dunniway
Newbie
19th century Yosemite revisited photographically
« on: 12. Jul 2002 at 13:18 »
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My name is Will DUNNIWAY. I am sharing some recent work of mine while
visiting the Yosemite National Park. While we are all aware of the
beautiful images of the likes of Ansel ADAMS there and the thousands
after him that have all tried to render these majestic granite
landscapes in their on way, I decided I wanted to go back in the times
of the first photo artists that exposed their silver laden plates within
this park. It all began really over a 150 years ago when the first
photographers arrived at that wondrous and most majestic of places on
this earth...Yosemite. The first was a man named, Charles Leander Weed.
He came in 1859, followed by Carelton Watkins in 1861. These men along
with Muybridge, Fisk, Reilly, Bierstdt that followed them, worked in
the process called wet plate collodion. This process requires that you
bring your darkroom with you wherever you go. Given the incredible scale
of the Yosemite valley, this was an Herculean effort by each of them.
Most used mules and employed several helpers to do their images over one
hundred and forty years ago. The following is a bit of history for those
who have not studied the history of Photography followed by my images there.
In efforts to advance photography in the mid-19th century, Fredrick
Scott Archer, an English sculptor and photographer, experimented with
collodion in the hope of producing a photographic negative on ordinary
glass plates.
Collodion, a thick and syrupy liquid, is made by dissolving nitrated
cotton in a mixture of alcohol and ether. It was widely used by surgeons
as a liquid bandage owing to its strength and adhesion.
In 1851, Archer used collodion to hold light-sensitive salts to his
glass plates. Once the salts, such as potassium iodide, were in the
mixture of collodion, the viscous liquid was poured onto the plate.
Allowing the alcohol and ether to evaporate, a thin film containing the
necessary iodides was left on the plate. Ready for sensitizing, the
plate was placed in a bath of silver nitrate. This formed a light
sensitive compound of silver iodide on the surface of the plate.
Once sensitized, the plate was exposed in the camera before the
collodion began to set and dry. If the plate dried before development,
it i would have had practically no sensitivity and would be therefore
useless. For this reason alone, the process Archer invented became known
as "Wet Plate" collodion process.
After exposure in the camera, the plate was quickly returned to the
darkroom. Using an acidic solution of ferrous sulfate, the plate was
developed, then rinsed and fixed in a mild solution of potassium
cyanide, or hypo.
The wet plate photographers could now produce multiple images from a
single negative or offer a collodion positive, such as the ambrotype or
ferrotype, with speed and consistency. Not until the 1880's and the
introduction of gelatin dry plates did wet plate photography command any
less attention from the photographic world!
Will Dunniway
will@dunniway.com
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dunniway
Re: 19th century Yosemite revisited photographical
« Reply #1 on: 16. Jul 2002 at 08:49 »
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Here is another view. Cathredral Rock
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dunniway
Re: 19th century Yosemite revisited photographical
« Reply #2 on: 16. Jul 2002 at 08:51 »
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Mirror Lake with Mount
Watkins reflected
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dunniway
Re: 19th century Yosemite revisited photographical
« Reply #3 on: 16. Jul 2002 at 08:53 »
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A view of the Yosemite Valley
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dunniway
Re: 19th century Yosemite revisited photographical
« Reply #4 on: 16. Jul 2002 at 08:59 »
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This is me, Will Dunniway in Yosemite with my 1871 8x10 Anthony No. 4 wet plate collodion Camera. This was the camera I used for the above plates.
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