Carlton Watkin's Book, The Art Of Perception.

Part of learning wet plate is studying the great photogs who used the process in the past. To that end I picked up a Carlton Watkins book tonight. Should be a great read, and a great way to learn.

ADVERT from Amazon.

"Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916) is best remembered for his large-format photographs of the American West, especially those taken in Yosemite. This new volume, the latest in the popular In Focus series, is devoted to some of his smaller and unusually shaped works, including stereographs, albumen prints, and cabinet and boudoir cards--most of which have never before been published."

Help Online, GOT TO LOVE IT!!

Wet Plate is fun but oh so difficult!! Luckily I have online friends that help me get past my mistakes and ignorance. The latest question below:

Wet Plate Development Question: THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

Clear Glass Ambrotype, being made.

So last week when I was in Banff park I was photographing snow for first time. The scene is this: High mountains at altitude (Columbia Ice Fields) covered in snow, maybe 80-90% of the mountain. The shot is a vertical (8x10 and 16x20), in the foreground you have dirt and rocks leading up to the mountain.

I had fogging issues on the plate, especially the mountain areas. I have been advised by you kind folks that it was probably an overexposure problem related to excessive blue light on the snow (possibly as much as 4 stops over exposed). I still have the 16x20 plate, will try to post it later. My memory of that plate is that the foreground looked OK exposure wise but the mountains were a mess of fog and mush.

My question is this. If the mountains are badly over exposed and the foreground near properly exposed. HOW DO I HANDLE SUCH A SCENE WITH WET PLATE? I tried doing some dodging over the lens with a card (half assed!) while exposing but that did not work.

I was wondering about development. In Mark Os wet plate book he says this in the development section.

"...water should be gently poured upon the surface to remove the developer. Selected areas of the plate can be left to develop longer than others by avoiding those places when the first applying the wash water."

Is this the best way to proceed? Expose for the mountains, then develop (over develop) for the shadowed foreground rock areas in the composition?

I was also wondering if you develop the plate as normal after exposing for the mountains, then wash to stop development, then add a second developer to the rock, dirt foreground areas. Is this possible? Or is adding more developer going to create a big mess on the plate. Developer application and amount being so finicky for the process.

Better to extend developer in the foreground underexposed areas? Add a second developer? Possible? How would you proceed making the photo?

I will probably try both ways, but need your expert advice people, thank you for any help. Hoping to have a better idea how to handle this when I return in June (probably less snow then).

In the color photo you can see the ground and the mountain I was shooting to the right of the image, around the trailer.

Columbia Icefields, Banff National Park, Canada

Who Was He, Japanese Ambrotype

Who was he? Ambrotype from Japan, 1870-90s. Picked it up last week for $25 CAD. Placed it in the motorhome as a source of project inspiration.

Who was he?

The Beauty Of Clear Glass Ambrotypes

What I love about clear glass ambrotypes is that when you coat the collodion side (after 2 varnishes) is that you then can look THROUGH the 3 or 4mm glass to see the image on the other side. The subject seems ALIVE inside the glass. You get a feeling of 3 dimensionality, a very detailed, warmtone reality that I find very beautiful. The glossiness/sheen front of glass also creates a different feel than tintypes and black glass, things seem more pristine. All subjective of course, to each there own.

Going out next week to make some 8x10 ambros, hope to give that 3D feel with some landscapes of lakes in the Edmonton area.

G Collodion (no extra ether added), 3 mm glass.

Doll from the Mae Sot garbage dump, 8x10 clear glass ambrotype, 2022

Doll from the Mae Sot garbage dump, 8x10 Clear Glass Ambrotype

5 Bottles Of Varnish For The Coming Ambrotypes

I should probably not be buying this varnish now, I have many bills to pay. Still I am short of varnish and will need more for in the coming months. Picked up 4-32 ounce bottles for $192 CAD ($36.09 CAD per bottle), with free shipping to my front door.

The varnish I ordered. Before I used the high gloss, now going to just the gloss version.

Motorhome Talk On Facebook

 The motor home FANNY and the trailer FREDDY (named after the creator of wet plate and his wife who sacrificed so much), have preformed well so far.

The motor home being a 2000 model does require a Mr. Fix It attitude. I have learned how to fix many things using YouTube. Also learning how things like the plumbing work. Resealing the roof, adding a black water vent. I need to replace the inverter as well as I had an issue when I put the batteries back this year. Now have all new batteries which worked great the first trip.

The trailer has been near flawless. I had leaks from the sink, pump which now seemed solved. I need to replace the on off switch for the water pump which is malfunctioning, and light proof the door which gave me major problems last trip.

Anyway overall I am very happy with both units so far. Hoping to get 10 plus years out both

CJ

This isn't exactly roughing it.

The drama will come when you stub a toe.

• GY

• No not roughing it but the eventual plan is to spend up to 4 months traveling the length and breath of Canada. Without a motorhome it would not be practical to do so, especially as I get closer to 70. The motorhome will be essential both from a comfort of living level (can watch movies, eat good food, super comfy bed) and living for free in remote locals thing. You pay more for the diesel but many nights I can live for free with no hotel costs. The motorhome will also allow me to stay in places, especially in the North of Canada where there are no hotels. I can spend a week living in nature with the big camera set up (in its own tent?) making photos. It should be a glorious experience. The RV shower this last trip was also essential. After spending 12-14 hours in the darkroom trailer swimming in chemicals, you require a nice hot shower before bed time. It is a luxury but also a necessity. Nice to wash yourself before bed, it sets you up for the next day of travel or photo making! Right now as I type this I have silver nitrate stains on my hands, tip of my nose, right eyebrow and the second toe of my left foot! Got to have my shower, to clean up on a daily basis. The unit allows about 6 hot showers on a tank of water.

