Wet-plate Collodion photography is a grainless form of photography that renders subject matter in a manner which, with the exception of Daguerreotypes, no other method of photography can replicate. The wet-plate process transforms, and in doing so reveals truths otherwise unseen.
The truth-telling qualities of photography have been debated since the medium’s inception. This debate largely revolves around what the camera sees, as opposed to what the human eye sees and the context of the situation photographed. The grainless nature of wet-plate goes beyond what the eye sees, revealing details that can show subject matter for what it truly is.
“A Modicum of Truth, Or a Mound?” presents two series of images: Junkfood and Portraiture. Placing items intended for human consumption under the scrutiny of an 8×10 wet-plate can reveal details that makes an audience think twice about what they are really viewing. It’s “food,” but it looks like something else…
A foray into wet-plate collodion wouldn’t be complete without Portraits. With the camera aimed at a more sentient being, this slow and beautiful process produces timeless images that go to a spiritual, otherworldly place and depict the sitter in a royal manner. They can be evocative, questioning, even confrontational.
These images ask the question: Has the subject been transformed, or has the truth been revealed?
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