This 3-day workshop serves as a hands-on introduction to the demanding yet beautiful wet plate collodion photographic process from the mid-19th Century. As this process has been enjoying a resurgence in the past decade many robust resources have become available. With that in mind the Friday evening session will focus on demos and preparation for making plates on Saturday and Sunday. This will include safety, best practices in chemical handling as well as some nuts and bolts/technical discussion of the process. But we will skip the generally tiresome chemical recipes and detailed mixing instructions as modern collodion offerings come either ready to use or in a simple one-to-one ratio for easy preparation.

Participants will use 4x5” view cameras with studio flash and/or natural light to explore the craftsmanship of tintypes. No prior experience necessary! 

The goal is to provide a foundational knowledge of how the process works and begin to build upon that with plenty of time for practice, the key to making successful plates! Participants are invited to bring their own props, old costumes, etc.

Note: Please bring aprons and work clothing (materials used can easily stain clothing).

Workshop Withdrawal Policy

We recommend choosing workshops with care after reading our withdrawal policy. If you have questions about any of our workshops, please contact dale@thehalideproject.org

Instructor bio: 

CJ Harker is a board member at The Halide Project, staff photographer for Skate Jawn magazine, large format portrait photographer, printmaker, educator, and craftsman. His photographic work generally revolves around people. From formal portraiture to action, editorial, and environmental work. Born in Trenton, NJ and graduated from University of The Arts with a BFA in photography, CJ originally intended to stay on a path towards a career in "higher" education. But gravitated to the Craft School Workshop education model after spending time at Penland, NC and Peters Valley, NJ where he was introduced to and honed several historic photographic practices including Platinum/Palladium and Wet Plate Collodion Tintypes and Ambrotypes.

This workshop is generously sponsored by The Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation.