wet plate collodin Los Angles some thing crazy

 Some thing crazy happened in the development with this photo. I think some of the chemical I use went bad. I am really stoked on the way it came out any way. This is a one of a kind photo I have never shot or seen any thing like it. 

Photo: Erica Baier, LA,Ca

Yesterday was just an average day in Los Angeles sunny sky’s like it is for the most part every day. I went down from my loft to the streets to shoot some photos. I would never shoot at 1 pm in the summer because the light is so bright and it just looks bad. But with this process I got amazing results. My friend Erica was riding up to the building I stopped her for a photo. I only took two photos and both came out good. With digital photography I have to shoot so many frames just to get one good image. When I shoot with my 8X10 camera it slows the whole process down. By the time I get every thing ready it seams like the person is relaxed and use to being in front of the camera. Digital you just turn it on and start shooting the first 30 frames look like a dear in the headlights.

                                                            photo:Erica Baier, LA,Ca

                                             

I wanted to capture reflection of the building in Anna’s sunglasses but it just didn’t work out so i thought . I was looking for a sharp image I have shot so many photos like this with my digital camera. When I got home I had another look at it I started to really like it. The softness of it is so different for what I usually get. I started doing this so I could get photos that are unique. Things seam going that way so far im stoke!

Photo: Anna Phillips, LA,Ca

wet plate collodin Los Angles

The past week I have been working on a camera cart / portable dark room. I finally got it done. I want to build a cart that I could puss through the streets of down town Los Angeles. I did a shoot yesterday and got a few images. Im so stoke on this it is going to open up so many doors for shooting the wet plate collodin. When you shoot this style you need to make you film and develop it minutes after you shoot it.

                                   I shot this kid named Scott in front of the building I live in.

                                                             Location: Los Angeles

  

Here are the building across the street from where I live.

Location:  Los Angeles

This is my darkroom on wheels kind of dope!

wet plate collodin calss with Will Dunniway

 For many years I have been searching for this and I finally found it. This experience has changed my life forever.  Last weekend I took an amazing class with Will Dunniway! I had the opportunity to learn the wet plate colldion process from some one who has 20 years of experience doing it. When I walked in to Will’s studio/house I was in awe. The photos he had on display are some of the most beautiful works of art that I have ever seen. Seeing these images in real life was like taking a trip to the Getty museum. There are a few of that stud out and I could not stop staring at. He had a shot from Yosemite that was printed with platinum. Platinum prints are amazing anyway but to mix the two is out of control, I all so saw a few tintypes and glass originals sitting above the fireplace. The tone and light that was captured by this colldion process cannot even be described by words. Its one of those thing you just have to see. He also has photos of American Indians that have never been shown to the public. Will is a master of this craft if you are interested in see his work go to: http://www.dunniway.com/

Here are some photos from our workshop.

Photos by: Michael O’Neil

Will Dunniway shoots Ian Ruhter

Ted Roberts, with plate of Chrystal Scanlon

Outdoor studio. 

From left: James Burgess, Skip Lind, Francis Michaels (posing), Will Dunniway, Ian Ruhter

Michael O'Neil gets head braced by Will Dunniway

From left: Will Dunniway shoots with aid from , Skip Lind

Michael O'Neil  with his plate

Michael O'Neil

Chrystal Scanlon poses

Chrystal Scanlon immerses wet plate tintype into fixer

Chrystal Scanlon helps pose Skip Lind for Will Dunniway

an Ruhter develops his tintype

an Ruhter fixes his tintype

                                                      Ian Ruhter removes his fixed tintype

                                       

kip Lind pour collodion on plate

Will Dunniway mounts plate to rear of camera

Skip Lind, former American Airlines pilot poses as Red Baron

Skip Lind, tintype in fix

Chrystal Scanlon in tintype rack

Chrystal Scanlon

Plate rack of days work

Will Dunniway

Skip Lind, shows his results

Skip Lind

From left: Ted Roberts, Will Dunniway, Michael ONeil (knelling), Ian Ruhter, Skip Lind, Chrystal Scanlon, Francis Michaels and knelling, James Burgess

Every one was so nice in this class I wish I could of got to know every one better but my attention was on learning. I got so much out of this class it was well worth it. I just want to thank every one who was there. It was one of the best experiences I have had in a long time!!
Ian Ruhter

The Wet Plate Collodion Process

I recently started the doing the wet plate collodion process and my friends have no idea of what it is. I have been getting question asking how does it work? Well friends here is a quick video of what it is and how it works.

wet plate collodin- Pat more

 This is one of my favorites. If you know Pat Moore then you know this is a very different looking photo for him. I have shoot him 100s of time but never got an image that looks like this of him. To me it looks like a jail photo or some thing from the 1950s. I just know I’m stoked on it. I took 3 photos this day the first 2 were to get the proper exposure. What a big change this is from shooting 100s of digital photos with hopes that one will turn out. 

Wet plate collodin- stealing people souls

 They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. When I was focusing my camera on Mario Kappeli eyes I felt like I could see in side his soul. I have never experienced any thing like that. My 8x10 camera is a very a special camera. It is by far the best camera I have ever used it feels kind of magical when I use it. Maybe that’s why people use to say photos would steal peoples souls. I don’t feel like im steeling them more like im showing the world what the look like. This is a 3 second exposure using the wet plate collodin presses. Shoot on location in Palm Springs.

wet plate collodin fun photo

  I had so much fun shooting this portrait of my friend Rusty Ockenden. I wanted to do something that matched is personality. He has this crazy hair and is down for what ever. I shoot a regular portrait of him and we were like lets make this crazy. He said I could take off my shirt and show my gap tooth. We were laughing the whole time. There is nothing better than when some one is down to have fun while you are shooting them. I showed this image to one of my other friends they thought it was a homeless person from Down Town Los Angeles. I said no that’s my friend rusty and just started laughing again.