A very special Ambrotype photograph of James Island, Neenah Wisconsin.  James Island is home to hundreds of pelicans, geese, ducks  and cormorants in the Summer (and the occasional bald eagle).  This wet plate photo was taken on a 5x10 inch glass plate.  The glass was recovered from antique windows and has a character all its own.  The plate is float mounted on a hand cut pine board (a tree I cut down in my yard).  The board torched using Shou Sugi Ban methods to preserve it and produce a flat black surface.  Glass Ambrotypes magically turn from negatives to positive images when backed by a black surface.  The float mount gives this image an almost 3D appearance.  The character of both the antique glass and the underlying wood comes through in the image - so hard to show on an internet picture.