Yaum's Photo Diary: August 2026

Monday, August 3, 2026

Leo Tolstoy viewed being human not as a biological given, but as an active moral and spiritual achievement. In works like A Confession, he argued that the sole meaning of life is to serve humanity and that empathy—feeling the pain of others—is the exact measure of our humanity.

3rd Day of Shooting

Sunday, August 2, 2026

More Contrast in Wet Plate

From AI:

To achieve more contrasty results with your wet plate collodion developer, increase the ratio of acetic acid (the restrainer) to ferrous sulfate or slightly decrease your exposure while extending development. A highly concentrated or "hot" developer applied with aggressive agitation will also boost highlight contrast.

Specific techniques and formulation adjustments you can use to tailor your wet plate contrast include:

1. Adjust Your Developer Formula

Increase Acetic Acid: The acid acts as a restrainer. Increasing the amount of 28% or glacial acetic acid in your ferrous sulfate developer holds back shadow details and creates punchier contrast.

Reduce Water: Using less distilled water creates a more concentrated (stronger) developer.

Standard Old Workhorse Recipe (High Contrast):

30 to 45 grams Ferrous Sulfate
30 to 45 ml Glacial Acetic Acid (or 45 to 60 ml of 28% Acetic Acid)
30 to 45 ml Ethanol or 190-proof Grain Alcohol
500 ml Distilled Water

2. Exposure and Development Tweaks (Push/Pull)

Underexpose and Overdevelop: To get brilliant, "dead" whites and deep shadows, slightly underexpose your plate and leave it in the developer longer.

Use a Metronome: Development time is your primary contrast control. Longer development times (e.g., pushing to 18–25 seconds) will aggressively build up highlight densities. [1]

3. Add a Restrainer (Sugar)

Lea's Sugar Formula: Adding sugar (or honey/sucrose) to your developer acts as a powerful restrainer. This allows you to develop the plate for longer periods without the background fogging, resulting in richer, more separated tones.

4. Collodion and Bath Conditions

Aged Collodion: Older collodion that has turned red/amber is generally less sensitive to light. If you use standard exposure times with old collodion, the plate will naturally become underexposed, resulting in a more contrasty image.

Silver Bath: A slightly more acidic silver nitrate bath (lowered pH) yields cleaner, more contrast-rich plates (less prone to chemical fog).

The latest Japanese Ambrotype buy. My collection of these type Ambrotypes is about 6 or 7 now. I find these little beauties fascinating. Who was he, what happened to him. What kind of life did this      little    old man have? Did he have a family? What was his story?                                                                                     

The Ambrotype probably dates to 1870-1890. Meaning the man has been dead for 100 years plus    but   amazingly still lives inside the glass. You got to love the beauty and lifespan of wet plate                               collodion photograph.                                                                                                                                                       