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Thread: Wet plate process not producing an image

  1. #21

    Re: Wet plate process not producing an image

    Quote Originally Posted by goamules View Post
    You're on your way! The first time shooting, people either think of film, and expose too short, or think wetplate needs more than it does, and go too long. You're in the zone now, and most days at that time should start about there.

    Rather than shooting with several plates at various speeds to figure it out, save time and materials. If you can do it with the tiny plate holder, make a test exposure by removing the dark slide just 1/4 of the way out of the holder, and shoot 2 seconds. Then move it 1/4 more out and shoot another 2 seconds, and so on. You will have 4 bands showing exposures of 2, 4, 6 and 8 seconds. At about F4, one of those will be good. Adjust slightly from there.

    I used to do about 6 exposure bands on a quarter plate to determine the zone. Now I just lick my finger, hold it up to the wind and light, and guess the time. After a while you will get where you are spot on every time, in any light, and with any age of collodion. It becomes second nature, you can FEEL the light.
    I might be able to get at least a couple exposure times on the tiny plate. Hard to gauge where my dark slide is on it. You're right, though, I come from shooting only film so my expectations of exposure times are way off!

  2. #22
    Foamer
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    Re: Wet plate process not producing an image

    Quote Originally Posted by blaine.hale View Post
    I might be able to get at least a couple exposure times on the tiny plate. Hard to gauge where my dark slide is on it. You're right, though, I come from shooting only film so my expectations of exposure times are way off!

    I think at most you will have room for two that will be meaningful.


    Kent in SD
    In contento ed allegria
    Notte e di vogliam passar!

  3. #23

    Re: Wet plate process not producing an image

    I've at least figured out exposure times in my shaded backyard, so that's good. Had another success today. I also figured out how to prevent that white hazing. Next up is improving my varnish technique.
    Click image for larger version. 

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  4. #24
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Wet plate process not producing an image

    Nice going! I've been trying to shoot without a meter and getting a feel for the exposure.
    I'm still off all the time, but I'm not too far off most of the time, maybe by 30% or so.
    Once I got exposure times in the shade of the backyard at a certain time of day, the next trick was moving about in different lighting conditions and times of day.
    That was not so good.
    So from now on, I'll do test strips on the first plate.

  5. #25

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    Re: Wet plate process not producing an image

    Quote Originally Posted by blaine.hale View Post
    I've at least figured out exposure times in my shaded backyard, so that's good. Had another success today. I also figured out how to prevent that white hazing. Next up is improving my varnish technique.
    Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	206588
    Excellent work!

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