Dry Plate
Photography
by Michael A. Carter
Dry Plate Photography is a new activity for me. I have a blog which documented my first attempts; it is located here: http://newlightfarmer.blogspot.com/. This web will hopefully consolidate my efforts. That blog may be read first and then continue on here.
My goal is to make Ultra Large Format dry plate black and white photographic negatives and contact print positives. Ultra Large format photography is any size over 8" x 10". The camera I intend to use is a 12" x 15" Vageeswari Indian dry plate camera. It uses book form glass plate holders. That is what I like, book form plate holders and not the usual sliding type. Sure, I have 8x10 glass plate holders that are not the book form type, but I really like the wood and brass of book plate holders. It took a long time to figure out what I want to do and what I want to use.
This
camera is not ready to go. It came with problems, some were fixed, and some have
yet to be fixed. You can't just go to a local store and buy one or even order
one. I had to buy 5 other ones first, then this one was offered to me. Now there
are no others available. A smaller version sold recently for as much as this
one cost me. Prices are going up. To me, investing in one kind of old camera is
a very good idea.
That is me, standing 6 foot 4 inches tall, next to a 12x15 inch Vageeswari camera to give you an idea of how large it is. It sits on a large size original tripod; others are smaller. A book plate holder is on the back and the ground glass is upside down; flipping the ground glass over the top like that doesn't feel right. It may be best to let it hang down. A 10x12 that I've been working on can have the glass hang down. The lens shown had to be sent away; it was polished and re-cemented. It'll be sent away again to another place to have water-stops made. The lens board was cobbled together by me and isn't thick enough, however it allowed me to see images on the glass. A drill press and a table saw were purchased in order to make more and proper lens boards. There are so many things to overcome before I can take pictures that it is all rather overwhelming. A dark room had to be built; I had to have one to coat plates and process them. Emulsions will be brewed instead of bought. Large sized emulsion wells will be made to spread the goop on glass. Smaller ones will be used to learn with first.
Many things had to be collected in order to get my hands on them and find out what I liked to use. Smaller cameras have to be restored to use them. One full plate Primo No. 19 is away getting a new bellows and the lens for it is being fixed somewhere else. This dry plate photography work is no small endeavor. Even so, I really like it. Lately, even more supplies were purchased.
Camera collecting has led me to restore them and now to using dry plate book form big cameras. Darkroom work coating plates, making emulsions, developing plates, and making contact prints will be plenty to do without collecting or refurbishing anymore than I already have. Only one 4x5 camera has been made ready to use; currently a full plate is being gotten ready to use. It'll be great to be out making exposures again.
Ultimately, I'd like to teach photography, using these plate cameras, conducting workshops and field trips, working at craft centers in scenic places. Showing my photos is an activity that will arise inevitably, as will matting, framing, and the storage and collection of prints. One of the people I'm learning from is Denise Ross, the author of The Light Farm web site, has the most beautiful prints for sale. I want to collect and display some in my home and studio. That means picture framing tools need to be set up so I can matt pictures using conservation techniques. During this summer, I attended an 8x10 Pyro Photo Camp at Touch Stone Center for Crafts here in Pennsylvania, I got to see the teacher, Richard Stoner, matt and box collections of photo prints properly. He matted one of my prints and it sold at the ending camp auction for $75!
So, I can't sell all of the other cameras since I intend to let my students use them. They are difficult to collect. Some will be sold or offered up on this site, but not yet. They need to be restored to working order first. Camera restoration is a great craft and I like learning how to do new things like nickel plateing brass and seeing how to cut fancy brass pieces to hold ground glass on a camera back. As this idea of using old photographic technology, dry plate, catches on, other people will begin to make cameras available. Perhaps someone will start a business coating plates! That would be cool. Photographer's Formulary may already sell them. There was a reference by a Photo Engineer on an APUG thread saying he had bought some. Research may be compiled on how to do all the things needed for Dry Plate Photography and be sold as a book; that is what a web site can become. Research for educational activities is a big job requiring a lot of time and effort. Just do a search on key words in this article and it'll make your head spin. Look up the main web site for dry plate photography by Ms Ross: http://thelightfarm.com/ I like dry plate because it is relatively undiscovered so far. I am a new user. Luckily, equipment has come my way and I can do this work now. I almost fell for a 14x17 home made x-ray film camera but forced myself to stay within the boundaries of ULF, Black and White, Dry Glass Plate Photography, Book Form plate holders, and Contact Prints.