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John Keys brings 19th Century process to 21st Century England

Published Jun 1, 2014 | Barney Britton

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John Keys takes wet-plate collodion into modern-day England

Stormtroopers in Chester-lee Street, County Durham, promoting the release of a new Star Wars computer game. 2-second exposure at F8.

John Keys is a UK-based photographer who captures the streets of England's north-east with a 19th Century camera (which he has nicknamed 'Thelma') using the wet plate collodion process. Although long since abandoned by most professional and enthusiast photographers, collodion has come back into fashion in recent years for its unique, distinctly 'old fashioned' look. We spoke to him recently, and you can click through this slideshow to read more about his process, and see more of his work.

Photo courtesy of John Keys

Source: John Keys

Tags: photography

Comments

Total comments: 98

Amazing work.

0 upvotes

Brilliant.

0 upvotes

there is a romantic look to these photos, really are very pretty the light looks amazing.

0 upvotes

I can't help thinking of a time traveling photographer from back in the period when such a process was being used asking someone like the photographer in the article, "why, when you have something that is so much better?"

Many people today look at things that are old and feel that they should be preserved or reproduced when the fair bet is if you could ask people from back in that time if you should, they would likely think you are nuts.

That said, I like the photo of the two young ladies the best.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Nice, an example of a forgotten photographic tool.
Funny... I get some kind of 'timeless' feeling when looking at those pictures. I associate them with times long gone, but they are recently made. This shifts my expectations.
Oh... and it's not about taking many pictures of the same scene to be picked out later.

0 upvotes

If you haven't actually held a tintype photo & observed the process, don't judge it. Don't know the word for the opposite of Luddite. Maybe immature kids who think they know it all. I don't think that the resolution of a 4 x 5 tintype has been officially evaluated, but it's extremely high. Way, way, way beyond what a modern digital camera can produce.
kev

2 upvotes

Why would anyone sculpt from marble when they can get the same visual results with fiberglass so much easier?

Why would someone play an actual wood violin when a modern keyboard will make the same sound without all the horsehair and pine sap?

Why make a painting of something when you could just take a picture and use some photoshop filters?

Why would anyone drive a stinking, inefficient, and unsafe car from the 1950s?

Why would anyone sleep in a tent when there's a handy Motel 6 a few minutes away?

4 upvotes

Why would anyone write deliberately asinine comments when they could just keep their thoughts to themselves and avoid provoking others?

4 upvotes

JamesInCA,

I agree. Why would they?

2 upvotes

Because they have time and money to do it so.

0 upvotes

Unless I get to see physical copies of this and are wowed by the results, I can't see the difference between making these images using an old process and making them using digital post-processing. I mean the end the result.

0 upvotes

way cool - and of course the stormtroopers, too. :-)

0 upvotes

Great work! Some great (funny) comments below here too! :-)

0 upvotes

It's Chester-le-Street in County Durham. Howay Barney.

0 upvotes

Well... Meh. (And it does not matter what he's using.)

Comment edited 4 minutes after posting

1 upvote

When the post is about a specific type of camera and photographic process, it helps if he's using it.

Comment edited 20 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

I like the notion of getting off the ever-faster train we're on today by 15 minutes per photo, meaning there aren't many photos taken and each gets a lot of thought.
That is not to say that it is not possible to do the same with any camera (discipline or thinking before taking a photo), however I do feel there's a miss here in terms of subjects - where are some distinctively 21st century items, like a Tesla car, the London Eye, or (had to search for what's in Newcastle on Tyne) - airport control tower, Gateshead Millenium Bridge, etc.?
See here for some buildings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_and_structures_in_Newcastle_upon_Tyne

Also taking photos of decidedly non-19th-century people (punks, business people in modern suits, kids on skateboards, etc.) would also provide the nice oxymoron the title of this post refers to.

6 upvotes

Love these. I haven't done anything like this since college but when you know what's involved it's hard not to respect the dedication and expertise it takes.

Or we could just look at some more photos of Yosemite taken with a D800 and a 14-24.

7 upvotes

It's always important to understand what's come before. It also helps you better appreciate what you have today.

2 upvotes

He tried to use a typewriter to pay his taxes online. The IRS is looking for him.

5 upvotes

I doubt their jurisdiction extends as far as Tyneside.

12 upvotes

He tried to use a record player to illegaly download music on his rotary phone. The music industry decided to still sue him anyway for the attempt.

Comment edited 8 minutes after posting

3 upvotes

He caused a traffic jam at a major intersection by stopping in the middle of the streeet and posing for the traffic camera. He thought it was a free outside photo booth. Snopes is trying to contact him to verify his stupidity.

