What is wet plate photography? How is it different from smartphone photography?

In this age of smartphones, why bother with wet plate photography?

Nowadays, anyone can easily take photos with their smartphone.

The exact opposite of this convenience is a technique called wet plate photography.

Wet plate photography, which was invented in the 1850s, before film even existed, involves directly burning an image onto a glass or metal plate using chemicals. Why is this time-consuming and ancient technique quietly attracting attention now?

From "just taking pictures" to facing photography head on

Taking photos with a smartphone is easy and convenient. But on the other hand, many of the photos you take thinking, "I can look back at them later," may not even remain in your memory. With wet plate photography, the feelings you put into each photo are completely different.

Wet plate photography is made of silver

In wet plate photography, the image is printed by silver particles that are exposed to light. Unlike digital images on a smartphone, the moment is fixed as a physical object on the plate.

The soft gradation, deep shadows, and three-dimensionality have a quiet power that draws the viewer in.

To be present in a photograph

A large bellows camera is used to take the photos, and many people will immediately realize that this is no ordinary photo.

At the shooting location,

• A tense silence

  
  

• The atmosphere between the photographer and the subject

  
  

• The moment the image emerges in the developing solution

  
  

Even that "atmosphere" is captured in a single photograph, an experience you can't get from everyday snapshots.

Time to think about what meaning to include

It takes more than 10 minutes to take one photo. This gives the person being photographed time to think about what they want to leave behind and who they want to be with. It could be a family bond, a turning point in life, or a gift for a loved one.

As if by magic: the statue rises to life

Another attraction of wet plate photography is that you can see the moment the image appears . If you develop the film immediately after taking the picture, the image will gradually emerge from the colorless plate. It's a magical sight that will take your breath away, both children and adults.

That's why it's a "lifetime item"

The finished wet plate photographs are not just records, but works of art that are imbued with emotion. They are quiet, beautiful, austere, and have a real weight to them. I want to deliver them not as "souvenir photographs," but as a photographic experience .

For a special photo for you and someone else

Wet plate photography takes time and effort, which is why it is possible to capture the "essence" and "relationships" of the photograph.

• A once in a lifetime memory

  
  

• For important family moments

  
  

• To rediscover yourself

  
  

Why not try facing this photo for yourself?

• 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