Andy Moo Pa and myself attended the Phoenix Alternative Festival at Llanfyllin Workhouse, Wales this weekend. This is the first time its been held since Covid, it was of course less busy than previous years but they are almost starting from scratch again. So Andy and I were keen to show our support and provide a pop up tintype studio.
We have been to this Festival a few times, and in the past we have been accompanied by fellow wet platers Patrick Ballanger and Laura Peters. and its always been great fun and many interesting tintype portraits and interactions have occurred over the years.
This year we set up on a larger area as we had a 3x6m gazebo alongside a 3x3m and the double pop up darkroom. There was some shade from the trees but as we continue with this heatwave weather it still got fairly hot in the darkroom but tolerable.
Just before leaving for Wales I decided to knock up a quick Tintypes sign. I “borrowed” some MDF board off the back of one the the shelving units in my studio storeroom, painted it white with some primer and applied some cut out carnivalesque letters. Sorry to those that thought I had hand painted it! It did look the job.
Shame I managed to misplace the I and the N but Joe from the NW Computer Museum printed out some spares just in the nick of time. Thanks Joe.
Here are some quick pics, sorry just mobile phone ones, and perspectives of plates edited in Snapseed app as originally just shot in hand at an angle.
We struggled again with chemistry. One collodion recipe we cannot see develop, so observational development was out the door and timed development was hit and miss with the changing light. The other collodion had crepe lines. In the end then we mixed both together to get a rough working recipe.
Moo’s vinegar developer seemed to work the best even though it wasn’t that hot.
Looking at my plates there are plenty of streaks from either dust on the bath surface or being over-iodised. Surprisingly cos this is a recently well sunned and filtered silver bath. I might have to resort to some HEAVY maintenance.
These developer pour lines on the above plate were also a surprise as I hardly get those and to me quite unsightly on such a lovely plate, extra alcohol added, to me and the developer chems. In the end I used Moos vinegar dev.
In the end Moo could see plates develop with the duo mixed collodion but I could not. So it has to be my silver bath surely?? Still doesn’t answer why the straight collodion recipe still cant be seen develop by either of us. I am baffled as I’ve tried everything I can think of. Fresh silver bath included. The joys of wet plate. On closer inspection of my plates I’m quite disappointed with the marks, on what could have been really decent plates.
Some very serious problem solving is needed. Just need to find the time as the German ECW is coming up in two weeks time.
As always it was great to catch up with some familiar faces and also make some new friends. Good to see Ruud and La Dutchessa and also to meet Lady Anouk. Hopefully Phoenix will be on again next year and begins to grow in popularity again. Its a great spot in the Welsh countryside and only a couple of hours drive from home.
Thanks everyone for your patience sitting for plates whilst Moo and I discussed chemistry and issues. And thanks Helen for the extra pics.