2016 Collodion workshops at UCA Farnham

This year's workshops were a great success: The list was 100% oversubscribed again so we we ran two days. We were working with half plate (8 x 6.5 inch) glass and the Watson studio camera I've recently acquired: - It has a quick-slide ground glass which makes it easy to check focus and quickly insert the plate holder. No doubt a very useful system in a busy studio in the 1860s.  The time it takes to set everything up and prepare plates means that on these days we make simple, straightforward portraits of each other. The process is magical enough to create wonderful images while everyone is getting to grips with the techniques involved.

Everyone hard at work cleaning glass plates ready to make ambrotypes (collodion on glass)

Here are the results from Monday:

Quite a lot of faults on this plate: Peeling collodion, unevenly applied developer
and over exposed/developed areas which have solarised. - It all looks great though!

Hayden was Champion Plate Pourer for Monday. He both poured this plate and
appeared in it. Credit must go to whoever  framed the shot up. It looks terrific.

One of the joys of this process is the 'happy accidents'. The solarised exposure
and swirly pour marks  make this really interesting.

I love it when people add incongruous elements to the picture.
Madi made this surreal image.

A huge vote of thanks must go to Annie Haggarty who volunteered to help and was tireless and indispensable in a multitude of roles, most notably as the "Kitchen Roll Fairy". - Always there when needed and made things run so much more smoothly. Thanks Annie!


On Wednesday, due (once again) to popular demand we ran a second workshop. Despite the weather being horrible outside we managed some good exposures using nothing but the daylight coming through the window.  Later in the day, we started to supplement the daylight with a UV -enhanced flashgun. This worked so well that I  clearly need to do some more experiments with UV-flash. I'll report back on these pages when I have made some tests.

Agnes was brave enough to be first subject. Once everyone sees how good you look in a
collodion portrait they all want to do it, but you have to have faith to be the first.

Natalie is on the DFSA course and has an interest in the process.
She joined us for the day.  Welcome!

Lauren went for the surreal option- and it really works! - inspired...

With John, we followed Julia Margaret Cameron's practice of shrouding
his shoulders in black velvet to concentrate on his head. The result
speaks for itself.

Using the UV-enhanced flashgun evened up the light and compensated for the falling light levels.

The tone shift caused by collodion's spectral sensitivity  (it doesn't respond to the red
end of the spectrum but does record well into the ultraviolet) transforms some portraits
more than others. Paula looks very different!

It's tempting to go for the weird and wonderful - and we've got some amazing results
here, but simple, straight portraits can also be very powerful.
This plate of Ashleigh is a beautiful example.

Again, thanks to Annie for the fetching, carrying and general facilitating - and especially the tea and Creme Egg! :-)  Well done to everyone who attended on both days. These great pictures are the result of  team efforts: Everyone contributed by cleaning glass, pouring plates, operating the camera, holding reflectors and of course sitting very, very still.