One of the advantages of doing historic Victorian photography is there are so many great lenses around to choose from. I can choose a vintage or modern lens for wet plate photographs. By "vintage" I mean something 100 years old or older - a lens that could have been used for wet plate photography when it was new. "Modern" means something from the early to mid 1900's (so only 50 to around 100 years old). The choice of a vintage or modern lens for wet plate is for me more of an artistic choice than a technical one. Although there…

The capacitors used in a Speedotron flash power pack are powerful and potentially dangerous if not cared for properly. This is especially true when the unit has not been used for a long time. There is a simple way to reform the capacitors after extended down time which ensures they are safe and fully functional. Every day is like Christmas, at least it is when you believe! I am building up my wet plate kit and the newest member is a wonderful Speedotron 4803 power pack. My current pack is a 2403 which can deliver a mighty 2400ws of flash…