Stillness in Time, Wet Plate Portraits of Childhood

As I mentioned in my last blog, my latest project is to photograph children using the wet plate collodion process. The series will deliberately be a collaborative one. One in which the children tell me what they would like and I, as photographer will do my best to make sure they get what they want .. not always easy, particularly if it is something like balancing on one leg or swinging from a tree.

Anyway, last Sunday I started the project in earnest. I had done a couple of children previously and of course my own children but I knew I had a couple of pretty intensive days ahead of me.

So, on Sunday we had some children over to our house. I live in a Victorian terrace house with a very small back yard, very suburban and not a massive amount of space outside of family use. I set the darkroom up in my dining room, rearranging furniture & was ready to go. The children had never seen anything like this and each one of them was so keen to be a part of it, they loved seeing themselves on the plates and watching the magic of it appearing. It was wonderful watching them trying to stay really still, almost trying to out do each other on who stood still the best. All the children here are from three families, so lots of brothers and sisters here.

On the Monday, my friend kindly offered me the use of her garden. She invited our other friends over with her children too. In total there were thirteen children involved, including mine. We didn't get started until gone 2pm so I worked relentlessy for a few hours, making sure each child had a turn & until the rain came down in one massive downpour.

We decided to try again for the Tuesday, so optimistically I left the dark tent up and went home around 8pm. Big mistake. Tuesday was horrendous. The rain came in a torrent, flooding streets and paths and my dark tent. My husband came and helped me put it away, there was going to be no more wet plates that day. I stayed for lunch at my friend's and the kids stayed to play. Around 3.30pm the rain stopped. I was itching, so texted my husband and jokingly asked him to bring the tent back .. he did. So we set up again and worked and worked to get plates of everyone.

It was such good fun although at times challenging. I had a problem with the darkslide and the plate fell out, I carried the camera to the tent and saved it reasonably well. You will see that it is of 'H' with her hair flowing out, damaged and over-exposed .. but somehow it just tells the story more.

On the Monday was had each child wanting to tell their own story. One of my favourite's is of 'L' in the cat costume. I have to admit when I saw it I was worried that it would just be a big black blob and knew the exposure and the background had to be right. I needn't have worried. If I say so myself I love this image. She knew exactly what she wanted and was already in this outfit at least an hour before she sat on her tricycle for me.

Tuesday was slightly different. After 'J' laid down for her portrait all the girls wanted to do this and then when 'E' laid with a bouquet of red roses, all the girls wanted that, some with hair flaying some not. It was wonderful. The boys wanted something more straightforward or fun. 'C' stood out from the crowd with his comedy glasses .. this did make me laugh.

So finally home again around 8.30pm and absolutely shattered with a terrible headache (probably too much ether inhalation) but happy. I have more children lined up for wet plates and I can't wait. They are wonderful. They are inquisitive, deep, bold, shy, individual, the same, and allowing them to stay still in their own world for a few seconds feels magical.