Chris Honeysett möchte die kalifornische Küste mit Hilfe des Kollodium-Nassplatte-Prozesse dokumentieren. Dazu hat er ein Projekt auf Kickstarter gestartet. Wir haben mit ihm über das Projekt und die Faszination dieser Fototechnik gesprochen.
Who are you?
I am a California based photographer who has used large format photography since 1987. I did black and white silver gelatin printing in my darkroom for 25 years, then embraced digital. This eventually led to a feeling of “sameness” with all other people who call themselves photographers. In 2013 a friend of mine hosted a wet collodion workshop, and afterwards I was hooked.
Since then, I have purchased a 12×20″ banquet camera from the late 19th century, and I use it for making mammoth plate wet plate photographs. These are made both on aluminum, and plexiglass (as negatives). I then scan these to make digital pigment prints, or in the case of the negatives, will make albumen prints.
What is so special about the Wet Collodion Photography? What are the challenges with this type of photography?
The challenges of wet collodion photography are many. The plates are made by pouring collodion (like runny honey) on to a plate, then dipped in a silver bath for three minutes to make them light sensitive. They are then loaded in to a film holder, and the exposure must be made, then the film processed while still wet-hence the “wet” collodion.
It is a very finicky process, with the slightest miscalculation or chemical imbalance causing bad plates, or no image. And successful plates must be varnished at the end, which in and of itself, can ruin a plate. When one gets a successful image, however, they are one of a kind and breathtaking.
What is your project about?
My project will encompass photographing with this old technology in the current era in and around the coast of California. I will be visiting communities from South of San Francisco all the way to Mendocino in the far North. I hope future generations will appreciate the work, and will see A Moment In Time as we live it today.
Chris Honeysett hat inzwischen sein Ziel erreicht.
Man kann ihn allerdings noch 14 Tage weiter über Kickstarter unterstützen.