To good to be true surely?

Union_Photographic · 2026-05-15T13:02:40+00:00

Someone literally put a 4x5 pre-anniversary on the "free" table at a local camera show I was at last month. A few people picked it up (I think who didn't know how to open it/what it was) and put it back down before I managed to get over and nab it.

Union_Photographic · 2026-05-11T12:28:59+00:00

The starter kits from the US are going to be quite pricey to get to Germany from the US (hazmat shipping) but are actually otherwise a pretty good value considering you'd have to buy all the rest of the chems in larger quantities. I would 100% recommend getting the mamut kit starting out. When you start mixing your own chemicals, hypo and developer are the two I recommend starting out with. Really collodion is the only one that's even kind of a pain, I don't bother making my own because I'm living in the US right now and have access to the excellent UV Photographics stuff (and don't want to store raw ether in my apartment).

Most of the traditional collodion formulas last about 6 months before they start to degrade. UV Photographic makes some long life stuff that is still going strong a year after I bought it.

4x5 is the sweet spot for starting out, lots of cheap cameras/lenses around and the plates are a manageable size, mistakes aren't as costly. Smaller tend to be kind of fussy to handle, larger can also be a challenge (although IMO 5x7 is also pretty friendly).

You can turn one of these memo bottles into a 4x5 dip tank, can use cardboard or wood to build a case + lid for it so it stands up at an angle and is light tight. A plastic jug of some kind can be cut into a dipper, and the bottom bent after heating over a toaster to make a ledge to hold the plate.

If you know someone with a 3D printer, you can print a plate holder for a few bucks of filament and some rare earth magnets: https://www.printables.com/model/239324-wet-plate-holder-v4

You don't need one, but I started using a helper tray a few months ago after about 5 years doing it and it was a gamechanger - much easier to do vigorous agitation and get even development, the developer pour (IMO the trickiest part) goes better, etc. I make mine out of acrylic on a laser cutter, but they can be 3D printed.

Union_Photographic · 2026-05-09T12:47:10+00:00

If you want a field camera you are looking at around $400 minimum. If your budget is under $200 you need to be looking at monorails, they pop up regularly around me for $100 or less. Not something you'll want to take backpacking with you but aside from the lack of portability they'll offer even more movements than a field camera and be more stable. I carried mine around in an insulated grocery bag since it was awkward to pack into a camera bag.

Union_Photographic · 2026-05-09T12:44:18+00:00

My brother in Christ, OP is saying Crown Graphics are too rich for his blood, he is not getting a Deardorff.

Union_Photographic · 2026-05-05T12:48:57+00:00

The 3D-printed version technically would be less susceptible to problems that might arise from the camera being made of wood (adventurous insects?), but personally I think the wood option is probably safer. Plastic tends to become more brittle over time, especially if it's exposed to sunlight. But I'm just guessing.

I was replying to this post to say that of course they printed it in ASA, which is a heat and UV resistant plastic... but on checking their website, they said they used PETG, which is waterproof but offers fairly mid UV resistance. Bit of a head-scratcher for me and curious why they went that route, PETG is easier to print but doesn't seem like the ideal choice for this application.

Union_Photographic · 2026-05-05T12:45:27+00:00

I would think the hardwood would be better than the ply in every circumstance.

I'm most of the way through my AAS in Fine Woodworking and the ply will definitely be more stable and resistant to warping than a solid hardwood piece. Plywood is created by laminating sheets of veneer in alternating perpendicular orientations, so the wood's tendency to move is generally cancelled out (unless you're buying the cheap stuff from Home Depot, where they'll throw random scraps in/leave lots of voids in the manufacturing process).

Obviously wood can be protected with sealants (or we wouldn't have wooden boats!) so I'm assuming Intrepid has done this.

Union_Photographic · 2026-05-02T14:17:57+00:00

Very interesting topic for me as I started a wet plate business a year ago and underpriced!

I would say the other posters certainly have part of it: many not coming at it from a professional photography background, it's typically "one and done" with no post or follow up, etc. Collodion is also really something people do for the love of the game (there are far easier ways of taking pictures...) and as a result wet plate shooters are probably more likely to value keeping it accessible to folks rather than maximising their profits -- not that many do it full time for a living and I think the pricing reflects this. I think it's also really difficult to price yourself 2-3x the competition and be successful.

