It had been at least a 3 week hiatus since my last shoot. I would be working with a new model, one who I had a little trouble with scheduling the last time we tried working together. In the back of my mind, there was the thought I was going to be blown off... The anticipation to shoot again became very strong. So the let down of a cancellation would have been equally disappointing. In the end, everything worked out.
Wet Plate Collodion demands time. It expects of you to put in far more effort than other types of photography. Early in my experience with Wet Plates, I would often shoot some digital, or at least be ready to as back up. I wanted to make sure that I was able to bring something to the proverbial table after each session. Time moved on and I became more confident that I was ok, just shooting Wet Plates and nothing else.
Late last year, I started shooting both digital and Wet Plates on some of my shoots again. I'm not sure why this time, but I would grab a few images, maybe post a few, then file them away. Yesterday, my main and only concern was to shoot ambrotypes. I knew going in that I didn't have a lot of time. I went in thinking to be being efficient and purposeful. Right off the bat, the first plate was a winner. I often try and make the first shot look easy and effortless. I just want to get the ball rolling in the right direction and have some momentum going into the rest of the session. Plate 2 perfectly set up the last plate and I knew I was going to be quite happy. Without getting too far ahead of myself, I really wanted a back shot of the last pose. However, I knew there was not going to be enough time to shoot another plate, so I pulled out Mr. Digital. Haphazardly, I rang off 30 exposures, front and back, wide and tight.
Upon reviewing the files, I realized I had gotten some really beautiful digital images. It made me think how much better the digital would be if I had taken it more seriously. Instead, I just got what I could, what was left for me, as opposed to push and refine what was given to me... I know in the end, it is the Wet Plate images that really matter to me. I need to either let go of the "Digital Backup" or make the time to push and move forward...
Betty's Back. The reason to pull out the digital camera...
Betty Bound
Betty Plate 1 8x10 Ambrotype
Betty Bound. 8x10 Ambrotype
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