Introduction to the Wet Plate Collodion Process: Ambrotypes, Tintypes & Glass Negatives
With Eric Taubman & Keliy Anderson-Staley
Date: Saturday & Sunday, April 5 & 6, 2008
Time: 10am- 6 pm (1 hour lunch)
Location: 36 East 30 Street NY, NY 10016
Price: $350.00 plus $45.00 lab fee
Registration Deadline: March 21, 2008

This workshop is an intensive introduction to the silver-based process that was the leading mode of photography in the 1850's and 1860's. The wet plate collodion process involves the hand pouring of chemicals onto glass or blackened metal to produce negatives, positive ambrotypes or tintypes. The process must be completed while the plate is wet; the images are exposed, developed, fixed and viewable within minutes. In this workshop, participants will learn how to prepare the plates, pour the chemistry, and expose the plates using 4”x 5” and 5”x7” wooden view cameras with antique brass lenses. Students will be encouraged to experiment with the process and to shoot portraits and still life images. The work of historical photographers such as Matthew Brady, Juliet Margaret Cameron and Felix Nadar will be shown and discussed as well as the works of contemporary wet plate photographers. Participants will shoot 4 or 5 plates each during the weekend. All materials including cameras, chemicals and glass will be supplied. Limited to 10 participants.
*This course is a Pre-requisite for the Mammoth Plate Collodion Workshop & the Wet Plate Shooting Studio

Instructor Bios:
Eric Taubman has been a Wet Plate Collodion practitioner more than nine years and has taught numerous wet plate workshops and specializes in the history of early 19th Century photographic optics, chemistry, and cameras. Eric’s own wet plate images range in size from ¼ plate to 20”x 24” plates. His work can be scene in the Spring 2006 issue of View Camera Magazine. Over the past thirty years Eric has been involved in the New York City photography scene as a fine art black and white printer, lab owner, teacher, and artist.

Keliy Anderson-Staley received a BA from Hampshire College and an MFA in Photography from Hunter College in NYC. Keliy has been shooting wet plate collodion images for over four years, using an 8x10" wooden view camera for an ongoing ambrotype and tintype portrait project. Keliy is also working on a color photography project, “Off the Grid” that documents twenty families living in Maine with Alternative Energy. Keliy has taught wet plate collodion classes at Hampshire College and the Bakery Photography Collective in Maine. Instructor’s site: www.andersonstaley.com

Introduction to The Albumen Printing Process with Daniel Levin
Date: Saturday & Sunday, April 12 & 13, 2008
Time:10:00am to 6:00pm (1 hour lunch)
Location: 36 East 30 Street NY, NY 10016
Price: $395.00 plus $55.00 lab fee
Registration Deadline: April 1, 2008

This course offers an introduction to the dominant printing process from the 1870’s to the 1890’s. The Albumen process is done by coating drawing paper with egg whites and then making it light sensitive in a silver bath. A large digital, film or glass negative is placed on top of the coated paper in a contact frame and exposed with UV light. Its many finicky steps become well worth the effort upon success. The results are handmade prints that rival platinum in tonal range and the use of egg whites produces a glossy surface sheen. The print color is variable from warm sepia to slate gray with gold toning. Participants should be prepared to bring medium or large format glass, film, or digital negatives with them to contact print with the Albumen process. All other supplies will be provided. Limited to 8 participants.

Instructor Bio:
Daniel Levin received his BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in NYC. He is a master albumen and cyanotype printer employed by fine art photographer John Dugdale. His fine art prints have been exhibited and published across the United States and Europe.

The Kallitype and Cyanotype Printing Processes with Brenton Hamilton
Date: Saturday & Sunday, April 19 & 20, 2008
Time: 10:00 am – 6pm (1 hour lunch)
Location: 36 East 30 Street NY, NY 10016
Price: $395.00 plus $55.00 lab fee
Registration Deadline: April 1, 2008

This workshop is an investigation into the expressive possibilities of the Kallitype and Cyanotype. Both processes involve iron-based chemical formulas that create an emulsion. This emulsion is then painted onto art paper and exposed by placing a negative on the emulsion and making a contact print with a UV light source. Kallitype prints have a brown tonality while Cyanotypes are blue. This workshop will cover and demonstrate the techniques and procedures of both methods. Different chemistry formulas, emulsions, coating methods and paper choices will be discussed. Students should be prepared to bring in several of their own images in negative form. Medium and large format B&W negatives, paper and acetate negatives and digital negatives are all appropriate for this workshop. Limited to 8 participants.

