Madi in wet plate

Last weekend I had the opportunity to work with a great model named Madi. She is nice aspiring model, and we had a fun conversation before setting up to shoot. She wants to be a photographer as well, so that is pretty awesome :) We set up under some nice shade trees in a park close to my house to make some wet plate images.

The weather was great. Sunny, low humidity and warm with a slight breeze. Exposures were all where I wanted them to be, about 7 second exposures with 18-20 second developing times. When I can zero in on this combo, it works the best for me, giving me nice rich black tones while preserving the highlight details.

The wind was a little strong, and Madi (like lots of folks trying to sit still for seven seconds) moved a bit during the exposure. So I pulled out my head brace to help her out.

What is a head brace? A head brace was used by photographers during the wet plate era to help steady the sitter. Sometimes the brace was used on the back of the head, and other supports down the back to keep the sitter from moving during the exposure time. Here is a photo of Madi from the side, showing her with the head brace in place:

The head brace was made for me by Paul Muller of Muller's Lane Farm. I sent him some photographs and links to head braces of the 1860's, and he used his blacksmithing skills to make me a modern version of the head braces used during the era. It is pretty true to form, with all the swings and movements in the right places, and really helps keep the sitter stationary during the exposure.

Another photo of Madi with head brace in place:

You can barely see the head brace peeking out from behind her.

I chose a camera angle that would hide the head brace as much as possible, just like the photographers of the 1860's. 

The reason I was so excited to work with Madi, is because of her fair skin, her freckles and blue eyes. The wet plate process only sees the blue, green and UV spectrum, so anything red or yellow usually comes out darker than normal. I was blown away by the way the wet plate process worked with her skin tones:

1/6 plate tintype, 7 seconds. I love the way you can see her hair blowing in the wind.

1/2 plate tintype, 7 seconds. You can just see the head brace peeking out on the left side.

1/2 plate tintype, 7 second exposure.

A rogue thunderstorm blew in just as we were working, so our portrait session ended when the rain started falling. With all the outdoor events I attend, dealing with a little rain is just part of the job :) It still was fun, and I enjoyed it a lot.