Recently the camera club was well entertained by talented photographer Guy Brown FRPS DPAGB. This was a return visit for Sheffield based photographer Guy who gave a fascinating lecture on Victorian photography.

Guy started the evening by explaining the wet collodion process. Invented in 1851 by Frederick Scott Archer, this victorian photographic process produces a glass negative and a beautifully detailed print. Although this is a difficult technique to master, Guy said that it can provide some fascinating and beautiful results

The process involves collodion being poured onto a metal or glass plate, sensitised in a bath of silver nitrate, and then exposed in a view camera while still wet. After development and fixing, a unique positive image is obtained.

 Guy also presented a portfolio of his collodion images, which included people and still life.

 

After the break, Guy gave the club a practical demonstration of this process. He had brought along some of the equipment used, including a victorian camera. and had set up a dark room. Using two of our members, Hannnah and Janet, as models Guy produced portrait shots which were bitingly sharp with astonishing dept and tonality.

Guy emphasized the photographer has no more than 10 minutes to complete everything and that can determine the quality of the image, but each image is unique.