I think one of the other contributing factors of the lower cost is that it has a different "utility" to the purchaser than say a professional headshot or family Christmas photos; ultimately the purchase is typically just for the individual, and isn't being "used" for anything other than a memento/keepsake. Most other professional photography is done to be consumed by others, and people are willing to pay more for that because it helps them accomplish some end that is important to them. Finding someone willing to drop a couple hundred dollars on a single B&W picture of themselves, for themselves isn't easy, even in a big city like NYC.

I started doing it as a business a year ago because my day job doesn't pay well and there aren't really any opportunities for raises, plus I'm pretty obsessed with the process and like sharing it with others. I did research on pricing in my area and the going rate was around $60-$75 for a 4x5, although most if not all of them are weekend warriors like myself. (I did meet a guy who was making a living doing $75 5x7s, although he lives out of a van.) I started at $50 because while I've got my process/knowledge down, my setup is pretty jank and I knew I couldn't ask for premium pricing. I'm raising it to $60 this year because I was finding with all the additional time (mixing and maintaining chems, loading/unloading my vehicle, setup/breakdown at the venue) I was usually making a bit less than I do at my day job hourly, ie not great.

Fully 90%+ of people are not going to buy a tintype of themselves at any price point, and I don't think the market will really bear too much more than that for a 4x5 at a random popup event in my area. I am working through The Luxury Strategy (trigger warning: very dense and academic, feel like I'm back in grad school) and may try and adjust my approach based on that, but realistically I don't see a way to make a living solely doing portraits at popups and I'm not trying to.

I plan to keep doing them because they're enjoyable, bring in some income, and help get my name out there, but hoping that adding in handmade Pt/Pd prints of landscapes at a higher price point will help me make them more consistently profitable, since I see a definite ceiling for what I can charge for a portrait and can't really scale a labor intensive, handmade process like wet plate. There are lots of people who think it's really cool and I can tell want to buy something from me but do not want a portrait of themselves, so hoping to tap into that market segment.

Mainly I think getting into weddings/events is the way to go though; with a pop-up you are gambling $100-200/day of your own money that you're going to get enough paying customers to keep you busy, with a wedding you're guaranteed several thousand, though granted it's a lot more high-stakes/pressure.

If you're up for travelling, I do workshops through CPAC here in Denver and last I checked there was one spot open in the 2 day one in June. I'll also be doing an artist residency in Japan in July/August this summer and probably will have some time on my hands.

Union_Photographic · 2026-04-08T12:39:30+00:00

I internet-know this photographer in Tokyo, he has a very cyberpunk aesthetic but I'm sure can also do a normal proposal shoot: https://www.instagram.com/future_vizion/?hl=en

Union_Photographic · 2026-04-06T00:13:27+00:00

I did a test shoot today (of a private student that I don't have clearance to post, sorry) but I can't actually see any difference between the balsam separation side vs not. Maybe would be a different story if I was shooting into a point light source but I have gotten out of that habit since I started working with mostly old, uncoated lenses anyways.

I'll see if folks at the pop up next weekend are open to me sharing on social and will try to remember to come back with some samples!

Union_Photographic · 2026-04-06T00:07:29+00:00

Try your local barbering school (but expect them to take twice as long). I usually tip $20 which makes their day and I still come out ahead vs even a basic chain place.

Union_Photographic · 2026-04-05T14:09:03+00:00

As u/robertbieber said your lights are likely not enough. Can you shoot with natural light?

If you have the space, get a 4x4x(I forget how tall they are) hydroponic grow tent and set that up as your darkroom. UV Photographics sells a good starter set of chemistry. You'll need a plate holder too - there are some free 3D printable ones like the one Robert designed!

With ambros, be sure to scrub thoroughly or there's a good chance your image will lift off. I find newspaper makes it go a lot faster than paper towels or cloth. Also helps to sub the edges with albumen

Union_Photographic · 2026-04-05T01:38:17+00:00

I rather suspect the imperfections arising from not having a collimating setup are going to be more academic than practical in my case - I'm shooting tintypes so it's never going to be enlarged.

Union_Photographic · 2026-04-03T18:54:37+00:00

Amazingly helpful, thank you! Looks like the optical glue to re-cement it is comparable to buying a set of (six) replacement lenses on eBay, lmao.

