Learn the wet plate collodion process hands-on, the way it was taught in the 1850s — with a darkroom, a camera, and a bottle of silver. Built for working photographers, art students, and the wonderfully obsessed.
Whichever format you pick, the chemistry, the camera, and the plate are real. You’ll leave with finished work that’s yours.
A full day in the studio with just you and Patrick. Best if you have a specific project in mind, want to bring your own camera, or learn at your own pace. You leave with two finished plates and the confidence to keep going on your own.
Up to four students share the studio for a weekend. More plates pulled, more chemistry mistakes (and recoveries) seen, and the camaraderie of figuring it out together. Each student leaves with at least one plate they made themselves.
The five-stage workflow, broken down so you understand why each step matters — not just how to copy it.
Mixing collodion, the silver bath, developer, and varnish. Safety, storage, and what each ingredient actually does.
Cleaning, edging, and pouring an even collodion film. The single skill that separates a usable plate from a wasted one.
Reading available light without a meter. Camera handling, plate-holder mechanics, and the rhythm of “in the bath, in the camera, in the developer”.
Pouring developer, watching the image emerge, fixing, washing, and drying without scratching the surface.
Heating sandarac varnish, flowing it across the dried plate, and finishing for permanence.
Clothing: Old, dark clothes you don’t mind staining. Silver nitrate marks anything it touches and the marks don’t come out.
Camera: Provided. Bring your own large-format if you have one and want to learn it; otherwise studio camera and lenses are available.
Subject: Bring a portrait subject you’d like to photograph (a friend, partner, child) or sit for one yourself. Still-life subjects also welcome.
Plates & chemistry: All included. You leave with the finished plates you make.
Workshop dates are announced through the newsletter and by email to past inquirers. Reach out and let me know what you’re looking for — group size, format, and timing — and I’ll get back to you with options.
