IT’S A WRAP!
I’ve come to the end of my technical explorations for making negatives. It’s been over a year of reading, writing, doing my YouTube shows, and testing Collodion Dry Plate processes. So what’s next? Keep reading, I’ll get to that.
I started this journey because I needed to find a collodion dry plate process for my new project. A project dealing with the land that I live on and was once occupied by the Ute Indian Tribe. Sacred places, objects, fauna, trees, etc.
The obvious reason for using a dry plate process is that you don’t need to pack a darkroom, chemicals, etc. Just the plates, camera, lens, tripod, loupe, and timer. It’s wonderful. It’s liberating. I really love it. There’s freedom with it to photograph things and places that have never been photographed this way. Some of the places I will photograph require a 45- minute hike to get to them, one way. There’s no way wet collodion can be used in this way.
I’ve settled on Thomas Sutton’s version of Major Russell’s Tannin Dry Plate process. You can find it in his book, “The Collodion Processes: Wet & Dry” London, 1862. I’ve modified a bit for my workflow and my environment (in the mountains at high elevation). Why did I select this? To me, it gives the best negative for printing Platinum Palladium and Kallitypes. I can get a 1.5 - 2.0 negative every time. Consistency is key. Collodio-Albumen is wonderful, but I want to work faster than that process allows; both in preparation and exposure. I still have a lot to figure out for the exact details of the project; they will reveal themselves as I make the work. I’m sure of it.
POETIC LICENSE
I do know that I want something “more” for this work. I’m bored by the look of a straight photograph. I originally wanted to do “f/64” type of landscape images. I know that’s not who I am and it really leaves me wanting and unexcited. I’m a portrait photographer by profession (30+ years), and, as an artist, desire that aesthetic show in this work. I’m not talking about creating artifacts or embracing technical flaws, I’m talking about an aesthetic that shows compassion, creativity, and beauty in the work. Like you’re reading a great piece of poetry or looking at a powerful portrait. I’ve often said that I’m a frustrated painter. It’s true, I’ve always attempted to show emotion in my work; subtle or bold, I’m always after something that moves me visually. The “straight” photograph doesn’t move me. It bores me for the most part, I’ve seen them so many times, they all look the same, and they do nothing for me. If you’re after a technical assignment or a commissioned work, employ that. It’s what the masses want to see. I don’t. So I’m approaching this project in my own way, taking poetic license.
Platinum Palladium Print. Ute Indians believe that the Ponderosa Pine tree brings specific medicine, food, and carries a sacred spark of the Great Spirit. If you look closely, on the center-right, you can see a “face” (profile) of a Native American looking across the image in the background. Amazing gift! My wife, Jeanne found this studying the print.
Collodion Dry Plate Negative. April 8, 2022 - Rocky Mountains, Colorado.
The print dried down. 4 minute exposure in the Colorado sun!
Looks really amazing with a matte over it. I absolutely love this print. The light up here is amazing and it shows here. Very other-worldly!