Daguerreotypes: what a rush!

Posted in Artist's Journal, Daguerreotypes, Photography by Jonathan on the September 6th, 2004

9/6/2004 10:05AM:

I got back from North Carolina on Saturday afternoon with a great deal of knowledge and inspiration in tow. The past week has been productive and relaxing. If you have the slightest inclination towards arts and crafts, I highly suggest that you plan a trip to Penland. I won’t go into the trip at length except to say that having a week to immerse myself in my art has been extremely beneficial.

I’m not sure if I’ll share the Daguerreotypes that I made on the trip or not. I’m satisfied that I was able to make them but I see them more as proof-of-concept than anything else. The subject matter was largely experimental so that I could get a handle on the process (which is fascinating). Photography doesn’t really get more simple than the Becquerrel-process Daguerreotype. The image is made on a silver-plated piece of copper by exposing the plate to vapors of iodine, exposing in-camera (patience is a plus here), developing in sunlight through a deep red filter, clearing in Sodium Thiosulfate, and gilding with Gold Chloride. What other photographic process lets you use a blow torch, honestly?

-Jon

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