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Frederick Scott Archer introduced the wet plate collodion
process in 1851. It became the first widely used photographic process because
it was much more economical and accessible than the daguerreotype process that
preceeded it. The collodion process can be used to produce a negative on clear
glass or a positive image on blackened metal or dark glass. Back in the day,
the traditional "tintype" was made on blackened tin. A collodion positive on
glass is known as an ambrotype. For collodion positives, many contemporary collodion artists now use
aluminum coated with black enamel (aka "alumitype") and black glass for
ambrotypes.
More technical information on the process is available here and here. This is a video of the making of an ambrotype by talented collodion artist Quinn Jacobson. The collodion process has its own unique look. More to come... |