1 upvote

Alexander Gardner, credited for taking famous photographs of Abraham Lincoln, came back from the dead looking for this guy. He wanted to take a picture of him with his shiny new full frame DSLR. John Wilkes Booth, conceiling a weapon, decided to join in on the search. His intentions are unknown.

0 upvotes

The USA's Internal Revenue Service may not have jurisdiction in Tyneside. But The IRS (the UK's Inland Revenue Service) certainly does, and is well known for bureaucratic pernicketiness regarding correct formatting of tax submissions.

Comment edited 4 times, last edit 12 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

I'm pretty sure the Inland Revenue was renamed Her Majesty's Customs and Revenue (HMRC) when it was merged with HM Customs and Excise.

2 upvotes

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs...to be very pedantic.

1 upvote

I wonder when was the last time you paid UK taxes? It's now officially HM Revenue and Customs, or HMRC.

0 upvotes

@Fudgington - I should have noticed the clue in the acronym, really.

Comment edited 12 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

@guyfawkes:

I don't pay England any taxes. We settled all this tax stuff at the Boston harbor before, remember? ;)

0 upvotes

@HeyItsJoel LOL! I hear the residents of DC weren't in on that deal though ;)

0 upvotes

@HeyItsJoel.

I seem to remember that story. (:p(

But wasn't it the English living in Boston who did the actual revolting as they objected, quite rightly, to "no taxation without representation"?

0 upvotes

Is the sepia tone the natural color of this process? If so, is the wet plate process the origin of sepia tone in photography?

0 upvotes

So much in these photos. Thanks for posting.

0 upvotes

This morning I downloaded a large set of pics of a Leica IIIf with a 50mm Summicron, my first "real" camera. But, I would not now buy one. To suffer for years as I did in a darkroom day after day, unecessarily, when there are better machines that always and instantly give better results, even though you made your reputation as a monochrome reportage photographer, is like wanting to dress in skins and live in an unheated cave somewhere.

The "We suffered, now it's your turn" mentality of courses encouraging stoneage photography is a sympton of how absurd those who educate our children have become.

Why is it here? To discourage us from visiting the north of England? This is a site for digital photography, for the free, unshackled by a Gitzo and an 8x10
(or 18x24cm in my case!)

5 upvotes

Could it be, they just enjoy diversity and exploration? It must be very satisfying to break down a complex world if motivations into such a simply declaration - "fashion". Please.

3 upvotes

Modern cameras are wonderful and allow everybody to get great photos with little skill and even less effort. But when the process you use is so complex that you can only take a few pictures in a day, it really does force to you make each shot count.

3 upvotes

It's the journey not the destination. Some people actually find futzing around in the darkroom to be loads of fun.

Comment edited 2 times, last edit 5 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Serious work for teaching photography to serious students in a serious school...

4 upvotes

Replace "photography" with "history of photography", and I'll agree with you.

1 upvote

I guess I don't understand why a process that's still currently practiced must be labeled "history of photography." Wet plate is still taught. As a matter fact, each year there are more and more photographers not only using it, but developing, teaching, and selling out workshops devoted to wet plate. Many US cities have opened up "Alternative Photography Centers." Here in NYC, we have a few.

There's no reason to bury alternate processes, b/c it doesn't meet your narrow definition of photography. I think it's great that people are exploring and having fun. And the results can be stunning.

2 upvotes

Τhere are people who can seriously merge/mix/experiment with all kind of photography and they produce great results. It's a matter of talent and thorough knowledge. No talent, no result. A little if no talent , a little if no knowledge, lots of marketing. Lots of knowledge with descent artistic if non an artisan's effort, history...

1 upvote

I've never seen a greater appetite for historical photo processes in students as in my last few years teaching. I think part of this demonstrates that all push forward into the minutiae of digital potentials, creates a natural interest older techniques as a means of contrast. And it is more than just a simple push back. Many pockets of quality work using outmoded methods can be accessed globally. And much of it transcends a vein of chic fetishism of process.

4 upvotes

I've fought pretty hard on behalf of maintaining at minimum a darkroom to offer b/w classes; and this always is a battle against bull-rush pragmatism, particularly given lean budgets.

1 upvote

When will DPR show us masterpieces of somebody taking pictures with camera obscura? It also offers distinctly 'old fashioned' look.

1 upvote

Perhaps you should pocket the notion of "look". Investing in diverse processes can enrich perception, build sophistication and lend some perspective (no pun) in working in all processes.

2 upvotes

In my opinion , the first image could win any annual competition out there - Sony , National Geographic ... you name it . It has it all : the scene , the technique and quality .

