"Thursday before the storm" by Matthew Kovacs

Source Photographica would like to welcome
Matthew Kovacs to our representation.

Matthew Kovacs has left the digital world of photography behind. Every one of Matthew's beautiful artworks are unique because of the method he uses to develop his photographs.

"I began my journey into Alternative Processes and Wet Plate Photography out of necessity. Often throughout my travels I would be in locations without any electricity for weeks at a time, or at altitudes where modern digital equipment struggles to operate. Those constraints really pushed me to rethink and redesign my whole image taking process, stripping back all the luxuries and concentrating on the bare-bones of photography, essential elements, and where the alchemy all began.

Within that process, I fell in love with Wet Plate Collodion Photography. Creating completely unique, one-of-a-kind images on plates of metal or glass. Using such a historic technique, my main focus and inspiration now lies in fully exploring the Wet Plate Process, taking it beyond its traditional boundaries, and creating beautiful and unique images that the technique has never seen before."

"Guardians of Asgaard" by Matthew Kovacs

The Wet Plate Process was introduced in 1851 by Frederick Scott Archer.
The process involves coating a clean piece of glass with a mixture of nitrated cellulose dissolved
in equal parts of ether and alcohol, this is called Collodion. The coated plate is then sensitised
in a bath of silver nitrate.

The plate is exposed in a view camera while still wet, developed in a bath of ferrous sulphate. Depending on whether you want to achieve a positive or negative image will determine how long the plate soaks in the ferrous sulphate. Then the plate is fixed with sodium thiosulphate and washed in water. Once dry, the plate is varnished with a mixture of gum sandarac, alcohol and lavender to create a glossy and protective lacquer finishto the emulsion side of the plate.

The result is unique. There is only one image that cannot be reproduced.
Please contact Philip Kulpa at Source Photographica to find out more
about Matthew Kovacs work

Philip Kulpa
1A Rose St Brighton, 3186, Australia
+61 3 9530 6059 OR +61 413 279 078
philip@sourcephoto.com.au