Mobile Wet Plate Collodion

- Take this historic process out of the studio and into the real world

  Bill Schwab, 'Wet-Plate Collodion, Photography Classes and Workshops at Project Basho in Philadelphia PA'
Bill Schwab
Description:

One of the limitations of wet plate collodion is that the photographer needs to be tethered to a darkroom or dark box forcing many practitioners to stay in the studio. Intended for participants with prior wet plate experience, this workshop will take things a step further by allowing the photographer to get out into the field. Working from a mobile, trailer darkroom as well as a portable dark box, students will explore the urban landscape within Philadelphia. Based in several locations in beautiful and historic Fairmount Park, participants will become familiar with taking the process on the road and gain experience working in more challenging situations.

After a short refresher course, students will visit several locations in the park including gardens and bridges along the river. Participants will not only work on the fly out of a mobile darkroom, they will also gain experience working in the confines of a traditional wet plate photographer's dark box. Working with the process in the field can be laborious and confusing and participants will learn the importance of working with limited resources and space while creating interesting, unique and fulfilling work.
Schedule:
Three-day workshop:
Friday 6 - 9 pm, Saturday & Sunday, 9 am - 5 pm
Oct 1, 2 & 3
Materials Needed:
  • Participants are invited to bring their own view cameras if they have them.
Prerequisite: Introduction to Wet Plate Collodion, Advanced Wet Plate Collodion, or portfolio review.
Class Fee:
  • $400 + lab fee of $200
Enrollment: Limited to 6
Deadline: Sep 12
Instructor:

Bill Schwab as been working as a photographer for more than 30 years with work included in solo and group exhibitions in the US and abroad. His work has been collected worldwide and is represented in a growing number of private, corporate and public collections including the George Eastman House, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Dayton Museum of Art, Polk Museum of Art, Akron Art Museum and the Cincinnati Art Museum. Two books of his work have been published to date, Bill Schwab: Photographs (1999) and Gathering Calm: Photographs 1994-2004 (2005).