my workshop ramble

This is an image of "The Mad Chemist" in CPW's classroom.

Some notes, comments and experiences as the workshop manager at the Center for Photography at Woodstock....

This past weekend's workshop "Blackening your Fingertips: Intro to Wet-plate Collodion Photography" was taught by Michael Mazzeo, artist and owner of Peer Gallery in Chelsea. This is a timely, labor intensive, and unstable photographic process- you have to mix chemistry, work with toxic materials, cut glass, coat the glass correctly, stay out of warm temperature, make long exposures, process the plate quickly, dry it over a dimly lit oil lamp etc... but it produces out of this world imagery that cannot be replicated anywhere. And, because of this extensive process, you really feel like you are part of the image you produce. It was a great weekend and Michael was the perfect teacher for this- enthusiastic, passionate and helpful.

ambrotype: wet-plate underexposed on black glass produces a seemingly positive image.

ambrotype by Michael Mazzeo

The tools used for this process are beautiful. Take a look at a few of them....