Part of the fun with wet plate collodion is experimentation. Here is a plate of collodion orchids on stained glass. There is a lot of challenges to shooting on stained glass. But the final image is so beautiful!

The first challenge is getting the exposure correct – just a matter of trial and error (which takes a lot of time).

Next is developing the plate. Development is most challenging because the glass makes the image look less intense than on clear glass. The development process is done under red “safe” light and the blue glass looks strange. This plate could have used a longer development time and I will do better next time!

Finally, photographing a stained glass plate is a special challenge. Getting a good photo of regular glass is hard enough. You need to minimize reflections and still get good light. The reflections on blue glass are even worse! This image of the plate is no where near as beautiful as the plate is in person. I will have to work on this and someday will be able to get a good image!