Instructor Bio:
Brenton Hamilton received his MFA in photography from the Savannah College of Art & Design in 1992. He is the Certificate Program Director of photography at Rockport College and for 13 years has led summer workshops at The Maine Photographic Workshops. His teaching specialties include B&W craft and Historic Processes and the History of Photography. Brenton's own work is inspired by the 19th century, a principle area of research and inspiration for him as an historian and printmaker. Devoted to the cyanotype, Brenton's embellished images are exhibited nationally and were published in the recent 2005 Columbia Journal. Current projects include OBSCURA, a magazine devoted to contemporary issues. Instructor’s Site: www.brentonhamiltonstudio.net

Wet Plate Collodion Chemistry Mixing: Keliy Anderson-Staley
Date: Saturday, May 3, 2008
Time: 10:00am to 6:00 pm (1 hour lunch)
Location: 36 East 30 Street Floor NY, NY 10016
Price: $250.00
Registration Deadline: April 25, 2008

This workshop focuses on the delicate craft of chemistry preparation for the wet plate collodion process. Participants will learn to mix batches of albumen, collodion, silver bath, developer, fix and varnish that they can take home and use. The chemical formulas for this 19th century process vary widely from practitioner to practitioner and from to manual to manual. This class will discuss the pros and cons of different recipes and various ways of mixing, filtering and storing chemistry. Safety precautions will also be discussed. Students will receive a handout of particular recipes and info on where to purchase the chemicals and equipment needed to shoot the wet plate collodion process. This one day workshop is ideal for beginning, intermediate wet plate practitioners, but we do recommend that you have done wet plate photography in some manner prior to taking this class. Limited to 8 participants.

See Introduction to the Wet Plate Collodion Process for Keliy Anderson-Staley’s bio.

Introduction to Platinum Printing with Carl Weese
Date: Saturday & Sunday, May 10 & 11, 2008
Time: 9:30am to 6:00pm (1 hour lunch)
Location: 36 E 30 Street NY, NY 10016
Price: $395.00 plus $55.00 lab fee
Registration Deadline: April 25, 2008

In this course, participants will learn to make photographs by direct contact printing with Platinum and Palladium emulsions using a coherent, unified approach from shooting to final print. This introductory workshop will give an overview of the process beginning with the visualization of pictures for the platinum process, exposure and development to create a suitable negative and the procedures for hand-coating, exposing and processing platinum prints. Participants will execute the entire process from subject selection to creation of final prints. One goal of the workshop is to demystify the process. Contact printing in Pt/Pd is direct and simple, though learning to create masterful prints can take years of practice. Students will finish the weekend with a basic understanding and experience of the process, ready to improve their skills through practice on their own or in later workshops. Limited to 8 participants.

Instructor Bio:
Carl Weese was born in 1949 and grew up in New Jersey. From 1972 to the present, Weese has worked as a freelance photo-illustrator for editorial and corporate clients. His personal photographs have been widely exhibited in group and one-person shows and he is represented by galleries in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Washington and Virginia. Weese is a contributing editor to PhotoTechniques magazine. He is co-author of the 1998 book The New Platinum Print, an instruction manual on modern approaches to the classic platinum/palladium photographic printing process. Instructor's site: www.carlweese.com

Wet Plate Shooting Studio for Workshop Alumni & Experienced Wet Plate
Practitioners: CAP STAFF
Date: Saturday & Sunday, May 17 & 18, 2008
Time: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (with a 1 hour lunch)
Location: 36 E 30 Street NY, NY 10016
Price: $300 plus a per plate fee (depending on plate size)
Registration Deadline: May 2, 2008

These two days of shooting are for workshop alumni or other experienced wet plate collodion practitioners who would like to use the facilities and wet plate collodion equipment at the Center for Alternative Photography. Participants will be encouraged to bring in still life projects and their own models to do a lot of shooting. We will have at least one camera for each participant. Participants can also bring in their own equipment. If weather permits, there will be opportunities to shoot cityscapes from the roof of 36 East 30th Street. Limited to 8 participants.

*Pre-requisite: Must have prior wet plate collodion experience.

An Introduction to The Bromoil Printing Process with Joy Goldkind
Date: Saturday & Sunday, May 24 & 25 2008
Time: 10:00 to 6:00pm (1 hour lunch)
Location: 36 East 30 Street NY, NY 10016
Price: $350.00 plus $45.00 lab fee
Registration Deadline: May 9, 2008

The Bromoil Process offers a unique way to make your images more expressive. With brushes and inks you will learn to expand your vision. Bromoil is a process which transforms a black and white silver gelatin print into a one of a kind pigment print. The print is bleached to remove the silver and harden the gelatin coating. After soaking in water, the bleached image will accept lithographic inks applied by gently pounding a stiff brush into the print. At this stage in the process practitioners can make prints of any color and as dark or light as they would like. This historic method is the only alternative process where you can use small format (35 mm) negatives to create enlarged painterly prints. This soft, emotive style of printing is wonderful for portraits, landscapes and still life images. Limited to 8 participants.