3 upvotes

Thanks for posting. Many in the US are practicing wet plate photography, as well as the full range of alternative processes for print out. With exercises like this, it is not simply the final result that counts, but the preparation, thought, routine, pace that goes into the total process, just as it would be using 120 B&W film in a TLR these days.

Comment edited 39 seconds after posting

5 upvotes

Why do we mess up photos on purpose?

Is is called style? Or what?

1 upvote

Sadly, I think you are placing to much emphasis on end aesthetic. Apps and filters can achieve rough visual analogs of the appearances of all photo processes, but the potential rewards are in the intangible development of perception that come in sincerely putting the shoes of a given process on.

1 upvote

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I always try to visualize in B&W when shooting. I know that shooting with a pinhole or Holga does change the image capture process (and thought process). But sometimes I wonder why we do it when the general public seems to just want everything in focus and in saturated color...... ;-)

1 upvote

Yeah, the public, like many protographers, tend toward a preference for ultra crisp and slightly over saturated imagery. And that is understandable; it has quick impact. Your point is a good one. But sometimes I think photographers are a bit too quick to please others in the most obvious ways. Holga - yep, just reduces photo to concentration on composition, maximizing light. Love it.

0 upvotes

Because it (messing with photos) subtract realism. And realism kills abstraction. And abstraction is one of the most important ingredients of art.
By using a modern low-noise, super crisp camera with faithful color reproduction is difficult to overcome reality and come a step closer to abstraction.
That is the reason for the revival of old techniques. Convenience.

2 upvotes

DPR appears for Electronic Digital photography Evaluation. The point that these analogue pictures appear on your computer observe officially provides them digital, which enables them as appropriate for DPR addition. Individually, I love the set. Good job, David Important factors.

http://spybubblez.es/

1 upvote

Istagram the hard way.

7 upvotes

Insatgram: So many brilliant photos there!

Comment edited 28 seconds after posting

0 upvotes

Yeah! Instagram, sorry for the spelling mistake.

1 upvote

DPR stands for Digital Photography Review. The fact that these analog images appear on your computer monitor technically renders them digital, which qualifies them as appropriate for DPR inclusion. Personally, I love the set. Good job, John Keys.

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

4 upvotes

This > Hasselblad + Photoshop

1 upvote

Photo 1: Should be Chester-le-Street

Love the photo of that photographer, timeless!

1 upvote

I love my Hasselblad!

0 upvotes

What DPR stands for again?

2 upvotes

with out processes like this photography would never of become the success it is now and DPR is just paying homage to the past and those who still like to be different.

5 upvotes

Being different is not an achievement.

2 upvotes

Still.. PR is for PR, I understand, but what is D?

0 upvotes

@peevee1

Hmmmm, D, now I wonder. Hmmmmm, Ah! D = Dumb ass?

1 upvote

Not Digital for sure...

0 upvotes

What harm is there in a bit of historical context? It is not as if such an article is usurpting a digital one.

0 upvotes

Waste of the time of their editors, who don't even have time to test digital cameras properly (as they say), like there is something of more interest to test.

0 upvotes

Bet I could mimic this in Lightroom. Just gimme five minutes....

2 upvotes

Feel free. Find the tonal curve for wet plate and the type of lens used. Feel free to share. I wont hold my breath.

Comment edited 37 seconds after posting

13 upvotes

Is that all you need, a tone curve, LOL, give me five seconds!

0 upvotes

It's been 2 hours...

2 upvotes

...and that's what it would be done in Lightroom or Fauxtoshop, a mimic. A faux copy. A fake. A counterfeit. Not real.

1 upvote

No photograph is "real"

Comment edited 1 minute after posting

4 upvotes

Very interesting article. I'd like to see what a modern lens could do on that plates. The resolution of wet collodium should be stellar.

2 upvotes

I find my collodion shots have virtually zero grain to them. They are basically lens limited.

5 upvotes

Looking at the subjects chosen, these could just be old Ambrotypes. Great to bring back this process to the present, so why not choosing contemporary subjects instead of 19th century buildings..? The pictures themselves are pretty boring and uninspiring. Start taking pictures of Tokyo or NY or something, rockets, the plane graveyard in arizona, you name it, then the contrast between subject and medium becomes very interesting.

8 upvotes

Agreed. See what the discipline of wet collodion impresses on other sujects.

1 upvote

Only really works when there is no modern stuf in the images like cars.

0 upvotes

On the contrary : the modern features enhance the effect .
The natural texture is an additional bonus , looks really good .

15 upvotes

I agree. Modern cars confuse the image.

