Ken Nelson has taught many the art of the Daguerreotype and at the recent symposium in DC he was on the scene again with beautiful plates in hand. In his own words:

I first read the word “daguerreotype” in an article by James Ambrecht in the June, 1973 issue of Camera 35 magazine. Following on that, I’ve been making daguerreotypes since 1976. I’m largely self-taught, but owe a great debt to Irving Pobboravsky for the advancement of my skill. I taught the Daguerreotype as part of the Historic Process Workshops at the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House between 1994 and 1999. Lately, I owe a debt for the advancement of my skill to a particular student of mine, Mike Robinson of Toronto, Canada. My students are often now my teachers.

After a nine-year hiatus since 1999, I have returned to the Daguerreotype with a renewed love. The process is being kind to me, allowing me to pick up better than where I left off. In the mean time my vision has evolved and we’ll see where that takes me, but I still see the exquisite Daguerreotype as my preferred way.