The first time I saw Emmanuel Ligner‘s wet plate film portraits and still lifes, I immediately fell in love with this technique and those images, raw yet full of nuances and poetry.
Ever since we met, I’ve been working with him several times to create vegetal ornaments for his portraits. I love more than anything those moments of pure creation, it is really stimulating for me to imagine those pieces and see how Emmanuel manages to capture and sublimate them!
Here’s a little overview of these portraits. Emmanuel’s work can be seen in Nantes in boutique Mira and galerie Albane.
What is wet plate photography? This photographic technique using wet glass plates was invented around 1850. Two photographers share the paternity of this technique : Frederick Scott Archer and Gustave Le Gray. The name ‘wet plate’ refers to the mixture of ether and cotton powder used to pour the sensitive emulsion on the glass plate.