venchka
Veteran
Posted orginally by me on another Forum. I thought y'all might find the activities interesting.
Did you ever wonder what other folks are doing with their cameras? Folks who don't use chips and Photoshop and ink to make photographs?
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting a group of people who, like myself, tend to the traditional, silver based forms of photography. Matt Magruder and his parents hosted the gathering at thier home on Canyon Lake. I witnessed first hand as Matt made wet plate photographs. Matthew Brady and others used wet plates to record the Civial War. Susan Ellen is currently using wet plates to record modern day soldiers. That seems like a fitting tribute to one of photography's oldest processes.
Soldier Portraits
Civil War Wet Plate Photography
There were view cameras a plenty in attendance. My new 4x5 field camera was the smallest. It looked like a toy beside Matt's 12"x20" Folmer & Schwing folding view camera. That's right folks. The ground glass on Matt's camera is about as big as a 23" flat screen TV. Think about that the next time you're chimping your little 3" LCD screen. Mike Castles brought his new Ritter 8x10. It produces negatives 4 times the size of my 4x5 negatives. Thanks to carbon fiber, it's probably lighter than my Zone VI wood and brass camera, also made by Mr. Ritter.
It's nice to know that I'm not alone. I also discovered some nice scenery which I plan to revisit soon. With all of my cameras and a bushel or two of the silver based sensor material.
Wet plate photography lives 145+ years after the Cival War. Film won't be dying in my lifetime.
Cheers!
Did you ever wonder what other folks are doing with their cameras? Folks who don't use chips and Photoshop and ink to make photographs?
Last Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting a group of people who, like myself, tend to the traditional, silver based forms of photography. Matt Magruder and his parents hosted the gathering at thier home on Canyon Lake. I witnessed first hand as Matt made wet plate photographs. Matthew Brady and others used wet plates to record the Civial War. Susan Ellen is currently using wet plates to record modern day soldiers. That seems like a fitting tribute to one of photography's oldest processes.
Soldier Portraits
Civil War Wet Plate Photography
There were view cameras a plenty in attendance. My new 4x5 field camera was the smallest. It looked like a toy beside Matt's 12"x20" Folmer & Schwing folding view camera. That's right folks. The ground glass on Matt's camera is about as big as a 23" flat screen TV. Think about that the next time you're chimping your little 3" LCD screen. Mike Castles brought his new Ritter 8x10. It produces negatives 4 times the size of my 4x5 negatives. Thanks to carbon fiber, it's probably lighter than my Zone VI wood and brass camera, also made by Mr. Ritter.
It's nice to know that I'm not alone. I also discovered some nice scenery which I plan to revisit soon. With all of my cameras and a bushel or two of the silver based sensor material.
Wet plate photography lives 145+ years after the Cival War. Film won't be dying in my lifetime.
Cheers!
