Anyone ever done Daguerreotype photography?

[Messiah Khan]

Ive just started watching 'The genius of Photography' (I know im a bit behind here) and was fascinated by the description of Daguerreotype photography (Using solid silver plates to capture the image). Has anyone ever dabbled in this process? It looks amazing, but quite hard and labour intensive to pull off.

 

[Marcel]

Not personally dabbled, but they had some stuff on display at the National Media Museum in Bradford when I went a few months ago.

Fascinating stuff just seeing them.

 

[Chappers]

http://www.instructables.com/id/Daguerreotype-Photographs-the-Old-Fashioned-Way/

You might try this link. The process looks a lot safer than the original method which involved fuming the plate of a crucible of heated mercury. Not a good idea:nono:

 

[W.Smith]

Ive just started watching 'The genius of Photography' (I know im a bit behind here) and was fascinated by the description of Daguerreotype photography (Using solid silver plates to capture the image). Has anyone ever dabbled in this process? It looks amazing, but quite hard and labour intensive to pull off.

Not to mention screamingly expensive: solid silver plates!

 

[Mohain]

Hoodi has. Haven't seen him for a while tho

 

[Chappers]

Not to mention screamingly expensive: solid silver plates!

The plates were silver plated copper... A bit cheaper

 

[Messiah Khan]

Cheers guys

http://www.instructables.com/id/Daguerreotype-Photographs-the-Old-Fashioned-Way/

You might try this link. The process looks a lot safer than the original method which involved fuming the plate of a crucible of heated mercury. Not a good idea:nono:

Cheers for the link. I reading through it now. Although a lot safer than fuming mercury, its still mightely tricky, so im not sure im going to be giving up digitial just yet.

Hoodi has. Haven't seen him for a while tho

Should have guessed that Hoodi would have tried it. Hoodi! Where are you?

 

[Chappers]

If you're interested here is a link to the Neipce web site.

Neipce was probably the inventor of photography, it's just others improved on his initial research.


http://www.niepce.com/pagus/pagus-inv.html

 

[dizzledazzle]

I was amazed at the quality and sharpness of the pics that were done using this technique, i hope they bring out a DVD of the program!

 

[Messiah Khan]

Yeah, the results looks great. Id love to do some long exposure seascapes with this technique. And with ISO .0004, you sure would get some LONG exposures. I could set the camera up and leave it for a week for someinteresting effects.

 

[joxby]

Running in a similar vein, I came across this guy who shoots cowboys's as tintypes, I believe the process is similair.

http://www.robbkendrick.com/

here's how they are made

click-tintype portfolio > click-the process
(slow loader but worth the wait)

They're absolutely beautifull, and you get to play with cyanide.....fablious

 

[Hoodi]

Hoodi! Where are you?

Yo.

It's an interesting process, to be sure. I've not seen the beeb proggy, but there's a crap load of reading to be done around it, no doubt.

Whether it's worth it with a view to actually creating any worthwhile images depends on how masochistic you are. It's tricky to nail, and to be honest I think it's more time and experience that you need to really work at it. I just did some and went "yeah, that's sweet, I have an enhanced appreciation for the work of ye olde photographers now" - I probably wouldn't go back to it, especially as there are a good few other retro-experimental processes which interest me more.

As an aside, MK, did you ever get down and dirty with medium / large format? Much more accesible, and some awesome results to be had there
I spent pretty well all day today printing up some 5*4" negs onto fiber. Swish.

 

[W.Smith]

Yeah, the results looks great. Id love to do some long exposure seascapes with this technique.

I think that would result in a mirror-smooth sea . . .

And with ISO .0004, you sure would get some LONG exposures. I could set the camera up and leave it for a week for someinteresting effects.

You could experiment with an array of ND filters in front of your lens to extend shutter times considerably.

"Boulevard du Temple", 1839/1840. Notice how there are no people visible in this very busy street: they all moved, and so didn't register in this very long exposure (an hour?). Only the guy getting his shoes shined on the lower left stood still long enough to be registered in this Daguerrotype.