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Connected – a 5 minute wet plate exposure with 7000 km distance between us

Posted on November 11, 2020November 11, 2020 By Markus 12 Comments on Connected – a 5 minute wet plate exposure with 7000 km distance between us

click or scroll down for the English version

English version

Connected – a wet plate art project about the bonds of friendship
with Shane Balkowitsch


This is not about a technical perfect wet plate. This is about building connections from thousand miles away. Overcoming obstacles and being there for each other.

This 5-minute exposure captured more than just an image, it’s a short movie where the plate captured our thoughts and movements. Thanks to Shane Balkowitsch to be a part of it.

We couldn’t do a lot of things because of the pandemic, but I won’t let this get me down.
I also didn’t want to wait for some things I wanted to do. That’s when I came up with the idea to do things differently. With that I finally could meet Shane in a more direct way and we also were able to shoot a wet plate together. For me it was important to show, that there are always ways to do something. The only limits we have are in our head. At this point I want to say thanks to Pro-Digital in Vienna who lent me this wonderful Dedolight light head with the projection kit. This is an amazing tool! Without that it would have been much tougher to make this happen. 

Dedolight head with projector


Darken my studio

First I had to darken my studio, because the tiniest lightleak would be visible in a 5 minute exposure.

I have blinds, but they were not enough. With a 5 minute exposure a tiny light leak could make problems, thats why I covered my windows behind the blinds with cardboard.

darken my stuido
blindes were not enough

Background

I wanted to have Shane’s background in my studio. That’s wehre things got a tricky.

As you saw, I used the projector on a gray wall to not overexpose the background and Shane.

During the test shots I thought for a moment I could use the projector light on me too, because on a digital image I looked as bright as shane. But the wet plate process fairy was against me – The uv light just sees it differently.

Using the projected image as light source – digital test shot
Test plate with projector light

So I knew I needed an additional light source to  get the exposure right.
I have a Hensel spot adapter for a strobe and tried this one first. But with the modeling light the light was to uneven (it’s a 20 years old strobe), it just works with the strobe.

Hensel spotlight adapter

Then I tried it with the light blaster. This is a projector for speedlites where you can mount lenses on it to project images on as a background. But here I had the same problem, as soon as I used a flashlight, the light was to uneven.

Lightblaster with a Canon lens

Then I remembered a workshop where the guy there used a dedolight and that’s when I called Pro Digital and asked them if I can have one. Some days later I went to their shop and Andreas explained all the possibilities I have with the light and showed my also the projection kit. From there I knew this is the right tool. Good to have local shops like that!

my solution, a Dedolight

As soon as I got home, I made myself a gobo that looks like me. A gobo is a Graphical Optical Blackout.

I printed it and then I used a cutter to cut it out.

A tiny myself as a gobo
mounted myself into the Dedolight frame

And with that I could make a projection on myself that does not brighten up the Shane and his background.

Finally a solution with my gobo in the Dedolight projector

Exposure

5 Minutes is very long for a portrait. And yet it was as short as I could get it.

I used my Century 8×10 camera with my Dallmeyer 2b Petzval lens – it’s a F3 lens by the way.

8×10 Century Field Camera with Dallmeyer 2B lens

I could only shoot 13x18cm plates, because the camera would have been in the way of the projector for 8×10 plates (I had to go closer). 

the camera couldn’t get any closer – otherwise I would have been in the way

Using a longer lens would also have been an Issue, because then I would have an aperture of F4.5 or even F6. With that the exposure times would have been twice or four times as long.


Aa you could see in the videos, I set the timer on my watch and released the lens cap with a string that I squeezed between the lens cap and the camera. An then it was only us two and 5 minutes in front of the camera.


Manny of you have seen the apron I am using but only a view know that this apron is from my grandfather who used to have a shoemaker shop in this house.  Thats the reason I like to wear it, because it is part of our family.

5 minutes for a long lasting memory

It was such a great experience and so much fun. I will for sure do it sometimes again. Maybe some people even want to do a portrait like that. It’s a great way to get memories during that time where we have to be at home

Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_1_of_3_Shane_Balkowitsch Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_2_of_3_Shane_Balkowitsch Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_3_of_3_Shane_Balkowitsch Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_art_5_minute_exposure_with_Shane_Balkowitsch Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_art_developing Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_art_facetime_with_Shane_Balkowitsch Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_art_gobo_2 Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_art_project_finished_plate_with_Shane_Balkowitsch Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_art_project_Shane_Balkowitsch_and_me Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_art_project21_Negative Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_art_Shane_Balkowitsch_says_hi Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_art_video_projector Markus_Hofstaetter_photographer_connected_wet_plate_art_with_Shane_Balkowitsch
[Show picture list]

For private wetplate workshops contact me here: http://www.markus-hofstaetter.at/pages/kontakt/
Or book other ones here http://www.markus-hofstaetter.at/pages/workshops/

Fine Art Shop http://www.markus-hofstaetter.at/pages/front_store/

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If you guys want to experience yourself how a tintype is made and own a one of a kind wet plate, please contact me via my website http://wetplate.art

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alumitype, analog, collodion, coronavirus, dyi photography, nassplatte, tintype, wetplate

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Comments (12) on “Connected – a 5 minute wet plate exposure with 7000 km distance between us”

  1. Shane Balkowitsch says:
    November 11, 2020 at 15:39

    A true honor to be involved with you from afar my dear friend. Thank you!

    1. Markus says:
      November 17, 2020 at 23:43

      Thank you for taking time to be with me

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