Next Weeks AMBROTOS KANATA Plans

Thinking of taking the trailer/motor home out alone to make wet plate images, next week off. I need to overcome my errors and improve at the process. The only way I know of doing that, is working my ass off. That technique has worked in past photo learning experiences. I just keep my nose to the grindstone, till things turn for the better.

Thinking lakes not too far from Edmonton (to save on diesel), with free overnight stays at highway rest areas for 4-5 nights or so. Should be fun. Looking for things to photograph on the project within 100 miles of Edmonton. Going to concentrate on doing complete 8x10 clear glass ambrotypes in the field. Want to come home with some completely finished plates!

Anyone know of some local Edmonton lake areas that might work for the ambrotypes?

Wabamum Lake Shoot?

First AMBROTOS KANATA Trip Of The Season

 -6 C this morning at the Columbia Icefields, packing and onto Jasper today. The is me trying to figure out wet plate.

Not much of substance created this trip, still learning!! Wet plate works best around 20c the -6 temps did not help!

Stayed 2 nights here at the Columbia Icefields

Me trying to learn Wet Plate, ITS TOUGH!!

Dim Sum doing his cat thingy

Video Link: The Wet Plate Collodion Process

A good video that explains the basics of the wet plate collodion process. They make an albumen print.

THE WET PLATE COLLODION PROCESS

My Two Wet Plate Books

Over the last several years I have been working on 2 wet plate type books.

The green one is all wet plate tech stuff. Teaching from many people is kept in this book, Quinn, Luther, Dale, Borut and many others. When I find something, in a book, or online (vids/websites/how to places) of interest, something I think might help me make better pics, some tech data or way of doing things. I write it down in my green book.

Thanks everyone for your help.

The red book is photo ideas and inspirations, plus general knowledge solely related to the long term wet plate project AMBROTOS KANATA. Ideas where to make photos, history of those areas, locations etc. Plus inspirational quotes and images from artists I love.

Green and red wet plate project books.

11X14 EXTREME WA ANASTIGMAT Lens

Mounting a vintage lens I had in the closet for years, putting it on a Deardorff board to try with the 8x10. Will try shooting it next week during the first wet plate trip.

The lens marking says, 11X14 EXTREME WA ANASTIGMAT, THE SCIENTIFIC LENS Co. NEW YORK.

Aperture range F16-F256

It should be fun to try, nice small and light. I am sure many of you know more about this lens than I do. Any knowledge to share?

Lens mounted to Deardorff lens board

11X14 EXTREME WA ANASTIGMAT, THE SCIENTIFIC LENS Co. NEW YORK

New Raw Collodion Order Coming

Ordered another 3 bottles of Collodion from Halifax.  I think it cost about $275 CAD. I will be shooting 16x20 this year lots of collodion needed. I have the other chemicals I need in abundance. Cadmium bromide, Ammonium Iodide, alcohol I all have in abundance. The one chemical I am having trouble with is the raw collodion. I should have enough for now, have these 3 bottles, plus another 3 I ordered before, might also have a single bottle that is older as well (collodion only lasts so long then it expires).

I hope I can sell some duplicate AMBROTOS KANATA plates, that will offset some of the production costs.

Old collodion photo. My current collodion fav is the non ether added G (Gerry) stuff

This Years AMBROTOS KANATA Plan

The motorhome and darkroom trailer coming along nicely. Hope they work well, had some plumbing issues last year. I am becoming a bit of a Mr. Fix It to save money now. You got to love YouTube they teach you to do all kinds of things. ]

This years goal is to do complete 16x20 ambrotypes in the field for the AMBROTOS KANATA project. Ending the year with a Tryptic shot from a view point at Dinosaur Provincial park here in Alberta. Thanks everyone for all your help. Hope we can get this done this year. The goal is to take many shorter 4 -7 day trips this year to make ambrotypes. In the future if all goes well will be doing 2-4 month trips.

Here is a plate I just cleaned up after adding the black on the back (stinky Asphaltum mixed with mineral spirits). Photo is a doll found at the dump in Mae Sot, Thailand (THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP photo project). Part of this last winters wet plate practice sessions, it is an 8x10 on clear glass.

Am off for the first trip of the season on the 17th (5 nights). I hope everything works! It should be fun, fun, fun, fun!

Probably pushing things a bit fast but am 58 now and running out of time to get things done. Thanks again everyone for your help.

On the road, trailer FREDDY and motorhome FANNY

Darkroom trailer inside and out.

8x10 clear glass doll ambrotype.

Darkroom Trailer Coming Along

The darkroom trailer is coming along. I stripped it down, cleaned it up and now am starting to load all the wet plate tools and chemicals Worked into the night, it was fun! I should be using it in the field again by May 18th! This is going to be fun. 8x10 and 16x20 work this year.

Added the 2 batteries, everything working, charged them over the winter. The inverter, pumps, plugs and lights all seem to be 100%.

Different trailer views!