Wet Plate Collodion

The mirror with a memory

The wet plate collodion process dates back to the early 1851. It is a labor-intensive process where ethanol, nitrocellulose, iodides, and bromides are poured onto metal or glass and then plunged into a bath of silver nitrate. This interaction with the silver makes the mixture poured on the plate light-sensitive. It is loaded into a unique holder and loaded into the camera. I will then need to take and develop the plate before the mixture dries, hence the name wet plate. One hundred fifty years ago, exposures were very long minutes. You had to stand completely still. That’s why everyone seems to never smile in photos. Luckily, with a modern take, I can speed up that process to just a few seconds. It is essential to stay entirely still; any movement will soften your image.

Once the images have been taken and developed, the pictures slowly turn from a negative to a positive on the plate. You will notice this isn’t like any picture you have seen of yourself, and the reason is the photosensitivity of this technique is only sensitive to blue light. Warmer tones will appear dark grey and black. They are making this something unique. 

I like to imagine what it must have felt to see a photograph of yourself for the first time; for most, it was the only photograph of them.