I have a confession to make. I’m a digital native. While this might not seem like a big deal to some, among photographers it’s a distinction. Whether or not you’ve worked in a darkroom tends to shape how you see photography. Since I work on the Found Tumblr, which features archival photographs, I felt like I needed to know more about darkroom and alternative processes. One process in particular—wet plate—has become increasingly fascinating to me. So to learn more, I went to the Penumbra Foundation’s campus in New York City and took an introductory wet plate course taught by Lisa Elmaleh. (Coincidentally, we featured Elmaleh’s portraits of Appalachian folk musicians on Proof last year.)

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