Quarter plate sliding back camera
Had a trip out to New Brighton this afternoon, some lunch on the sea front and then on to pick up an ebay camera purchase. This …
26 May
A refreshing collodion workshop…
A refreshing collodion workshop…
This is Mike, today he reminded me of what a refreshing challenge it is to teach a non photographer the wet plate collodion photographic process. From …
16 May
European Collodion Weekend 2018
European Collodion Weekend 2018
What a fantastic weekend. We’ve just returned from this years European Collodion Weekend, (ECW2018). Steph came along with me this year. The previous years have been …
09 May
Mobile darkroom number 3
Mobile darkroom number 3
My new mobile darkroom/campervan. A 2004 Renault Master MWB panel van 120 bhp with 105K. I’d been looking for a van for a while but …
08 May
Victorian Giants, John Thomson, T-shirts and extortionate ticket prices.
Victorian Giants, John Thomson, T-shirts and extortionate ticket prices.
This weekend we took a train down to London to meet up with some friends and fellow wet plate photographers to see some exhibitions. First up …
01 Apr
Full case half plate ambrotype
Full case half plate ambrotype
Today Id like to share this recent purchase with you all. A wonderful full case half plate ambrotype. When it arrived I was very disappointed to …
27 Mar
A Dallmeyer 4B lens
A Dallmeyer 4B lens
A huge thank you to fellow photographer and friend, Patrick Ballanger, for inspecting and collecting my latest purchase, proving it is still possible to find a …
21 Mar
Lynne – a follow up session
Lynne – a follow up session
Lynne took a wet plate workshop maybe two years ago. Her chemicals have sat dormant for a long while and she was now in a …
09 Mar
Mr and Mrs Edward Leigh – Ambrotypes
Mr and Mrs Edward Leigh – Ambrotypes
Here are two framed half plate ambrotypes to add to the collection. Purchased off Feepay for a little more than usual. Mr and Mrs Edward Leigh Both …
07 Mar
A salt print by Fran Sanchez Montesinos
A salt print by Fran Sanchez Montesinos
This wonderful salt print is by Fran Sanchez Montesinos. He doesn’t have a website but you can find him via FB, Instagram and Flickr. I’d noticed …
26 Feb
Wet plate negatives with Andy…
Wet plate negatives with Andy…
I have to thank Andy for visiting me at the studio this weekend. He’d travelled up from Devon for a day of shooting and a …
20 Feb
The Wattingers
The Wattingers
Check out the fantastic artwork on The Wattingers latest album, Bad Day At Growlers Rock. Colour photography by Ruud De Korte. Inside case wet plate image by …
19 Feb
Doppelgängers and Spectres
Doppelgängers and Spectres
I bid on some nondescript quarter plate glass negatives on Ebay and had a sneaking suspicion they were trick double exposure photography….. or three sets …
10 Feb
A family album – Chester
A family album – Chester
I bought this photograph album at a house clearance stall at a local antique fair a week or so ago. There’s no text to give any …
08 Feb
Beyond the Battlefields : Kathe Buchler
Beyond the Battlefields : Kathe Buchler
Last Thursday I went along to the opening of Beyond the Battlefields: Kathe Buchler’s Photographs of Germany WWI Grosvener Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University, Oxford Road, M156BR …
07 Feb
Hanging print drying rack…
Hanging print drying rack…
I’ve seen these at various print studios and always thought what a great simple idea. As I’m having a clear out of equipment at the …
31 Jan
iPhone Darkroom safelight
iPhone Darkroom safelight
I really have to thank Mark Acton for this great little tip. He’d come to the studio last weekend for a wet plate refresher and …
28 Jan
Clear out time…
Clear out time…
Its time for that clear out I keep talking about, lets start with this lot… Now all on ebay 1: A large plate rack, makers initial …
24 Jan
Cyanotypes – Bedford Lemere & Co.
Cyanotypes – Bedford Lemere & Co.
