Why the resurgence in wet-plate photography?

[amilne]

Wonderful responses.

I do think that, really, the single biggest factor is the internet. Social media included, but mostly the ability for folks all around the world to access obscure information that would be impossible to learn without a close mentor. That being said, the internet has been accessible to most of us since, what 1995? It's my understanding that although wet-plate popped up on folks' radar somewhere circa Sally Mann's "What Remains" and "Deep South," things have really started to pick up lately. I did a few keyword searches with google, and most wet-plate related keywords didn't have enough data to chart until well until 2009. A snapshot of the collodion.com forum from 2011 shows that their membership has doubled in under a year. And I know the B&S is totally swamped with orders for wetplate items. Perhaps we've just reached a tipping point.

I also think that nowadays it is very difficult for someone who isn't exceptionally gifted to feel they have mastery over anything at all. And feeling as if you have autonomy and expertise in something is very important. An entire generation has grown up surrounded by things and processes and ideas they can't fully understand, and could never, ever make or even modify, except for a gifted few. Take for example an Iphone. It gives you entertainment and keeps you connected, and on a superficial level gives you a rush of excitement from the sheer thrill of holding an advanced piece of technology. But, do you really know how it works? Could you design the chips inside, or program the software, or distribute hundreds of millions of them across the world? Unless you're Steve Jobs--no. And I think on a gut level this makes a lot of people nervous and sad. Including me!

Wet-plate is something I can understand. With wet-plate I can be a craftsman--a group of people who pretty much died out a long time ago. And it's something that's almost totally out of the hands of corporations and the ad-machine--at least for now!


http://alexrmilne.com/

[jcoldslabs]

I would guess that young people raised on digital capture and playback devices turn to analog alternatives out of curiosity and a desire for something less perfect, less clean, less ruled by ones and zeroes, less mainstream. The fascination with vinyl albums stems from much the same impulse. Young people listen to LPs as a supplement to their iPods, not in lieu of them. And those not so young who sold off their vinyl albums in the 80s and replaced them with CDs probably now wish they hadn't. (I speak from experience on this!)

There is a trend in the world of electronic music at the moment that echoes the rise of WPC in photography. Analog modular synths (often vintage) are prized not only because they are the opposite of digital instruments--messy, squirrelly, difficult to coax the exact same sound twice from the same set-up--but also because once you have created a complicated patch and found a certain desirable sound there is no way to save the patch configuration unless you draw a diagram of the patch cords and where they go. A chore, to be sure, and an expensive hobby (sound familiar?), but I think a certain dissatisfaction with digital is a phenomenon that reaches across all art forms that have become digitized.

Jonathan


EDIT: Jason, good point about the dearth of contemporary WPC negatives. I have a feeling tintypes and ambrotypes are dominant because, unlike in the past, people now get to have their cake and eat it, too: they create a one-of-a-kind positive image on the spot but also get to scan the result and distribute it widely across the Web. It used to be, of course, that the only people who got to see a tintype were those who saw it in person.

[goamules]

What was that word a few years ago, confluence? Wetplate comes out of the reenactor closet and enters the A) Art environment, B) History lover env, C) DIY film env, and more. At the same time, more promotion is possible because of the web. And people with a lot of collodion energy like Quinn Jacobson have traveled to other countries and started grass roots groups that are now maturing. 23 people gave reasons why they shoot wetplate on the World Wetplate Day site (another reason for it's growth) here:

http://www.wetplateday.org/who-we-are/

[eoghan]

Because its a way to create beautiful art. QED

The Internet helps to get the word out and the availability of workshops has allowed many users to lear the craft quite easily, the materials are also easily purchased online. But nothing beats the experience of seeing your first plate emerge from the fixer, flaws and all.

Eoghan

[Dennis]

I have seen the WPC process done, being the model, and it is very simple. Especially if you consider imperfections to be a serendipitous part of the "art".
WPC does have it's own unique aesthetic properties and there are some people using it who work really well with what WPC does... The creamy look and the high resolution and the surface.
From what I have seen though most people using it are not using it to it's advantage, they are using it because it is a fun and easy process and it impresses people.
I think a lot of photographers justify the "art" of their work with process. When platinum started exploding in the 1980s a lot of photographers started doing it because
if you made a platinum print it was by definition special. You could impress gallery people and buyers just by reverently stating "it is a Platinum print".
In fact back then when I had an exhibition the gallery owners insisted on billing it as a show of "Platinum Prints" and the people attending the show were mostly photographers coming to see platinum prints.
By the time the year 2000 came along platinum printers had become a dime a dozen and the reverence of saying "Platinum Print" was starting to fall flat.
So the people who justify their work by the process needed something else to be special and reverent. I think a lot of those people jumped on WPC.
There are in my opinion a lot of people still trying to make process carry the art of their work.
Regarding the dry plate, I don't think that would appeal to that type photographer so much because it is not a print medium. So you can't show people like you can a platinum print or a WPC. You can only tell people about it. That your special process is something you do at home alone.
Another thing I think that appeals to WPC people is that it scans really well. There are people scanning the original plate and printing it digitally so it isn't such a unique item. I think that loses the
unique qualities of the plate but at least you can sell it multiple times.
Just my opinions and not intended to state some universal truth about every practitioner of alt processes.

[amilne]

Oh and also, even though WP users have increased like 1000% or what have you, it would still be interesting to know what percentage of photographers actually practice it. <1%?

[MDR]

Jonathan visit Denise Ross the lightfarm she has several easier Dryplates formulas on her site the simpliest beeing Chris Patton's Seawater Emulsion http://thelightfarm.com/Map/DryPlate...yPlatePart.htm Imho this formula takes more time to make than a wetplate but is just as easy/difficult to do.

Denise I am anxiously awaiting TLF #2, good luck with your photography.

Dominik

[dsphotog]

Another factor might be, an abundant supply of lf cameras at bargain prices.

[dwross]

Thanks and more thanks for the opinions and analysis. Beyond the look of WPC, it seems that "easy" is an important value. With dry plates, that's not a cut and dried issue. If you think of silver gelatin emulsion making (negatives and paper) as baking (a common comparison throughout the history of the medium) then you can visualize anything from the simplest shortbread or sourdough to the most complex pastry concoction. The continuum for baking goes from the home baker to small neighborhood bakery to commercial factory. Dry plates, film and paper cover an analogous continuum. The easy end is about as easy as you could ask for. It doesn't have the "perfect" standardization of a factory product, nor should it.

I'm going to be looking for a workshop venue in Portland, Oregon, for next year. I will aim for as easy a recipe as possible, with pointers on how to go to the next level if and when anyone wants.

Thanks again for all the good insights.
******

Dominik,

I have neglected The Light Farm terribly (having too much fun with actual photography.) Cleaning up and connecting details is high on my priority list. I posted the finished version of "TLF #2" on my blog last December, but haven't tied it into the main body yet. It starts here (http://thelightfarm.com/cgi-bin/html...ent=29aDec2011) and goes for four pages with the actual recipe on the last page. Please note that this recipe is about as complex as it gets for the home darkroom artisan. Definitely in the neighborhood bakery range. Also, here's a page on coating: http://thelightfarm.com/cgi-bin/html...tent=03Nov2011.

d

[jnanian]

hi denise

i agree with you ...
making a simple emulsion is not hard
and coating glass is fun ... definitely not
as dangerous as wet plate ... heck, i taught myself
to make emulsion and coat plates as a college student
with no internet/social media &c, just a 1904 photographic annual ...

wet plates have a wow factor, i agree, but i find the dry part to be just as much fun ..

- john