My most unusual photo shoot ever. Ambrotype Photography
In this issue we can see how an ambrotype is created in the workshop of one of the best photographers Sergey Romanov.
History
Ambrotype, from the Greek ambrotos - eternal. It was invented by Englishman Frederick Scott Archer in 1851. The peculiarity of the process is that the emulsion based on collodion (cellulose solution in ether) retains its properties until the photosensitive layer is dry. That is, the whole process should take no more than 10-15 minutes. Ambrotype is a negative image on glass, but if you put a dark background under the glass, there is an inversion - the negative becomes a direct, positive image.
Sergey Romanov: ambrotype is not created, it happens
Sergey Romanov is a well-known and controversial person in the photographic community. Not so long ago he was a famous photographer of men's glossy (he has countless covers of PLAYBOY, MAXIM, XXL). Having become interested in alternative photographic processes, he completely changed his creative credo, turning to art photography, and immediately gained the attention of the world audience - in 2015 alone, his work appeared on the covers and pages of art publications BLUR (Europe), Blue Marlin (Ibiza), la Repubblica (Italy), Art Voices (USA), L. I. Art (France), PROFI. Art (France), PROFIfoto (Germany). His work is now exhibited in art galleries around the world.
Ambrotype is about getting an artifact. It is not always clear how chemistry works, what happens to it, why and why. Materials age, behave sometimes completely unpredictably, react to humidity, temperature, etc. Something is interfering with the process. The theory of probability? Or the hand of God?
Ambrotypes aren't created, they happen. Once, it happens. In more conventional film or digital photography, the result is known before the button is pressed. If some of my recent work had been shot on conventional film, the result would have been fundamentally different. There's a gray background and brown fabric, it would all look, to put it mildly, uninteresting. But predictable.
More fun stuff on my instagram and order bread made with love - / irina_krikunenko_
Credits:
Videographer Johnny Smith
/ iliveinthedarkroom
Photographer - Sergey Romanov
/ sergei.romanov.art
https://sergeiromanov.com/essay/
https://boosty.to/darkroomstudio
#Ambrotype #photography #backstage
