohol lamp to heat the plate. Plates should always be varnished to protect the surface. Usually the plate and varnish are warmed, the varnish is coated similar to the collodion, and the plate is warmed again to drive off the solvent and harden the varnish. You can use an open flame to heat the plate or a hair dryer works well.

The entire wet plate process (before varnishing) has to be done before the collodion dries completely. This can be very quick in hot weather (7 minutes or less) or slower in cool damp weather (15 minutes or more)--it varies.

[Joe Smigiel]

Adding on to the question, I am curious about a few things for wet plate. (I am from Singapore and there isn't anyone there to guide me there)

1. How do you determine the exposure on the glass, it isn't like film where there is a ASA/ISO.

The ISO is about 0.5 for salted collodion. Exposures are determined by trial and error or doing a test strip plate at first, and then largely by experience.

2. I seen a few videos where people burn the glass after processing. Is there a different between burning it and not burning it cause I see no different in the end result.

Perhaps you refer to heating the plate before applying sandarac varnish. The heating helps evaporate the alcohol solvent in the varnish and set the varnish sooner.

3. There are a few that wrote that from the glass came out of the nitrate dip to the exposure must be at most 15mins and some wrote from the glass came out of the nitrate dip to developing must be at most 15mins. Which one should be it?

The exposure and processing window depends on the ambient temperature. 60F or 16C is probably close to optimum for wetplate. On warmer days, the window shortens and in the winter you would have more time. You will know the limit as the plates will desiccate and become impervious to processing solutions and as a result, show drying artifacts where no image exists on an otherwise well-exposed plate.

4. I currently have a sinar and planning to upgrade to a 8X10, can I use it for wet plate or I must need a camera dedicated for it?

You can adapt a normal film holder to use for wetplate but a dedicated wetplate back and holder are probably more convenient for most. See http://www.collodion.org/plateholderconversion.html.

Lund Photographics will modify a film holder for you at a charge.

[WootSK]

Thanks alot for all the reply. It greatly helps in improving my understanding.