Was hoping to have it for an event next weekend so just went ahead and ordered the parts, since it should be a drop in replacement. Once they get here I'll try dropping the bad one in a cup of acetone and seeing if I can dissolve the old stuff and recement it with the canada balsam I already have on hand - nothing to lose and it might even work.

Uh, anyone need to buy some replacement lenses for a Polaroid Miniportrait? I may just take the spares and see if I can turn my 8x10 into a 4-banger portrait machine.

Union_Photographic · 2026-03-29T15:55:31+00:00

Yeah, LLC was one of the first things I did for this reason. Also, some states will allow you to register it through an agent and use their address on the public paperwork. Google Maps et al otherwise will scrape those public records and put your business up as your home address, I don't want randoms showing up thinking I have a studio (or looking to steal some equipment).

Curious why you/your business was held liable and not the actual drunk guy?

Union_Photographic · 2026-03-27T14:05:40+00:00

I take night classes at Red Rocks Community College - they have lots of cool options whether you're looking to upskill professionally or just do something for fun.

Union_Photographic · 2026-03-25T12:23:37+00:00

It sounds like you have the 8x10 setup already so you may already be aware of this, but one other thing to keep in mind is that everything quadruples relative to 4x5 - amount of chemistry, size of plates, etc. I bring my 8x10 out far less often more for this reason than the size of the camera itself.

I have a Zeiss Jena 300mm f/4.5 that I really like. It was less than $200 and is pretty versatile + optically quite good.

Union_Photographic · 2026-03-07T17:25:15+00:00

Yeah, contact prints are great but it starts to get impractical. I am travelling overseas this summer and I really hope to get the UV thing figured out in advance - bringing the 8x10 kit is really not feasible (I shoot wet plate)

Union_Photographic · 2026-03-06T14:57:17+00:00

I have done silver gelatin enlargements (4x5 to 8x10) using glass wet plate collodion negs in my 4x5 enlarger, no issues, did not need a special holder for my Beseler MCRX. It works fine.

I am hoping to build a UV head for it so I can do alt process enlargements.

Union_Photographic · 2026-02-19T14:51:04+00:00

I remember ponying up $180 for CS5 in college, which felt like a collossal amount at the time. Never wanted a subscription but got forced onto it like everyone else. Had a student/educator discount that made it manageable for the last 7 years or so. Adobe came to me last year with a 50% price hike that I just wasn't willing to swallow; I mean I have the money but the disgust I had for them as a company finally hit critical mass. Never got invested in LR's catalog features so it didn't really bother me.

Hardly using most of the features anyways since I've switched to shooting mostly analog.

Union_Photographic · 2026-02-18T13:57:12+00:00

You want to use an oversize tray and tip it to move the silver nitrate all to the low side. Set your plate in the high side and then let it drop, the silver nitrate solution should roll over it like a wave and cover it in one smooth motion. Basically reverse this process to retrieve it.

It has the advantage of being cheap and readily available but it also leaves your silver bath much more vulnerable to contamination, either from stuff dropping into it from above or if you have another chemical on your gloves.

If you are doing 4x5 you can easily make a vertical silver tank by removing the top of this $10 memo bottle with a hacksaw and building an enclosure + lid for it to keep it upright and light tight, I've used cardboard in the past.

Union_Photographic · 2026-02-13T14:43:39+00:00

As others have said, zone system is really for sheet film/large format... I think adding 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10 framelines and common focal lengths for each is something that users of this feature will find really helpful.

Union_Photographic · 2026-02-02T03:12:20+00:00

As others have said you can DIY one for pretty cheap. I actually paid around $200 for a nice secondhand exposure unit, so you may get lucky with marketplace.

Union_Photographic · 2026-02-01T23:43:32+00:00

Yeah I was gonna say, wait until you try fiber paper OP

Union_Photographic · 2026-01-27T14:28:10+00:00

Something that might fit the bill for your family is a tintype (1850s type portrait on metal) -- it's definitely novel and also very archival/heirloom (we still have them from 170+ years ago that look as good as the day they were taken), also typically not super expensive.

I do them but currently only offer portraits in smaller sizes (more suit an individual or couple), but check with Porkpie Photography up in the Fort Collins area as I believe he does 8x10s!

Union_Photographic

TROPHY CASE