Wet plate collodion have always fascinated me, and at last I’ve managed to make a few plates. There was a lot of trial and error with the first plates, a lot of errors, most of them due to vastly overexposing the image. I suggest my head is full of pinhole thinking. I did my first plates on laquered steel, so they are in a way «ferrotypes». I have also tried one plate on glass, what is known as an ambrotype.
![](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8114/8700297381_c3906b4dc9_c.jpg)
One of the first ferrotypes, where it is at least possible to see something.
My first trials was done on May 1, and I use The Giant Mobile Camera as a darkroom for the process. The next morning I managed to make two more images, and (maybe) a little more successful:
![](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8260/8701373923_798fe987d9_z.jpg)
The two ferrotypes from the next morning
The saturday after, on May 4, it was World Wetplate Collodion Day, and I had to make a few trials. The first one was a portrait of my dear Mervi, but sadly this too was a bit overexposed.
![](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8261/8708693426_a9c6f8385d_b.jpg)
Mervi, 4×5″ ferrotype
I would not bother Mervi with more trials, so I made a couple of images of my «Door Guardian», a South African mask. The second one of them was quite successful.
![](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8120/8707089971_251ee91c6c_b.jpg)
My Door Guardian, 4×5″ ferrotype
At last, in the evening, before the sunset, I had to try one on glass, an ambrotype. I wanted to do a self portrait for the World Wet Plate Collodion Day Gallery, and so I did. The exposure seemed to be spot on, but I had some problems with pouring the developer, I think. Therefore you can see the black spots on my face.
![](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8537/8709688159_af0b5e2e2e_b.jpg)
Self Portrait Ambrotype, 4×5″, shot on World Wet Plate Collodion Day, May 4, 2013
I will do more ambrotypes and ferrotypes to refine my technique, and in the short future get a bigger camera that can make at least 8×10″ images.