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.<\/p>\n
Moving away from digital photography, Scott has immersed himself in the timeconsuming art of wet-plate collodion photography \u2013 the tintype process \u2013 through his business The Travelling Alchemist.<\/p>\n
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\u2019 wet-plate images, captured at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came across an image when I was on the computer one morning of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and instantly was like, \u2018What is that?\u2019. I\u2019d never seen anything like it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s UV sensitive, I can shoot someone with a few freckles and then a thousand freckles come through. Just about everyone I\u2019ve photographed, as soon as they get the plate, they have a powerful emotional response to what they look like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scott has spent a lifetime creating art as a former stonemason, lead lighter, painter and sculptor but said it\u2019s the wet-plate collodion process where his passion now lies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI bought a 1930s Burke and James field camera from a camera store in Melbourne. The shop came about after
\nI reached a point where I thought I\u2019m going to give this a go. I\u2019ve been doing art my whole life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s only a few people doing it, and I\u2019m the first one in Australia to have a dedicated studio and gallery.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mentor showed me a couple of things early on, but I\u2019ve been teaching myself through doing it, taking lots of photos and making a lot of mistakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cut my own metal plates (5 x 7 inches) and each time I take a photograph it takes around 15 minutes.<\/p>\n
Five minutes preparation, the shot itself is quick and then 10 minutes to develop, clean, wash and process the plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI go into the darkroom and prepare the plate, coating it with liquid collodion.<\/p>\n
I then dip it in a silver nitrate bath for three minutes, once it\u2019s taken out it has a film on it and I place it in a plate
\nholder that\u2019s light tight and that goes into the camera.\u201d<\/p>\n
The modern convenience of digital photography means there\u2019s no need to get to a darkroom unlike wet-plate
\nphotography, something Scott has rectified converting his van into a travelling darkroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I\u2019ve taken the photo, I have to process the plate straight away. I only have I have a few minutes, so I
\nconverted my van into a darkroom. I can drive around and do photos on site.<\/p>\n
Each time I do a photo I never know how it\u2019s going to look until I develop it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s busy world.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t hide, you can\u2019t move around, you have to stay quiet still and people aren\u2019t generally smiling. It\u2019s quite concentrated and interesting watching people sit still.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnlike digital photography you can\u2019t just check it and say I don\u2019t like it, it\u2019s a lot more considered.\u201d<\/p>\n
With gift vouchers, family portraits, weddings, dog portraits and individual portraits available Scott said the
\ntravelling alchemist is a wonderful way to capture moments in time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOften someone will see the photo I\u2019ve taken, and it will remind them of a family member and they\u2019ll burst into tears and give me a hug. This reaction is why I love taking peoples portraits.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information go to thetravellingalchemist.com.au or visit the studio at 17 Hesse Street Queenscliff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 \u2013 the tintype process \u2013 through his business The […]<\/p>\n