0 upvotes

I love using my wet plate equipment to capture the world in a different way.

1 upvote

Those were really GREAT photos, with magnificent texture !!!!

4 upvotes

+1
Brings back an era.
Thanks DPR and John Keys for these :-)

2 upvotes

Slow news day? This is two film-only items in a row.... ;-)

At least the IR false color in the previous article makes the foliage red, which I suppose adds to the violent content? Here, as davidrm said below, only image 1 (and the shoes in 14) have that anachronistic flair. In fact, the wet plate processing seems a little sloppy; a newly-processed wet plate shouldn't have yellow splotches -- insufficient fixing? At least I didn't have that problem when I tried homemade emulsions back in the 1970s....

I guess my overall impression of both these stories is sadness that using film, and not using it particularly well, is apparently in itself newsworthy now.

Comment edited 3 minutes after posting

2 upvotes

Clearly, you are superior.

4 upvotes

He's a professor. Show some respect.

3 upvotes

Superior? My darkroom technique was never sloppy, but I was far from the most sophisticated about photochemistry. My dad introduced me to custom emulsions for making plates for offset printing, making nameplates (photos on metal), and circuit-board etching. There were lots of folks doing custom emulsions in the 1970s, and even more who made their own "soups" for processing.

Looking at Keys web site, I will say that DPReview didn't pick the most interesting shots. He has some portraits that have more of an anachronistic feel. Still, there are a lot of photographers doing "old timey" things and this just doesn't feel that newsworthy -- especially for a web site about digital photography.

1 upvote

Hmm. It starts off really well with the hint of a paradox between unambiguously modern scenes captured with an obsolete process which defines a past time. But then the photographer seems, by & large, to seek out architectural subjects which are pretty much unchanged since wet plates were cutting edge - in others words, he's seeking out 19th Century England with a 19th Century process, very little 21st Century in there. Even Star Wars is pretty much 20th Century culture. So, without wanting to be impolite, it does indeed seem to be more about technique than anything else. There's a lot more potential in there.

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

13 upvotes

The inclusion of modern artifacts gives us a way to calibrate how prints using old processes impose a look on their subjects, that is really not true to the subject. To human eyes, the tonality and color gamut of the past were exactly the same as today, and not at all like an old photo process.

If collodion has some advantages, it is in the tangible, physical qualities of the print itself, and in the ability to put a dramatically different twist on reality.

1 upvote

"Apart from the camera and the tripod you have to be within five mins of a darkroom (I actually constructed a large darkbox which comes with me) and have access to lots of water, because each half plate requires a minimum of 5 liters of water to process." — Any picture of his darkroom/box?

3 upvotes

form over content. this is just the analog "instagram".

3 upvotes

Good to see people willing to do things the hard way.

Wet plate was the only way in the olde days and an "extreme" photographic collection of wet plates from then is the Holtermann Collection held in Sydney, Australia, http://blog.sl.nsw.gov.au/holtermann/ for info and links.

Amazing things done back then, his largest wet plates measured an amazing 1,36 x 0,95 metres, yes, metres. That's about 53 x 37 inches.

The detail in those old Holtermann plates is superb, basically grainless and limited only by the lenses of the day. Get into zoom mode in a few of them and see the detail.

3 upvotes

I am co-authoring a book on the Holtermann collection of negatives with Alan Davies. It has been very interesting studying the work of the photographers, Merlin and Bayliss (and their assistants) that made them.

2 upvotes

Yup. I have scanned many a 5x7 and 8x10 glass negative. Marvelous detail, tonality, information capture with what would be considered "primitive" lenses but are hardly that.

1 upvote

The magnification required to make a 20x16 enlargement from a 10x8 negative is times two; this would yield only a tiny print from a modern point and shoot. The definition of plate camera lenses did not need to be anything special but they did have a wide field that covered more than the negative in use to allow the rising front and other movements to be used, provided the lenses were stopped down to f22 from their maximum of f5.6 or f8. It was a slow and deliberate process. It was exactly that when I used a 5x4 Linhof with colour transparency film, which had to be sent round to the processing lab to be developed. Only then did I find out if the shot was a good one. I gave up using my 120 rollfim Plaubel because the outfit weighed too much for comfort. Now I use an M9.
Philip

0 upvotes

In the 1875 era Holtermann made (more properly his contracted assistants made) those truly huge wet plates for the purpose of huge contact prints, to show at International Exhibitions of how Sydney was coming along nicely. No enlargers in those days from what I understand.

And Brisphoto, put me in the queue for the Holtermann book!

1 upvote

Total comments: 98

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