Topic: Gorgeous Book of Wet Plate Portraits by Keliy Anderson-Staley

[gothamtomato]

I don't need to lose any weight, but I have have been trying to go on a New Year book diet (though I did spend a couple of days obsessing over trying to get the Catherine Naumdorf book), but when I saw this one I had to have it:

Keliy Anderson-Staley On a Wet Bough
It is gorgeous (and well worth giving into temptation for)! It is chock full of some of the best contemporary wet plate portraits I have seen. Simply stunning!

[Francois]

What I find strange with wet plate is that it doesn't seem to make that much difference between skin color
Well, it probably would render my pasty white skin... pasty white but apart from that, it's very inclusive.

[gothamtomato]

It seems to really bring out freckles though!

[Francois]

I'm OK for that, the only ones I have left are on my arms

[Ed Wenn]

Heck yeah, this looks like another winner. As has been discussed here before, I'm totally for wet plates and even more so if the subjects aren't dressed up/styled in old fashioned clothes. Contemporary and wet plate work so well together.

[Francois]

What? You don't have on your wall one of those fake wet plates of you and Jacqui that was taken at some amusement park... where you wear a cowboy hat and period inaccurate clothing?   

[hookstrapped]

What I find strange with wet plate is that it doesn't seem to make that much difference between skin color
Well, it probably would render my pasty white skin... pasty white but apart from that, it's very inclusive.

It's not sensitive to red light, so reddish white skin and freckles appear relatively dark.

[ManuelL]

Does anyone know if sunscreen has any effect on skin tone in wet plate or ortho films? I have seen a video in which they used a UV sensitive digital camera and sunscreen turned the skin completely black.

PS: I had a look at Keliy Anderson-Staley's website and there are really fantastic images. Apart from the portraits I also like the cityscape work: http://www.andersonstaley.com
Thanks for pointing out the book!

[Francois]

I don't think sunscreen would change the skin tone that much when the picture is taken in the studio by flash. On the other hand, for exterior shots, I really can't tell if there is any difference... Someone would need to do an experiment.

[DonkeyDave]

I get it, and I like them, but tintype portraits are almost mainstream now? Nothing wrong with that but I'm starting to find it a bit samey.
Those landscapes though - WOW, love them, I'd so like to do some wet plate work in the woods.

[jharr]

I agree with Dave that the "wow" factor is fading on the wet plate portraits. Not to minimize the artistry and craft that go into them, but I think I still enjoy the still life and landscape work that is coming out of that process more than the portraits.

[Ed Wenn]

These last two comments are very interesting.

A good portrait is a good portrait and that's what I think we have here...in fact a collection of them. As styles go I don't think I'll ever get tired of tintypes...in much the same way as I'll never get tired of colour photos, or black and white ones, or platinum prints, or POP images, or cross-processed images - and so on.

[Verian]

I've been quite interested in having a go at wet plate, however, it seems rather expensive, although, if I get time, i might have a go at making my own, there seems to be quite a bit of info out there about doing that.

[Chalky]

I got this for Christmas, can't wait to try it - just need to make a darkroom or sorts at home...

http://rockaloid.com/Tintype-kit-authentic

[gothamtomato]

I get it, and I like them, but tintype portraits are almost mainstream now? Nothing wrong with that but I'm starting to find it a bit samey.

I wouldn't say mainstream. I think with quite a few photographers they took the place of Type 55. With any photographic  medium there is samey-ness, but then some stuff stands out; not because of the medium, but because of what is in the photographer. Then they elevate the medium, but they'd elevate any medium.

[jharr]

These last two comments are very interesting.

A good portrait is a good portrait and that's what I think we have here...in fact a collection of them. As styles go I don't think I'll ever get tired of tintypes...in much the same way as I'll never get tired of colour photos, or black and white ones, or platinum prints, or POP images, or cross-processed images - and so on.

I agree Ed that the artistic merit of the portraits is in no way diminished by the choice of medium. I guess what I am saying is that in the recent past, the colodion processes were so uncommon that even a less skilled photographer could get quite a bit of attention for it. Now when I see a wet plate portrait, I still stop and look, but it isn't with the wonder and admiration I had before. Now I am looking at them with pretty much the same eye as I have with any other portrait (lighting, model, posing, composition, etc.). That's what I meant by the "wow factor" fading. I still get a little googly-eyed over the still life and landscapes though.