LIVE: Learning more about wet plate photography

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Tintype photography dates back to the Victorian era, and now you have the chance to pick up some new skills with this old school technique.

Kary Janousek has been practicing wet plate photography for several years, and now she’s offering a two day workshop on the technique with the help of Parachigo.

The process involves coating a metal sheet with collodion and silver nitrate to create the film for the camera, and after an exposure, the image will be developed straight onto the plate.

Janousek says that the process has it’s challenges, and that working through some of the issues can be difficult on your own.

“There’s a lot of things that can get you into the weeds. Even a dirty surface, if you were using glass, if the plate is dirty that could ruin the image. So there’s so many little things that can mess up this process. It’s important to have a guiding hand, or a reliable manual, or both to get good at it.”’

You can sign up for the class at parachigo.square.site.

You can also find more of Janousek’s work on her website Oldschoolcollodion.com