Wet Plate Workshops in The Gallery of Photography

I am pleased to announce another wet plate workshop held in the Gallery of Photography, on the 8th&9th June:

This year, some of my group workshops are provided in the Gallery of Photography, in Temple Bar, Dublin. We had two workshops so far and they turned out very well. As always - lovely and very interesting people, a lot of fun and a lot of chemicals poured away. This is how I like it!.

Here is a few shots and an example of plates made during our first gathering in April (photographs by Stuart Hill)/well done everyone!/:

Wet plate gathering in Killruddery 2

Last weekend I've met with a group of lovely people (Martin, Dermot, Sarah & Cindy/from left to right) to pour some plates in Killruddery. 

What, I think, I like the most about the workshops is watching how the creative people find their individual approach to work with collodion (what sometimes is very inspiring). For example - Sarah brought many different objects to photograph and we also tested her father's old wooden 5x7 camera and tintypes.

Cindy got lost in Killruderry's old stables and sheds discovering interesting requisites. Martin was playing with different patterns and holes created by a specific pouring of collodion and tested his pinhole camera. And Dermot tried a little bit of everything with his own Graflex camera.

It was a great weekend and we've poured away o lot of chemicals. Irish changeable weather didn't make establishing exposure times easy, as usual, but even though we did a lot of nice plates (examples below)

Backstage images on FB: link

photograph by Cindy Morrissey

photograph by Sarah McNally

Photograph by Martin Hughes

Photograph by Dermot Marrey

WPC workshop, Killruddery, 23rd&24th June

Attention! the date of the Killruddery Workshop is changed. 
It is moved on the 23rd and 24th of June.
http://www.facebook.com/events/414328385265945/

2 days, intensive, group of 4, 
chemicals, equipment, manual and lunches provided,

Brief Program:

Day 1, morning

1. Introduction:
History and overview of the process, chemicals, equipment needed,
darkroom set up, organization,
Health and safety recommendations.
Care and maintenance of chemicals. 
Mixing chemicals.

2. Preparation of glass plates, sanding edges and cleaning.

3. Demonstration of the complete process. (camera set up, pouring a glass
plate, sensitization, exposure, development, fixing and washing)

Day 1 afternoon, day 2

4. Practicing, practicing, practising

Making plates by student – as many as you can, 
Individual guidance with the process, trouble shooting, 
work with natural and artificial lightning, 
work with darkbox in more remote areas of the Gardens

5. Demonstration of the varnishing technique. Varnishing.

for more information contact me at:
fabijanczykphotography@gmail.com
0860783053

WPC workshop Killruddery summary.

Although it's already 3 weeks after the workshop in Killruddery I'd like to make a short resume of this event and introduce a lovely group of brave photographers, who decided to take part in this dangerous and exhausting venture :)

This is an ending portrait, so, as you can see they stayed in quite a good form after all this.

my lovely workshop group: Alice, Nick, Stephen an Sally (from left to right)

They worked very hard  throughout the whole weekend. They cleaned a huge amount of glass:

this is just a small part of what was cleaned, they seemed to enjoy it ....

they were blinding themselves with bright lights, trying to sit still and motionless for a loooong time....

they were concentrated...

...very concentrated....

and they were choosing their subjects very carefully...

But sometimes they had enough and were trying to hide....

....well,  'Mystic, awful was the process.'(Lewis Carroll, 'Hiawathas Photographing')...

All in all everything went very well and a couple of nice plates were done. Here is the proof - a sample of their results. Well done everyone and thank you all, it was a great weekend!

Collodion with Marta

On Sunday I met with Marta and we went through the whole wet plate process and did a few plates together.

Marta is a very talented and ambitious photographer and picked up easly all the stages of the process, having a perfect 'pour' (of collodion and developer) from the beginning to the end of the workshop.

Some backstage images:

and the results:

Marta by me:

WPC Workshop

I am pleased to announce that I am organising a wet plate collodion workshop in Killruddery House and Gardens at the end of March. There will be a lot of hard work, and a good fun too, hope the weather will behave.

basic information:
2 days, group of 4,
chemicals, equipment, manual and lunch provided,

Brief Program

Day 1, morning

1. Introduction:
History and overview of the process, chemicals, equipment needed,
darkroom set up, organization,
Health and safety recommendations.
Care and maintenance of chemicals.
Mixing chemicals.

2. Preparation of glass plates, sanding edges and cleaning.

3. Demonstration of the complete process. (camera set up, pouring a glass
plate, sensitization, exposure, development, fixing and washing)

Day 1 afternoon, day 2

4. Practicing, practicing, practising

Making plates by student – as many as you can,
Individual guidance with the process, trouble shooting,
work with natural and artificial lightning,
work with darkbox in more remote areas of the Gardens

5. Demonstration of the varnishing technique. Varnishing.

for more information contact me at:
fabijanczykphotography@gmail.com
0860783053

WPC Workshop :)

Everything happened in Glencree with diligent assistance of my cats :)

Maciej has a background in photography, but his life path moved far away from this profession. However since we met and I took a portrait of him, he kept asking me for showing him the whole process. I think collodion has truly awakened his forgotten passion.

While I was introducing Maciej to wet plate collodion process, Lubor accompanied us with his camera and did this short video, which  I decided to share:

Wet Plate Collodion Woorkshop

This autumn, finally, I had a chance to try the most desired by me photographic technique of wet plate collodion. A few months ago I was inspired to explore this technique having seen a film about John Coffer. As I haven't found anybody giving collodion workshops in Ireland  I decided to do it in Poland. Workshop took place in Izerskie mountains, were organised by Jacek Jasko and lead by Tomek Mielech . I'm so glad I did it !! Great atmosphere, fantastic company and 2 days of hard work till late night. We shoot with 4x5 format on clear glass and on black plexiglass.
Results to follow in next posts.