Wet Plate Collodion

Wet Plate Collodion is an early photographic process developed in the 1850s that produces detailed images on glass or metal. It involves coating a transparent substrate with a viscous solution called collodion, which contains chemicals to make it light-sensitive. While still wet, the plate is exposed in a camera, then quickly developed with chemicals to reveal the image. This method requires rapid work and precise timing, resulting in sharp, high-quality photographs with rich detail and tonal range. It was popular for portraits and landscapes before being replaced by more convenient film technologies.