Making the Traditional Wet Plate Camera

Making the Traditional Wet Plate Camera: Suitable for Wet Plate Collodion, Dry Plate, or Daguerreotype Photography

by Ty Guillory

From the basics to more advanced techniques on building a historically-correct bellows camera for plate photography.

About the book

130 pages
Books will be shipped in water-resistant plastic bags and cardboard book shipping box.

Introduction from Ty Guillory:

A very comprehensive book on building a historically-correct bellows camera for plate photography. It takes you through all the basic stages of the base, standards, bellows, plate holder, inserts, etc; and also touches upon other aspects such as folding tailboard, rise/fall, tilt, and swing. 3D diagrams and color photos help you to visualize the process.

The book follows along with the build of a 5″x7″ camera. Also included are the critical measurements for cameras from half plate up to 8×10.

I aim this book to the experienced woodworker who is familiar with some traditional joinery. Some of the joinery such as the hand-cut dovetails may be substituted with box joints or finger joints. Mitered spline joints may be used in place of the mortise & tenon joints used in the books. Though aimed at the experienced woodcrafter, I feel that those with limited experience may be able modify the methods and techniques to fit their needs.

Measurements are listed in mm at the bottom of each page and the diagrams are repeated in mm in the rear of the book.

About Ty Guillory

Ty Guillory began building cameras for his own journey into wet plate collodion photography. After experimenting with different designs and format sizes, he made the decision to supply other photographers with wet plate cameras. Honing his woodworking skills on those early cameras, he began making cameras for some of world’s best collodion photographers and has shipped his cameras all over the globe. Ty’s work has been featured in numerous printed publications and television programs.