Stephan Kotas is based in Bali, Indonesia. He specializes in Wet Plate Collodion process, a historical photography technique from 1850s. It is a unique photography method where a plate is coated with light sensitive chemicals, loaded into a large format camera, exposed and immediately developed in a dark room. The result is a direct positive image (a tintype ) - a one of a kind - object of art. Prior to every shoot Stephan has to prepare his own chemical solutions. Stephan is using a historical wooden 6x8'' view camera and a 150 years old lens to create the unique look of his photographs.
“I wanted to bring the past alive. To revive the charm of 19th century, on a medium that predates film. Blurring the lines between alchemy and photography.”
Stephan has currently been developing a new technique by combining old petzval lens and his antique camera with a digital sensor to capture image thru a ground glass. He’s calling it a “vintage colorized technique”.
If you like the look of my wet plate portraits, you might want to get one done for yourself or your loved ones. You will get to witness the whole process and can join me in the darkroom to see how the image is made.
