Travelling Alchemist

In a world driven by instant gratification, where modern technology allows users to take and post images online within seconds; Scott Andrews is reviving an early 19th-century photographic technique.

Moving away from digital photography, Scott has immersed himself in the timeconsuming art of wet-plate collodion photography – the tintype process – through his business The Travelling Alchemist.

Nine weeks ago, Scott opened a studio and gallery in Queenscliff dedicated to this art form after he fell in love with celebrity photographer Victoria Wills’ wet-plate images, captured at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

“I came across an image when I was on the computer one morning of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and instantly was like, ‘What is that?’. I’d never seen anything like it,” he said.

“I didn’t know what the technique was so my first step was to find out. From that point it changed my life; the quality of that one image, handmade, a once off and it had so much depth – almost haunting.

“I’ve since learnt that the combination of the chemistry and old lenses and cameras means the photographs taken in the studio actually photograph slightly under the first layer of skin.

“It’s UV sensitive, I can shoot someone with a few freckles and then a thousand freckles come through. Just about everyone I’ve photographed, as soon as they get the plate, they have a powerful emotional response to what they look like.”

Scott has spent a lifetime creating art as a former stonemason, lead lighter, painter and sculptor but said it’s the wet-plate collodion process where his passion now lies.

“I bought a 1930s Burke and James field camera from a camera store in Melbourne. The shop came about after
I reached a point where I thought I’m going to give this a go. I’ve been doing art my whole life.

“I wanted to have a gallery and studio, set it all up and really sink my teeth into it, I love and am obsessed with it.

There’s only a few people doing it, and I’m the first one in Australia to have a dedicated studio and gallery.”

The process of perfecting his images has been one of trial and error and apart from guidance from a mentor early on, the majority has been selftaught.

“My mentor showed me a couple of things early on, but I’ve been teaching myself through doing it, taking lots of photos and making a lot of mistakes.

“I cut my own metal plates (5 x 7 inches) and each time I take a photograph it takes around 15 minutes.

Five minutes preparation, the shot itself is quick and then 10 minutes to develop, clean, wash and process the plate.

“I go into the darkroom and prepare the plate, coating it with liquid collodion.

I then dip it in a silver nitrate bath for three minutes, once it’s taken out it has a film on it and I place it in a plate
holder that’s light tight and that goes into the camera.”

The modern convenience of digital photography means there’s no need to get to a darkroom unlike wet-plate
photography, something Scott has rectified converting his van into a travelling darkroom.

“Once I’ve taken the photo, I have to process the plate straight away. I only have I have a few minutes, so I
converted my van into a darkroom. I can drive around and do photos on site.

Each time I do a photo I never know how it’s going to look until I develop it,” he said.

Scott said wet-plate photography requires a person to sit still and to be in the moment, a practice that feels foreign to some in today’s busy world.

“You can’t hide, you can’t move around, you have to stay quiet still and people aren’t generally smiling. It’s quite concentrated and interesting watching people sit still.

“Unlike digital photography you can’t just check it and say I don’t like it, it’s a lot more considered.”

With gift vouchers, family portraits, weddings, dog portraits and individual portraits available Scott said the
travelling alchemist is a wonderful way to capture moments in time.

“We have so many photos on our phones and hardly any hard copies anymore. These photos last hundreds of years and I realise now how important these images are,” he said.

“Often someone will see the photo I’ve taken, and it will remind them of a family member and they’ll burst into tears and give me a hug. This reaction is why I love taking peoples portraits.”

For more information go to thetravellingalchemist.com.au or visit the studio at 17 Hesse Street Queenscliff.