New Connections

There was no doubt in my mind when I applied for the MFA Course that I would be embarking on a journey filled with exciting discoveries and previously unconsidered directions.  
​
What I wasn’t prepared for though was the numerous connections I would forge of interesting people and like minded souls.  The dry plate workshop at Streetlevel in Glasgow being a prime example.  Not only did I leave with the skills necessary to embark on my own dry plate adventures, I also made three new friends who have kindly shared their wisdom, experiences and spare equipment.  

Last Friday saw me take delivery from one of my classmates the glass plate portraits of myself and his published book of the most evocative pinhole photographs (reminiscent of Sally Mann’s Virginia landscapes).  Another of my classmates is sending me some medical grade glass plates to experiment with and the third I will be meeting in Edinburgh for cake, coffee and professional photography advice.

​Desperate to begin experimenting with my glass plate camera the next connection I was required to fashion was a plate that would attach my camera to a tripod. Such items are hard to source and expensive when you do find them and so I decided to make the piece I required.  

To begin this build I first needed to acquire the screw mount.  Harder than you would think because it is an imperial size.  Trusty eBay to rescue once again and I found an American seller with tripod mounts for large format cameras.  The next hurdle was the 5/16 drill bit.......four shops later and I found a hardware store with old stock.

Well, it's not made of rosewood and is a little rough around the edges but it works!  Dry plate adventures will be happening soon.