Video: Capturing moist plate portraits with reasonably priced massive format digicam tools: Digital Pictures Assessment

Photographer Markus Hofstaetter focuses on massive format images, together with movie and moist plate processes. We have featured his moist plate collodion images earlier than, together with this text about shooting wet plate collodion exposures handheld and one other one about capturing spooky Halloween wet plate portraits. In the event you’ve wished to strive moist plate images for your self, you could have been postpone by a excessive barrier to entry. If the fee has saved you away, Hofstaetter’s new video about capturing with an reasonably priced massive format digicam could also be of specific curiosity.

For the moist plate course of, you desire a quick lens. Quick lenses are typically costly, though there are some good offers on the market, particularly projection lenses. Hofstaetter recommends the Leitz Hektor 200mm F2.5. It covers 13 x 18 cm plates at typical portrait distances and has a razor-thin depth of discipline.

He mounts the lens to a Mentor digicam. They’re usually reasonably priced cameras and simple to restore. The digicam Hofstaetter makes use of has a curtain shutter and strobe connector. The digicam and bellows might be moved in some ways, making it appropriate for a lot of forms of images, together with structure and close-up work.

Within the video beneath, Hofstaetter discusses the gear he is utilizing, set it up, make minor repairs, use the plate holder and the method of 3D printing particular adapters for the digicam to make use of sure lenses. Close to the top of the video, we go behind the scenes with Hofstaetter on a portrait shoot.

Markus Hofstaetter affords moist plate images workshops in his native Austria and close to Germany. In the event you’re within the space and want to study extra, click here. He additionally affords one-on-one workshops.

Hofstaetter shoots greater than portraits together with his massive format gear. Earlier this summer time, whereas underneath lockdown, he loved photographing local wildlife using a 4×5 large format camera. When you might not consider massive format cameras as ideally suited wildlife gear, Hofstaetter made it work.

To see extra from Markus Hofstaetter, go to his website, comply with him on Instagram and take a look at his YouTube channel.

All photographs courtesy of Markus Hofstaetter and used together with his permission