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For BLUR magazine, 2014 will be the Wet Plate Year. We’ll shift our focus throughout the year towards the wet plate collodion process in many ways. In our regular BLUR editions, we’ll put more emphasis on the wet plate section that was already present, but we’ll also find connections to the collodion process through other sections as well. Additionally, we’ll publish special issues devoted to wet plate in a mission to popularize the collodion process and the photographers who practice it. We’re quite aware this old, complex technique will never return to the mainstream – nor is that our goal. Our only wish is to create a body of digital, 21st century work that preserves the beauty of the collodion process, to showcase its intricacies and creativity, and support the wet plate community.
Open from March 20th to September 23rd 2014
For photographers who practice the art of collodion, the most interesting part of the 2014 Wet Plate Year project is the international contest Equinox. The name is derived from the interequinoctial (?) duration of the contest – it will be open between the spring and autumn equinoxes, March 21st to September 21st 2014. The reason for such a long duration is the condition that all photos entered into the competition must be new and unique, created especially for this occasion and never before published. These strict rules are a corollary of the small size of the wet plate community. The members of the jury are likely to already know many of the participants, so originality and novelty is the only way to ensure anonymity of the participants and thus reduce the chances of conflict of interest during the judging process. The interequinoctial period, we hope, will be one of great creativity.
Becoming an exceptional wet plate photographer is as complex and demanding as the technique itself, especially in today’s age of simple an accessible digital techniques. It’s no wonder that the collodion scene is so small – it requires devotion, time and almost a masochistic desire to fail time and again before achieving the wanted result. Wet plate is hard, but the end results can be truly rewarding. However, especially to the layman, the appeal, visual identity and the vintage emotion of a finished wet plate image is often confused with the effects one can easily achieve in Photoshop. This goes to say that in the Equinox contest the difficulty of the process will not excuse average photography. As always, BLUR strives to discover excellence.
What do we mean by average? It’s a difficult term to define, especially in the wet plate context. The process is complex and very susceptible to unwanted effects due to contamination, chemical imbalance, equipment malfunction or simply a combination of all above in unknown, unexpected circumstances. Many photographers try to “play safe” by keeping the wet plate process confined to controlled studio/laboratory conditions, while others risk in trying to achieve creative results out in the field. Some will use tintype shot with a HOLGA, while others will produce huge, 1 m2 works of art shot in a camera van. We value both approaches. Regardless of how ambitious (or seemingly unambitious) the technical aspects of the entered photo may seem, the jury will first and foremost focus on the artistic merits of its motif. Expensive wet plate equipment or extravagant technique does not guarantee better placement. Photography has never been a function of technology for BLUR magazine, but rather the means to convey a message. Equinox will be no different.
Given the specific nature of the wet plate collodion process, the theme of the contest is entirely free and up to the photographer. The accent is on the artistic creativity, regardless of the motif, be it modern or historical, living or still nature. Common sense should be applied, of course – we won’t allow pornographic content (artistic nudes are allowed, but we trust you know the difference) or content that is disturbing in any way (violent, insulting, derogatory towards another ethnicity, gender, religion, etc.).
It’s possible to enter between one and four photos to the contest. Diptych, triptych and tetraptych are allowed, but don’t count as one photo. Each element of a multi-part image is counted and judged as one individual piece of art (meaning a tetraptych will take up all 4 photo upload slots, with each part of the image uploaded separately). But don’t worry – should a photo from such a “project” be selected as a winning photo, it will be presented/published in full di/tri/tetraptych context, together with all other uploaded parts.
For more about the rules and guidelines, please consult the contest rules.
Robert Gojević, born in 1968 in Zagreb, a professional painter, graphic and web designer. Active photographer during last 5-6 years. Married and father of two children.
www.robertgojevic.com
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