Hello all!
The name’s Fredric, and I’m just starting to enter the world of daguerreotypes at the rip old age of 20… haha.
After about 15 attempts, I have finally produced a B-dag of acceptable quality. I’ve attached the image below; please excuse the shoddy photo quality as I am shooting on 35mm-size plates. Capturing a picture of them is hard!
My technique for this one was as follows:
POLISHING – I tried my best by using a clean chamois leather cloth and 91% isopropyl alcohol, utilizing rottenstone and lamp black powder. I then rinsed the plate under tap water and then swabbed it with acetone using a cotton ball.
FUMING – Used a glass jar and plate holder fashioned out of cardstock in total darkness. I fumed it to the first-stage deep magenta.
EXPOSURE – Exposed at EV13 using a Canon T70 camera on a tripod with a 75-200mm manual zoom lens at f/5.6. Exposure time was 3 minutes 26 seconds.
DEVELOPMENT: I used a piece of red plate glass placed about an inch and a half above the plate in a small metal box. I let it sit outside for about 2 hours under a mostly overcast sky.
FIXING: A fresh solution of sodium thiosulfate was prepared and placed in a ceramic bowl. Another bowl was prepared, filled with distilled water. The plate was fixed and gently agitated until all the undeveloped silver iodide was gone, and then twice the time it took for that to happen. The plate was then transferred to the distilled water bowl, agitated gently, and then promptly taken out and dried using an air duster.
Obviously, many things could and should be improved upon in my process. The question is, for a first-timer, was this appropriate? For a plate size as small as 35mm, what tips might you have in order to make the process easier?
Thank you!
Fredric
Attachments:
You must be
logged in to view attached files.