Wet plate images feature at art show

Work by Paul Alsop

PAUL ALSOP is new on the art scene and already has been asked to exhibit at the NZ Art Show in Wellington, which was held over the weekend.

This is just the photographer's fourth time exhibiting. He says he was very excited at being able to showcase 10 of his wet plate photography series on this "huge stage".

Paul has recently moved to the Bay of Plenty from Coromandel to work at Papamoa Pines Medical Centre as a GP.

With his art hat on, he specialises in an antique photographic process called "wet plate collodion".

Wet plate photography by Paul Alsop.

"Think of any image of Billy the Kid or Abraham Lincoln, as they were taken this way. I basically clean glass plates or pieces of blackened metal, dip them in liquid silver and make one image every 20 minutes with my home build camera," he says.

This photography is unique in that it is made on glass with a home build mahogany and brass camera.

"To be able to do it, I need to have a darkroom within running distance, so I recently converted a beach-hop style caravan into a mobile darkroom."

Only a select group of artists are accepted at the NZ Art Show.

To check out more of Paul's work, visit: www.paulalsop.com