THE WET PLATE PROJECT

The Wet Plate Project was produced for Foursquare Outerwear in collaboration with photographer Ian Ruhter. We had been working with Ian for some time and he had been experimenting with the Wet Plate Collodian Process of photography. Simultaneously, we were developing a campaign for the brand based around the idea that snowboarders were modern day outlaws and pioneers, some of the last remaining people living a life against the grain so to speak. For the shoot we worked with Ian to attempt something that had never been done before, to capture motion in a wet plate photograph. A particularly tall order considering a normal portrait in daylight takes 1-3 seconds and capturing motion requires a great deal faster shutter speed. After successful tests in Los Angeles, we took the process to the mountains and after some challenges with the chemicals due to temperature and other variables including an April snow storm, we successfully captured the impossible.

Photography: Ian Ruhter Creative Direction: Studio Remains