Collodion - Wet Plate Images

[Mark Sawyer]

A few friends came by my house yesterday for beer, guitar playing, and wet plates. One thing you don't hear much about collodion photography is how social it can be. I only made one plate, and it was sort of by committee...

6x8 inch aluminum, with a 14-inch f/3.5 Wollensak projection lens...

[goamules]

And my plate from the same event. Windows stopped recognizing my scanner. Thanks windows. Probable CC Harrison radial drive petzval.

[Tim Meisburger]

Nice plates! I can imagine you guys sipping beers in the garden.

I recently bought three 8x10 holders and will convert at least one for wet plate. Any suggestions for an appropriate format? The reason I ask it that when I converted a 5x7 I made the plate opening as large as I could (as I recall I got 4 1/4 x 6 1/2), and I find the format annoyingly narrow. Maybe I'm too used to 4x5. I've been sketching formats and 7.5 x 9 or 8.5 seems nice. Any suggestions? Garrett, what format is your plate?

I also understand it is possible to make plate adapters so you can do different formats in the same holder, but have not seen any of those.

(On a side note: My daughter has so far applied to only one college--UoA--and has already been accepted. If she is like her brother she may be too lazy to apply to other colleges, so I may end up with two there!)

[Mark Sawyer]

Tim, I'm pretty partial to 5x6 and 6x8!

[Tim Meisburger]

Thanks Mark. 6x8 might be a good format because I would get 6 plates out of one sheet of plastic (they come 12x24).

[goamules]

My plate is 5x6 too, I found I like that size. Wholeplate is another good one, for an 8x10 holder.

[Tim Meisburger]

Thanks Garrett. You guys inspired me so I made a plate this evening. Here it is still in the fix. I call it "Still Life - Paris"

[Tim Meisburger]

That was shot with well-lit white background, but you can see how grey it is next to the white of the tray. I wish I could get brighter whites. I'm not sure if my problem is developing timing? If it is, am I overdeveloping or under developing?

[cuypers1807]

Tim, Chamonix makes great wet plate holders. I currently use their 8x10 and 4x5 holders. I also got an clear 5x7 insert for my 8x10 holder.

[Mark Sawyer]

A lovely, thoughtful plate, Tim. We're all dealing with this, some through photography...

I can't say about the whites, other than reasonably fresh (<2 months) collodion, and a good wash between the developer and fixer. You'll never get a bright paper white, but I get fairly bright highlights in a shimmery silver that please me. Trying for bright whites in a tintype is like trying for deep blacks in a platinum print; not gonna happen, but there's a beauty none-the-less...