What is wet plate collodion and why do I use it? I could write about Victorian photography until my fingers fall off, but no one would be here at the end! In its simplest terms wet plate collodion was invented in 1851 during the Victorian period. It was the first truly commercially successful photography method and thousands of photographers used it until the advent of modern film.

Wet plate refers to the limitation of the method in that the image had to be taken and developed within about 15 minutes of preparation – while the plate was still wet. So wet plate photographers had to either stay close to their studios or carry around a portable darkroom.

Here is my portable darkroom trailer for field work.. I built it myself!

Wet plate uses light sensitive silver like most analog photography. The silver salts are held to a metal or glass plate by a gelatin like layer of collodion (dissolved wood). The plate is used in a large format camera (my camera can do sizes up to 8×10 inches). After exposure and processing the image if formed in pure silver. After washing, and drying, the plate is coated with a varnish to protect the silver from tarnishing. Plates from the 1850’s are still around and look as beautiful as when they were new.

The most frequent question I get about wet plate photography is why? Why go to all the trouble and expense when a cell phone taken great pictures? The answer is both simple and complicated. Simply, the images are beautiful and unique! There is joy in making something beautiful!

The more complex answer is there is something more real, more tangible, in making these Victorian images. It takes more time (15-20 minutes) and that slows the process down. Each image is thought out and planned. The chemistry is complex and unpredictable, so each image has an almost human character; there is a delightful randomness and surprise. My images have lasting value in a world where most photography is glanced at and then forgotten!

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