AMBROTOS KANATA STORIES

Monday, August 10, 2026

Ambrotype Portrait Look

Been thinking a lot about ambrotype portraitures lately. I find 90% of modern wet plate portraits trite and boring. I need to go in a different direction.

On Saturday I bought a small icon print from a thrift shop. I have always been fascinated by Christian Icon paintings (1100-1300s +). In museums I am drawn to them. Painted on wood, quite often in diptych or triptych form. They are so lovely. I like them not because I believe in magic beings, gods and miracles but because of the outer worldly humanity of the pieces. You can feel the heart of the artist in them. They look like nothing else, the contrast, sheen, compositions, sharpness, 2 dimensionality, and human story telling.

I think the Icon feel is what I am looking for in my Ambrotype portrait work.

Saturday, August 8, 2026

Vinegars!!!!

Bought this today. I use white vinegar developer for my ambrotypes but wanted a more acidic version to raise contrast a bit. Pickling vinegar has a higher percent of glacial acetic acid in it. than white vinegar. Will try mixing it straight and try adding smaller quantities of it to my regular white vinegar developer

Both white vinegar and pickling vinegar are available at most grocery stores in Canada. Making my supply shopping quite easy.

They also have a version called cleaning vinegar, which is even more acidic.

“White vinegar, pickling vinegar, and cleaning vinegar differ primarily in their acetic acid concentration and whether they are safe to consume.White VinegarAcetic Acid: Usually 5%.Safety: Food-grade and completely safe to eat.Use: Highly versatile for cooking, salad dressings, baking, and light household cleaning.

Pickling VinegarAcetic Acid: Usually 5% to 7% (often standardized at 7% for safe food preservation).Safety: Food-grade and safe for consumption.Use: Designed specifically for canning and pickling vegetables to reliably stop bacteria growth. Some varieties may also include added spices or salt.

Cleaning VinegarAcetic Acid: Usually 6% or higher (about 20% stronger than standard white vinegar).Safety: Not safe to eat. It is not processed in food-grade facilities and may contain harmful impurities.Use: Strictly for heavy-duty household chores like cutting grease, removing soap scum, and clearing mineral deposits.”

Friday, August 7, 2026

Mixed Up 5 Litres of Gerry Collodion

Mixed up 5 Litres of Gerry Collodion. Should last a couple of days. Also bought 250 grams of Silver Nitrate.

The expensive part of the project. Need to sell some plates!

Got to get goong on new work!

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

A Good Meal After 11 Hours of Shootiing!

After a 11 hour day of making Ambrotypes, a barbecued steak, with salad, potatoes and corn, feels just right!

A wonderful view, makes it even tastier!

The view from my table

Nitric Acid Stain

It was a very good day, lots of successful plate’s.
silver nitrate war wound!! I must have touched my face when working with the Silver Nitrate tray. It will last 2-3 days, maybe longer.

It was a very good day, lots of successful plate’s.

FROM FACEBOOK

KI

Didn’t it burn. We used silver nitrate sticks to cauterize granulation of skin or burn off skin tags etc

GERRY YAUM

no, no burning. It is a 9% solution mixed with distilled water. It stains everything which is nasty. Also very expensive.
You do not want to get it in your eyes as it has the potential to blind. I wear safety glasses when handling it (probably got the mark when removing
my glasses). Also I have 2 eye washes in the trailer just in case.

A Busy Day

Fat Plate? No Problem!

This one has a story.
I was trying to run this plate through my silver nitrate tank yesterday. It was too thick (4-5mm) for the tank to handle and I kept on scratching the collodion surface. Super frustrating stuff!!!
Adapted and decided to add my silver nitrate to the collodion plate in a tray instead. First time I have ever done this! It worked well. I had read about it, reading is a force for good

5 years into wet plate I find more and more that my problems are easily solved. Experience and the help of friends teaches you a lot! Wet plate ain’t that hard!!!
Dead Tree, 11x14 inch clear glass, AMBROTOS KANATA, Jasper Alberta, Canada, August 2026
Note* This was made on free farm glass! FREE is always good!!!

Version #1

Version #2

3rd Day of Shooting

The 3rd day went very well. I felt good, refined, focused, and the work flowed fluidly. The longer I make Ambrotypes, the more easy it becomes.

Sunday, August 2, 2026

More Contrast in Wet Plate

From AI:

To achieve more contrasty results with your wet plate collodion developer, increase the ratio of acetic acid (the restrainer) to ferrous sulfate or slightly decrease your exposure while extending development. A highly concentrated or "hot" developer applied with aggressive agitation will also boost highlight contrast.

Specific techniques and formulation adjustments you can use to tailor your wet plate contrast include:

1. Adjust Your Developer Formula

Increase Acetic Acid: The acid acts as a restrainer. Increasing the amount of 28% or glacial acetic acid in your ferrous sulfate developer holds back shadow details and creates punchier contrast.

Reduce Water: Using less distilled water creates a more concentrated (stronger) developer.

Standard Old Workhorse Recipe (High Contrast):

30 to 45 grams Ferrous Sulfate
30 to 45 ml Glacial Acetic Acid (or 45 to 60 ml of 28% Acetic Acid)
30 to 45 ml Ethanol or 190-proof Grain Alcohol
500 ml Distilled Water

2. Exposure and Development Tweaks (Push/Pull)

Underexpose and Overdevelop: To get brilliant, "dead" whites and deep shadows, slightly underexpose your plate and leave it in the developer longer.

Use a Metronome: Development time is your primary contrast control. Longer development times (e.g., pushing to 18–25 seconds) will aggressively build up highlight densities. [1]

3. Add a Restrainer (Sugar)

Lea's Sugar Formula: Adding sugar (or honey/sucrose) to your developer acts as a powerful restrainer. This allows you to develop the plate for longer periods without the background fogging, resulting in richer, more separated tones.

4. Collodion and Bath Conditions

Aged Collodion: Older collodion that has turned red/amber is generally less sensitive to light. If you use standard exposure times with old collodion, the plate will naturally become underexposed, resulting in a more contrasty image.

Silver Bath: A slightly more acidic silver nitrate bath (lowered pH) yields cleaner, more contrast-rich plates (less prone to chemical fog).

Lunch Time Day 2

Lunchtime. Corn Beef sandwiches, pickles and salt and vinegar chips. The view! Priceless!!

Making Ambrotypes Day 2

Day 2 of Ambrotype making, will stay here in Jasper for an extra night and have a day 3 of shooting tomorrow.

This area was swept by fire in August 2024.

14x14 inch clear glass ambrotype, AMBROTOS KANATA, Canada

Making Ambrotypes Day 1

Making Ambrotypes. Will try my first diptych!

Portraits

Portraiture is more than making people look pretty. At least it should be!

Francis Bacon WORK

Mystery Man

The latest Japanese Ambrotype buy. My collection of these type Ambrotypes is about 6 or 7 now. I find these little beauties fascinating. Who was he, what happened to him. What kind of life did this little old man have? Did he have a family? What was his story?

The Ambrotype probably dates to 1870-1890. Meaning the man has been dead for 100 years plus but amazingly still lives inside the glass. You got to love the beauty and lifespan of wet plate collodion photography.
 

Weet Plate Talk

Making Ambrotypes

Thursday, July 30, 2026

VIDEOS: 2 More 11x14 Ambrotype Portraits

Finished up a few more 11x14 Ambros. I do not think the one of mom really works but it has some potential, so I placed it with tape against a black substrate. I will play with the idea.

Note* I have also started writing titles on the back of the taped plates.