News — collodion
MUSINGS FROM THE ETHER: IS COLLODION RIGHT FOR ME?
Dale Wilson 1851 ambrotype Canada Canadian collodion dale wilson Frederick Scott Archer glass negative glass plates historical photo processes pictureology tintype wetplate
wet plate photography is little different than digital captures, or E6 and C41 processes. Collodion at its very core is little more than another tool within the photographer’s tool chest from which to communicate a predetermined message.
MUSINGS FROM THE ETHER
Dale Wilson ambrotype Canada Canadian collodion dale wilson historical photo processes wetplate
Canadians have every reason to be proud of our photographic heritage. As grad-student Jim Burant wrote in his 1977 Carelton University dissertation Pre-confederation Photography in Halifax, Nova Scotia: …they had proved themselves to be abreast of the rest of the world in terms of technique, ability, and achievements.
Standing Tall with the Head Brace
Dale Wilson ambrotype antique collodion dale wilson head brace headbrace historical photo processes pictureology studio studio equipment wetplate
Living quite a distance removed from the North American major population centres is a mixed blessing. It also comes with challenges, such as accessing goods and services required for making wet plates. With that in mind I set out to design a head brace that was not only functional, but would also be light enough to not require a second mortgage in shipping costs. Our head brace went through several versions before I was finally happy with the product. It is a head brace I have tested and use in my studio. The first realization was that if...
Does the Modern Studio Have a Place in Wet Plate Collodion?
Dale Wilson ambrotype antique collodion dale wilson glass plates historical photo processes pictureology strobes studio tintype
The Christmas Holiday season is a fabulous time of year to reflect on what is in the past, and ponder what the future might bring. For wet plate collodion photographers in the far northern hemisphere it is most likely also a time when one wishes for June and sufficient UV to be out making plates once again. But is June really necessary? Two days earlier it was 26°C with a UV Index of zero. Should the collodion photographer move inside the studio with modern equipment, or remain true to tradition and wait for June and workable ultra violet light?...
A Personal Evolution
Dale Wilson 1851 ambrotype antique collodion dale wilson glass negative historical photo processes pictureology tintype
We’re new, and we’re having some fun. Well, we’re not really that new. The principal behind Antique Pictureology is me - Dale Wilson, and I have been working full time as a photographer for close to 30 years. I started like many others in this industry, shooting and working in a black and white darkroom for a community newspaper. The smells of hypo and developer never leave the sensory, and the magic of watching an image mystically appear on a sheet of Ilford No.2 gloss (the only paper the newspaper would stock) leaves a lasting impression. After several years it...