Check the current part-time calendar to see if this class is running. Email part-time@spao.ca to express your interest in this class! 

Developed in 1871, the historic dry plate process is an important mode of photographic expression that succeeded wet plate collodion, and preceded roll film as we know it. Besides being a fantastic historical study, it has acquired a cachet in contemporary photo-based work.

Students will explore this historic monochrome photographic process in-depth, learning how to prepare the chemistry and pour it onto their glass plates before shooting, how to then load the prepared glass (or ‘plates’) into a large format camera, expose, and develop.

Plate preparation, exposure, format options, processing choices, and demonstration of creating contact prints will all be covered in these classroom sessions and hands-on work in the darkroom. Students will create their own compositions in the studio and work with these images to develop the full expressive potential of their dry plate negatives.