What is Wet Plate Photography?
Wet plate photography, invented by Frederick Scott Archer of England in 1851, was imported to Japan during the late Edo period. Compared to the dominant daguerreotype at that time, wet plate photography became widely popular due to its higher sensitivity and lower cost of photosensitive materials. For about 30 years until the introduction of dry plate photography in the 1880s, various significant figures were captured using wet plates, including Sakamoto Ryoma, Katsu Kaishu, and Emperor Meiji. It was also during this era that commercial photography and photo studios began to emerge.
Wet plate photography is also known as the Collodion process. The specific process involves coating a flat support material such as glass or aluminum plate with a chemical called collodion. The plate is then immersed in a solution of silver nitrate to make it photosensitive. As the term "wet plate" suggests, the plate is only sensitive to light when the collodion is wet on its surface. Therefore, the photographer had to make the exposure promptly and then perform the development process in a darkroom (as sensitivity is lost when the plate dries). After completing the entire development process, varying tones appear on the collodion's surface, creating a photograph that can be appreciated.
Depending on the support material used, if a blackened aluminum plate is employed, it is called a tintype, whereas using a glass plate results in an ambrotype. Tintypes are lightweight and durable, making them suitable for portability. However, one characteristic of tintypes is that text or patterns appear reversed in the image.
On the other hand, ambrotypes can produce a positive image by placing the film side at the back, but they appear as negative images, requiring the viewer to place them against a black cloth or paper for proper observation.
Furthermore, the appearance of the image during development is significantly influenced by the daily condition of the chemicals used and the weather. Fluid patterns (stains) may appear in the image area (mainly at the edges) as traces of chemical reactions, and this is also a distinctive feature of wet plate photography. Thus, each wet plate photograph displays unique characteristics, and no two photographs are exactly the same.
Tintype
Ambrotype
Basic flow (Ambrotype)
(1) Polish a glass plate thoroughly.
(2) Pour collodion solution onto the glass plate and let it half-dried.
(3) Soak the half-dried glass plate in silver nitrate solution for about 3 minutes. Silver ions in the solution react with the collodion solution to form silver halogens, making the glass plate photosensitive.
(4) The glass plate is loaded into a large camera and photographed (exposed).
(5) The glass plate is removed from the camera and immediately developed and fixed in a darkroom.
(6) Rinse with water and dry. Coat with varnish to prevent from tarnishing and scratching.
Collodion and Color
In wet plate photography, collodion serves as the film and its spectral sensitivity differs from what the human eye can perceive. Collodion is sensitive even to ultraviolet light, but its sensitivity decreases around the blue and green range. As a result, colors such as yellow, orange, and red appear darker in the final image.
From Quinn Jacobson’s book CHEMICAL PICTURES
During portrait photography, light blue clothing may appear white, while red or orange clothing can appear almost black. Red lipstick also appears black, so caution is needed. Different colors and patterns exhibit distinctive appearances due to the characteristics of collodion.
Furthermore, the way collodion and black and white film (panchromatic) capture colors is significantly different. Wet plate photography developed with collodion has strong contrast and fewer intermediate gray tones, providing a unique visual quality. In contrast, black and white film converts all visible colors into subtle shades of gray.
It can be said that the characteristics of collodion contribute to the distinct retro aesthetic of wet plate photography.
Black&white film
(Panchromatic)
Color film
Collodion
