Wet-plate photography makes every image a race against time

Oulu resident Matti Närhi, 77, has spent the past decade working with wet-plate photography, a 1850s process in which each image is made by hand and must be captured within minutes. Yle reports that the technique is gaining new interest alongside a wider resurgence in film photography.

When Närhi lifts a plate from its silver nitrate bath in the darkroom he built in Oulu, he has only five to 10 minutes to take the photograph. After that, the plate dries, loses its sensitivity and becomes unusable.

The process is the opposite of digital photography. A phone camera can take hundreds of pictures in a minute, while wet-plate photography allows only one image at a time. Each photograph is unique and requires precision, patience and skill.

Närhi began taking photographs on film at the age of 17 and turned to wet-plate photography less than 10 years ago. He became interested in the method at a photography course held by a community education centre, where the instructor Pekka Homanen introduced participants to the technique.

“I think photography means setting the controls yourself, rather than having the digital camera do it for you,” Närhi says. He also values the historical character of the process and the way the images differ from digital photographs.

A race against time

Wet-plate photography, also known as wet plate collodion, begins with the photographer mixing a collodion solution and pouring the syrup-like substance onto a glass or aluminium plate. The plate is tilted until the surface is even.

In the darkroom’s red light, the plate is then immersed in a silver nitrate bath for three minutes. Once it is removed, it becomes sensitive to light and the clock starts ticking.

Närhi quickly places the wet plate into a lightproof holder and prepares to take the photograph. The composition and focus have already been set, because there is no time to waste. Exposure times can range from tens of seconds to more than a minute.

Immediately after the exposure, Närhi returns to the darkroom and pours developer over the plate. The image slowly begins to appear.

“That is the high point, when you realise that an image is forming. That is what gives the satisfaction,” he says.

Film photography is returning

Wet-plate photography is an extreme example of slow photography, but film photography more broadly is also making a comeback.

In a 2024 survey of enthusiasts by Ilford, which produces black-and-white film, more than 14,000 respondents from over 110 countries described their photography habits. Of those who responded, 71 per cent said they had shot more film than in the previous year.

The renewed popularity of film is not only a social media phenomenon. Film manufacturers have started investing in production again, and Kodak has brought back film products and increased production capacity to meet demand.

Young photographers embrace a slower process

The growth is being driven not by older hobbyists but particularly by young people. In Ilford’s 2018 survey, more than one-third of respondents under 44 were new film photographers or had returned to the hobby. More than 6,800 people from 100 countries took part in that survey.

Photographer and non-fiction author Glyn Dewis says young people choose film photography deliberately and as a response to constant screen time. Because a roll of film contains a limited number of exposures and each press of the shutter costs money, taking photographs becomes more considered and slower than digital photography.

The number of wet-plate photographers is also growing in Finland. Närhi says there were about 30 active hobbyists in the country when he began in 2019. The number is now considerably higher, with young photographers in particular showing interest.

“It feels as if you get to the essence of photography,” Närhi says.

The hobby is not easy. Närhi says that often only half of the photographs succeed. Winter photography is especially challenging because the chemicals and the plate holder must be protected from freezing temperatures.