These images were made with the 19th century dry plate process. This process evolved in the 1870’s from the wet-collodion method originally formulated by Gustave Le Gray in 1850. The silver emulsion is poured onto a glass plate, which has been coated with gelatin, and dried before it is placed in the camera for exposure. I use brass portrait lenses that were made in the 1860’s. The camera itself is a mahogany replica of a daguerreotype camera from that era. There is no shutter or light meter, so the exposure time is an educated guess. The leather lens cap is removed for a number of seconds or minutes, allowing the sensitized plate to be exposed, before the cap is replaced. After development each plate displays unique characteristics which make it a process of constant discovery.
I love looking at images made with this process. They seem to capture just a physical trace of their subjects. Because so many details are left out, the viewer must a few moments to fill in the details oneself.
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Black Gum on Bloomingdale Road, August 2004
Dryplate Process Photography
7x7 inches |
