Virtual Associate Bill Hao

BILL HAO

Rocky Mountains on Wetplate Collodion 01

Size and Material: 32X48inch Transparent glass plate

Process: Wetplate Collodion Process

Price:
CAD$500 for a paper print in 16X20inch, no frame

CAD$30000 for original glass plate work, which is unique

Bio and Artist Statement

Bill Hao made an Ultra Large Format Camera (32 X 48inch) that uses the Wetplate Collodion Process. He converted a 50 seats tour bus into an off grid mobile darkroom because this process requires immediate development after exposure. It should be noted here that he is not creating a typical photo by current standards. These aren't jpegs. They're not even negatives on film. They are a solid, transparent glass plates the same size as the camera.

The wetplate collodion process was invented in the 1850s. It is direct photography by camera; the negative is the final work. It can't be enlarged or printed, so every work is unique. The bigger negative need bigger camera.

It is very difficult to get details of sky and clouds because of the wetplate collodion technology characteristic. Bill can do it, wowever, most wet plate photographs you see on the internet lack details of the sky and clouds.

He has photographed the Rocky Mountains hundreds of times over the past decade, He observed how the landscape changes, how beautiful natural features disappear. His collodion glass plate may last for two hundred years, but some landscapes may not: they are disappearing and face severe damage from wildfires, melting glaciers, and tourism pressures. Athabasca Glacier has retreated 1.5 kilometers in past century. Jasper National Park closed due to wildfire damage. In July 2024, the largest wildfire in a century destroyed half of the town of Jasper and 32,000 hectares of forest.
He want used the oldest form of photography to warn the world to protect the precious natural.