Instructor Bio:
Joy Goldkind is a fine art photographer who has studied at the International Center for Photography as well as Palm Beach Photo Center in Delray Beach, Florida. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Joy’s work is represented by some of NYC's most prestigious galleries. Her work has been shown in museums and galleries across the country. Helen Harris has reviewed her work for the NY Times. She has also been published in View Camera, Photographer's Forum and B&W magazines.

Instructor’s work: www.johnstevenson-gallery.com/goldkind.html

The Daguerreotype Process with Jason Greenberg Motamedi
Date: May 31 & June 1
Time: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (1 hour lunch)
Location: Location: 36 East 30 Street NY, NY 10016
Price: $450 plus $200 lab fee

The daguerreotype is an image unlike any other; each is unique and elusive. It was the first and arguably the most beautiful form of photography, and yet its technologies are largely forgotten. In this workshop we will learn, practice, and discuss different methods of daguerreotypy with the goal that every participant be able to produce several images, and quickly be on their way to making daguerreotypes on their own. This workshop will use the less-toxic and ecologically-friendly Becquerel development, although we will discuss the basics of mercury development. We will concentrate on the most important and difficult skills: polishing, sensitizing, exposing, gilding, and problem solving. The course will also include a brief introduction to the history of 19th century photographic technology. All supplies and equipment will be provided by the Center.

Instructor Bio:
Jason Greenberg Motamedi is a photographer, daguerreotypist, and anthropologist. He graduated from Temple University with a Ph.D. in anthropology, and has taught at Temple University, New York University and Pratt Institute. He has a profound and deepening interest in visual and photographic representation, seeking to understand and adapt 19th century technologies to contemporary aesthetic, intellectual, and ideological concerns.

Antique Lenses & Equipment Seminar with Geoffrey Berliner & Eric Taubman
Date: Saturday, June 7
Time: 10:00 am to 6:00pm (1 hour lunch)
Location: Location: 36 East 30 Street NY, NY 10016
Price: $50
Registration Deadline: May 30, 2007

In this seminar, we will discuss lenses and the uses of various designs of 19th Century brass lenses and early 20th Century Pictorial, Special Effect, and Soft Focus lenses, especially as they pertain to alternative photographic processes. Various formats will be covered and appropriate focal length lenses for large format shooting will be described. Participants will leave knowing how to figure out what size film or plate a particular lens will cover. Participants will learn how to differentiate between lens designs such as the Petzval, Rapid Rectilinear, Wide Angle Globe, and Diffused Focus. We will discuss how lens design effects the characteristics of the final image and how best to employ different lenses. We will also look at many different Nineteenth Century wooden view cameras. Many antique lenses will be available for examination and for handling. Print samples will be on hand to illustrate examples of images that different lenses produce.

Mammoth Plate / Large format Wet Plate Collodion with Eric Taubman
Date: Saturday & Sunday, June 14 & 15, 2008
Time: 10:00 am to 6:00pm (1 hour lunch)
Location: Location: 36 East 30th Street NY, NY 10016
Price: $395.00 plus $100.00 lab fee
Registration Deadline: May 30, 2007

Learn the refined art of making 8”x10” 11”x14” and 14”x17” ambrotypes, tintypes and glass negatives. This class is much like the basic wet plate collodion workshop but with the added challenge of larger size glass and tin plates. Significant technical problems can occur when shooting this size ambrotype, tintype or glass negative, but the rewards are immense. Photographers who print with alternative processes such as platinum, gum and albumen will be able to make large glass negatives specifically for the preferred printing process. This will be a studio workshop focused on portraiture and still life even though mammoth plates were historically shot outside in the field. If weather permits, there will be opportunities to shoot cityscapes from the roof of 36 East 30th Street. Students must have prior experience with wet plate shooting in order to register for this course. Limited to 8 participants.

See Introduction to the Wet Plate Collodion Process for Eric Taubman’s bio.

*Pre-requisite: Introduction to the Wet Plate Collodion Process or other prior wet plate experience

Private Tutorials

The Center for Alternative Photography offers a number of one-to-one learning opportunities. Private tutorials are ideal for someone whose schedule doesn’t allow them to take our regularly scheduled workshops. We offer private tutorials in almost any of the processes listed above. Some of our past students who have come for private tutorial have had a specific problem or project that they are working on. Most two day private tutorials are $1000 and a one day tutorial is $500