I’m sure some of you are aware that I’m not a big fan of the “blueprint”. I’m far more accommodating if it’s been toned in some …
19 Jan
Woodburytypes – Men of Mark
Woodburytypes – Men of Mark
I noticed I have some gaps in my collection and thought it would be interesting to try and fill them with some affordable examples. I’ve always been …
08 Jan
Ruby ambrotypes and over-painted portraits
Ruby ambrotypes and over-painted portraits
This years first arrivals. Two heavily overpainted framed portraits of a young couple. 12×15 inch. One has a partially rubbed label to the reverse: “Porteous Art Shop 120 …
01 Jan
Happy New Year
Happy New Year
Well, it’s been a busy year. Some great wet plate events, have met some really lovely people and worked on some amazing jobs. This year I …
25 Dec
The Phantom Thread
The Phantom Thread
Today is the general cinema release of The Phantom Thread. A historical drama, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, set in the 1950s world …
14 Dec
The Strines Journal and the Calotype
The Strines Journal and the Calotype
This blog post has sat in my draft folder for a couple of years now, I can’t believe I’ve not blogged it. Mea Culpa. The …
30 Nov
Stereographs and Lantern Slides
Stereographs and Lantern Slides
Today I started to digitise my collection of Magic Lantern Slides and Stereographs. I figured these would be the best to start putting into Omeka as they will …
27 Nov
Wooden Cash Register… Ker-ching!
Wooden Cash Register… Ker-ching!
I bought this old wooden cash register back in the summer ready for the charity wet plate events that I attend with Andy and Patrick. …
20 Nov
The Phantom Thread – Trailer
The Phantom Thread – Trailer
Back in April I did a little photography work for the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie “The Phantom Thread”, starring Daniel Day Lewis, in what …
17 Nov
Storage…
Storage…
As I’m cataloguing, and making available online, my digitised Victorian photography collection I thought it best to store them a little bit better than the …
10 Nov
Lingua Franca
Lingua Franca
I have now sorted the CSV import errors I was having with the Omeka software, so I’m now looking at standardising my vocabulary for the …
02 Nov
Digital Access Management
Digital Access Management
The past few months I’ve been looking at different ways to get my historic photographic collections searchable and online with relevant metadata and images. In the …
27 Oct
2018 Wet Plate Weekend – Guys Cliffe House
2018 Wet Plate Weekend – Guys Cliffe House
I know this is really early but we need to see how much interest there is in holding the 2018 UK Wet Plate Weekend at Guys …
16 Oct
The West Riding Asylum, Menston, Yorkshire. 1901
The West Riding Asylum, Menston, Yorkshire. 1901
It’s not often I re-blog about “proper” work related topics but I thought I’d share this image from an item we recently digitised at the John Rylands …
13 Oct
Moo cards- the reprint!
Moo cards- the reprint!
Moo cards offered to reprint my gold foil business cards because of the pooling issues. Rather than just reprint with the same problems Jonathan updated the …
07 Oct
Colin – A Wet Plate Tutorial
Colin – A Wet Plate Tutorial
Last weekend Colin came to the studio for a wet plate tutorial. His first wet plate attempts, on location at Llanthony Priory, might have left him …
28 Sep
A little carried away?
A little carried away?
My new Moo business cards arrived today and they may be a little too bling, what do you think? Last month I had similar cards made …
05 Sep
Llanthony Priory Wet Plate Weekend 2017
Llanthony Priory Wet Plate Weekend 2017
Thanks to everyone who turned up to this years Lllanthony Priory wet plate weekend. And for those who couldn’t make it, next year there is …
01 Sep
The Limehouse Golem
The Limehouse Golem
Today is the UK general cinema release of “The Limehouse Golem“, an adaptation of Peter Ackroyds novel “Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem”. Directed by Juan …
20 Aug
Slim Pickings
Slim Pickings
Popped into the local antiques fair today, slim pickings indeed, not even any crazily over priced photographic material. There were the usual boxes of postcards, cabinet …