I always have been fascinated by photography.
But with the introduction of the digital camera it all became too easy, too predictable …to me.
So I forced myself to go back to the roots of real analog photography.
Not just by making the photograph itself, but by controlling the entire photographic process.

This brought me back to the middle of the 19th century, to the amazing Collodion wet plate process.
And every single day I feel challenged to refine and improve myself.


For my website please visit : www.alextimmermans.com

Alex Timmermans
Holland


"You don't take a picture, it's given to you"

dinsdag 21 augustus 2012

Nr 2 in the "Hat" series with behind the scenes....


Recently i was contacted by Tonny Peeters, journalist working for the local newspapers:
Eindhovens Dagblad.

He asked me if i was willing to participate in an article about wet plate photography.
If i was willing?? LOL, what a great opportunity. Of course i was willing !!
As i am working on a new series it was a good opportunity to join me
during a shoot so he would be able to watch the whole process.
From unloading all the stuff, making everything ready for use, posing etc. All this for just one single plate.
One of his first questions was: why are you doing all this work for just one single plate?
That’s always a difficult question and the answer to that is even more difficult to give.
Well , one has to be a bit crazy to do so, but let’s call it passion. There is no other way to explain this.

During the shoot he contacted some other colleagues who showed up with a large camera!
Well i wasn’t prepared on that.... For me it was the first time seeing a big microphone in front of my face
while pouring a plate. Temperature was already rising fast and the poured plate dried very fast.
I became a bit nervous as i wanted to show them a good plate.
And getting the exposure right at the first plate is always a gamble.
Luckily it came out just great. Not 100%, but it was a “keeper”.
I assume seeing the plate showing up in the fixing stage answered
the first question of Tonny. They were flabbergasted.....
Ferry, my friend, was the model of the day. I must say, i didn’t envy him.
The temperature was about 27 degrees Celsius and he had to wear
a complete wool costume with hat!! Just have a look at his beautiful blue shoes.....
Ferry, MANY thanks for posing. “Hat’s”off
We made 4 plates and the last one was the best.
About the article? Stay tuned as it will be published within a few weeks.


27x27cm black glass ambrotype
exposuretime 2 seconds
Hermagis 300 mm 4.0 petzval

 Just have a look at his beautiful blue shoes.....




dinsdag 7 augustus 2012

"J...s"

A new plate i made tonight.
Thanks to Emiel for posing for this one.
 
 
 
 
27x27cm Clear glass ambrotype
Hermagis 450mm 4.5 petzval wide open
Exposuretime 6 secs.
KCN Fixer

zondag 5 augustus 2012

Fantastic gathering at Early Birds, Lelystad Holland

"The Hero's"

In the early days aero planes were flown by courageous men and woman.
Dressed in leather jackets and only protected by simple goggles and leather caps,
pioneers like Anthony Fokker and Louis Bleriot conquered the skies.
Their aircraft were skillfully made flying machines composed of wood, linen and steel wire.
Whilst flying, those ‘early birds’ wrote history and laid the foundation for modern aviation.
That is the soul I wanted to touch in my collodion photo called "HERO"




This was the last plate  i made yesterday. It came out just perfect.
Beautiful exposure and it contains amazingly details.
You should be able to see this plate in real.

27x27cm black glass ambrotype
Dallmeyr 5d at f32
exposuretime 2 secs
KCN fixer


Yesterday we, Peter van hal, Arjen Went, Ferry vd Vliet, Raewyn Dunn from new Zealand and me myself
had a wet plate gathering at Lelystad Airport.

http://www.vroegevogels.org/nl/home
Peter van Hal arranged that we were allowed to "shoot" some of the most beautiful historical planes i have ever seen.
Peter, many thanks. We had a great day.

These plains, owned by the 92 years old Jaap van Mesdag and
maintained by a crew of the best mechanics.
All of them are as pasionated by planes as we are by wet plate photography.







The owner, Jaap van Mesdag sitting on his beautiful Buick.
Picture made by ferry.




We had a beautiful day with loads of sun. But that sun was also the cause of many problems during the day.
At the beginning we suffered from fogged plates . It turned out that for me it was to much exposure
and Peter struggled with his silverbath.
My first plate showed a blue sky !! I have never seen that before and don't know the cause yet, but i really like the effect.









Me myself strugling to make a decent plate....
Made by Ferry.

 Our other model, Nico. One of the very passionated mechanics.
Made by Ferry.

 Peter van Hal at work.
Made by Ferry.



My friend and the model of the day : Ferry vd Vliet.
Made by me.

Beautiful plate made by Peter van Hal.
Made by Ferry.

 Made by Raewyn.