Wet Plate Photography | A Moment to Remember

Today, I would like to write about some of the people who have come to my studio to have their portraits taken using the wet plate process.

We live in a time when anyone can easily take photographs with a smartphone.

And yet, there are people who deliberately choose wet plate photography, here in Tokyo.

Many are couples in their thirties, including newlyweds and those who choose wet plate photography for their pre-wedding portraits. Some are from Japan, while others have come from overseas. Quite a few also use film cameras in their everyday lives.

Surrounded by bright and vivid smartphone photographs, they seem to be looking for something different: a quiet space and a way to preserve an important moment in a tangible form.

Wet plate photography is not a quick process. The plate is prepared, exposed, and developed on the spot.

In a bright room, the image slowly begins to appear on the plate. Many people simply watch in silence as their photograph emerges.

When I show them the finished image, they are often delighted. There seems to be something more to the experience than simply having a photograph taken.

When all the conditions come together, a wet plate photograph can reveal beautiful, delicate tones. At the same time, small irregularities and traces may remain depending on the environment and the condition of the chemicals.

Each plate therefore has its own character.

No two photographs are ever exactly the same.

If a smartphone photograph is a way of recording a moment, perhaps a wet plate photograph is closer to giving that moment a physical form.

One person who has stayed in my memory came to the studio alone. They had chosen to have their portrait taken as a personal keepsake, marking an important turning point in their life.

There is something powerful about choosing to preserve a moment for yourself.

Perhaps having a wet plate photograph taken is not simply about keeping a photograph.

It is about taking that moment with you, and turning it into a single image.

• About the technique of wet plate photography → What is wet plate photography?

• Learn More About Wet Plate → 湿板Journal(blog)

• See the actual work → Gallery

• Want to try photography or experience it? → Fees/Workshops