Wet Collodion: A Weekend Adventure with the Glass Negative
Last weekend offered me the opportunity again - to create another collodion glass negative in my studio in Třebíč. I set to work with enthusiasm, knowing that this process requires time and a precise approach.
Glass preparation:
The first step was the careful preparation of the glass. After a thorough cleaning, I applied a layer of egg white to the edges to prevent loss of collodion during processing. Although it seems easy, it is a time-consuming process that requires patience and precision.
@jan.kratochvil Final glass cleaning for wet plate collodion negatives and ambrotypes. Čištění skla pro mokré deskové kolodiové negativy a ambrotypie.
♬ původní zvuk - Jan Kratochvíl
Indoor photography:
Indoor wet collodion photography is a challenge due to the lack of light. In order to achieve a sufficient exposure of the negative, I had to carefully adjust the lighting conditions. Jako objekt jsem si vybral starou mysliveckou zbraň – brokovnici, dar od mého otce. Jsem třetí generace, která vlastní tuto zbraň. Brokovnici vlastnil můj děda, táta a nyní já – všichni myslivci.
Of course, the shooting took place in such a way that I observed proper safety and the cartridges in the cartridge chamber were not sharp.
Testing and exposure:
Before making the negative, I did a test exposure on the plate and then on the glass for the positive. Based on these tests, I estimated the exposure time for the final negative.
Development and redevelopment:
Under ideal conditions, double exposure is not usually necessary for negatives. However, in this case, after development and evaluation, I came to the conclusion that the density of the negative is not sufficient for quality copying. This was followed by a second development with a freshly mixed developer for the so-called redevelopment, which lasted less than an hour.
Varnishing and printing:
After development and fixing, I varnished the negative to protect the collodion layer. It is now ready for copying positives onto paper. For this process I chose collodion-chloride paper of my own production.
Advantages of the positive collodion process for collodion-chloride paper:
The collodion process is one of the most durable photographic processes. The collodion layer protects the image from environmental influences and prevents the yellowing that is common with old silver bromide photographs.
Difficulty and workshops:
As the size of the negative increases, so does the complexity of the entire process. Handling wet glass requires care to avoid damaging it. If you are attracted to this fascinating technique and want to learn it, I offer individual workshops.
Conclusion:
The weekend adventure with the glass negative brought me valuable experience and a beautiful original image and the opportunity to create more photos.
Pokud vás tento zajímavý fotografický proces zaujal, neváhejte se mi ozvat a dozvědět se více. Workshopy probíhají u mne ve studiu v Třebíči nebo případně podle dohody.
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