3D Printing for Wet Plate Collodion

Wet plate collodion photography is a very do-it-yourself endeavor. We are very much like the original roving photographers of the 1800's because there are no, or limited, commercial sources for much of our suppliers and equipment. Thankfully we don't have to make our own lenses but are limited to lenses made around a century ago. This is because the small number of large format lenses still made incorporate glass and coatings which block the blue and UV light essential for collodion photography. But old lenses often have parts like lens caps missing. So we decided to invest in a 3D…

Continue Reading

Tintype Varnishing Tutorial

Wet plate collodion photography has a significant learning curve! The process is rather complicated and requires not just technical knowledge but a degree of tactile skill. The most difficult part to learn is varnishing the plates. It has been almost 2 years since my first image and I have so much to learn. Here is a video showing my current process for achieving a reasonably good varnish. Enjoy! Back to my Blog Page

Continue Reading

Vintage or Modern Lens for Wet Plate?

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…

Continue Reading

Speedotron Capacitor Safety

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…

Continue Reading
Close Menu