It was a dark and stormy day. Not enough light coming through the windows so we had to resort to Speedotron strobes. It was also cold – near freezing in my darkroom and that caused a lot of “noise” in the final image. But yet, somehow, we managed to make some very nice wet plate portraits of Madeline.
The wet plate above is a 10×12 inch tintype – a photograph on a metal plate. This plate has a lot of what I call “character”; others call it “flaws”. The white specs are from cold developing chemistry and I have no idea about the swirly lines. The interesting thing is that the character in this plate really adds to the visual impact. The white spots mirror the sparkles on her outfit, almost as if they are light reflections. The swirled lines add a sense of motion to the pose.
The next plate is an Ambrotype – the photo was taken on a glass plate. It is a 10×12 inch plate taken with the main focus on her eyes. White specks from the cold add a snow globe effect which I find to be really nice.
Both of these wet plate collodion portraits were taken with a recently acquired Petzval lens. It is a 100+ year old Wollensak lens and designed to deliver beautiful portraits. Despite the snow flakes in the plate, a close look shows amazing details around her eyes and a beautiful fall off of focus. I am going to love this lens!
Here are a few BTS pics (Behind The Scenes). Interesting view of my Speedotron power pack and strobes, massive reflector to bounce back some of the light (left side of the pictures), Primer 12×12 camera and the Wollensak lens. I also think the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock was watching!
About Madeline – she discovered Hoop dance nine years ago which unlocked the vast world of flow arts, transforming what started as a hobby into a dream career by founding the Cloud Nine Fire Show in May of 2023. Through the grace of silk fans, the glow of LED props, the power of Fire, and the endless possibilities of flow, Madeline aims to inspire others to find healing in motion, tap into the flow state, and to always reach for what makes them feel truly alive.
Cloud Nine’s mission to elevate the vast world of Flow Arts by creating vibrant performances, providing Flow Arts education for surrounding communities, and by cultivating a welcoming space for both emerging and experienced artists.
Check out Could Nine on FaceBook and Instagram
Here are some of Madeline’s Digital Portraits we captured at the end of our session – on my portrait site Jalanlee.com
You might also like…
More posts on my Blog