I recently had the opportunity to lead a couple of 'Introduction to Wet Plate' workshops in Winnipeg and Saskatoon. I had a great time and met some wonderful people as well.  I can't say enough about the people in the workshops. They were so eager to learn the process, the history and the techniques of the wet collodion craft. It reminded me of my workshop with Jody Ake, when I was just starting down the road of wet collodion photography. Seeing an image appear on the plate is still a magical experience, and being able to share that experience, and to see the eyes of people light up when their first ever wet plate image appears is as exciting as watching the plate itself.

The history lesson	Some of my work, and my 1902 8x10 Century View Camera
Great light in Ian's studio	Fix, the 'Magic Potion'
Cleared image	Looks good!
The 'pour'. Concentration is key!	Pouring the collodion
Counting down the seconds, 15 to be exact	15 second exposure in window light
Jon is a patient sitter	The gang
Winnipeg, day two, wet plate on location	I did a quick family shoot for a friend with the 8x10
It's so freakin' cool!	Happy with the results!
Right out of the 19th century	The end of the shooting calls for a beverage... not saying what it was

I have to give a big Thank You to Ian McCausland. Without his support, studio, and generosity of time, this would not have happened. All Winnipeg photos are courtesy of Ian McCausland.  Also, a big thank you to Jon Adaskin for his support and help in making sure I had all I needed to run the show in Winnipeg. 

The Saskatoon workshop was held at Ancient Spirals Retreat, an amazing place along the Saskatchewan River. I'm not sure, but I think there just might be something special in the works for another workshop there.  You will have to wait and see. I'm sending out a huge Thank You to Catherine Ritchie for arranging the venue for me.  

Arriving at Ancient Spirals	Saskatchewan morning
Saskatchewan sun rising on the wet plate wagon	The teepee
Class photo	Lining up the shot
No fooling around, Catherine breaks out all her PPE	The classroom (photo by Catherine)
Showing the collodion pour (photo by Catherine)	supervising the shot (photo by Catherine)
Watching Catherine varnish an 8x10
Varnishing the plate (photo by Catherine)	Class photo (photo of the photo by Catherine)

And again, thank you to all the participants. I am truly grateful to have had an opportunity to work with such an amazing group of people. Through teaching you, I learn so much!

“Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.” 
― Dalai Lama