OUT FROM THE ETHER

Historically, one of the great uses of photography has been to make portraits of people. One of photography’s earliest forms is wet plate collodion, which involves preparing a plate of glass or metal with salted collodion and silver nitrate, exposing the plate, and developing the image. This all has to take place within ten minutes, before the plate dries. It is the very nature of this process that requires an intimate collaboration between the sitter and myself. It is almost like a performance. I work with the sitter to find a pose, and then I leave for four minutes to prepare the plate. When I return, we have just a few minutes to reset and make the image, which requires the sitter to be very still for a few seconds. Then I return to the darkroom and within five minutes the plate is completed. Both the sitter and I can see what we achieved immediately. This is not roll film, or even sheet film portraiture where I might make 20 or 30 exposures, looking for the best one later. We are compelled to create a revealing image in, at most, four attempts. I like this necessary limit. I also like that the portraits are not some fleeting glance or expression, but a moment of relaxed commitment. A calm exchange between the sitter and me.