Pan American Tintype Survey
In the spirit of Timmothy O'Sullivan and all other traveling wet plate photographers of 19th century I am going to travel across America and document it as I find it today. This will be a new comprehensive overview American cultural and physical landscape. I will be using the timeless wet plate collodion technique, producing tintypes and ambrotypes that will last for centuries to come. While using this method each created image is completely hand-made and is entirely unique, as no two plates will ever look the same. There is no negative in wet plate collodion - instead the light is captured directly upon a piece of aluminum or glass that just prior to exposure is prepped with collodion and bathed in silver nitrate and then developed before the emulsion has a chance to dry. This requires having a darkroom within steps of the place where the photograph is captured and the darkroom inside The Photo Palace Bus is absolutely perfect for that purpose.
You might ask – why use this seemingly forgotten form of photography today? For me the answer is simple: I chose it because of its easthetic beauty, level of concentration and skill required and distinctive quality of each photograph made. Collodion images are known for their longevity and projected life of a well-crafted plate exceeds 200 years. While changing owners they will delight many viewers who will experience them in exact same form as they left my hands.
While moving across the land I will also educate as many people as possible about history of photography and it's evolution through time. I will raise awareness about the importance of hand-made images and encourage those who want to pursue artistic photography to continue working with traditional methods and use film. To do this I will freely present the small, but comprehensive exhibit featuring over 25 different manual printing styles. I will offer workshops and demonstration in various photo techniques and I will also learn from the more knowledgeable photographic artist I meet, after all – what is life without learning?
The journey starts on June 9th, so as you are reading this I am already on the road, heading north from San Diego to Seatlle before cutting east toward Maine and then, closer to fall, south to Florida.
Help me complete this historic journey – I truly appreciate Your support!
Major Expenses in Need of Funding
• Diesel - this is the MAIN expense. It will take at least $7K in diesel alone to complete this run
• Chemistry and plates - shooting at least 200 plates of aluminum and glass and covering the chemistry needed for that is going to run another $1000-2000
Notice that the goal set by in this campaign is lower that the estimate of just the two major items listed above. Note the absence of food, shelter and any extracurricular activities. I hope that this campaign takes off and that all the expenses of traveling may be covered thanks to Your support.
Other Ways You Can Help
Spread the word! Post this campaign to your favorite social media site, call your local radio and TV station, phone your congressman or congresswoman and talk about this art project to the next seventeen people you see!
Contact me at thephotopalace@gmail.com if you would like to donate some equipment or offer a place to stay - sometimes it's nice to get off the road for a night or two, and who better to suggest neat all-American things to photograph than local inhabitants.
More
To learn more about Anton and The Photo Palace Bus visit the gallery on this site - there is a video and a few pitcures for You to enjoy. As I move down the road I will periodically post updates here, so keep an eye out for those.
Visit the BLOG - there You will find entries and photos from on and off the road, pages dedicated to educational programs offered, construction archives, inspritation and mission and much more. I do my best to keep my audience informed on the progress of the trip by posting updates there a few times a week.
Thank You!
Along with receiving the perks You choose each and every contributor will be immortalized in the Supporters List on our blog - though some can give more than others it all matters A LOT to me and I am equaly grateful for Your support of any size.