Currently on display in the studio are 11 portraits from Mark Katzman's personal project "Tucker and Convention".  Made using the historical wet-plate collodion process, the portraits evoke a sense of the socio-economic foundations of the St Louis everyman.  The subjects are all passers-by photographed on the street in the vicinity of FK's former studio on North Tucker Blvd.
 

The wet-plate collodion process, commonly referred to as Ambrotype, requires the emulsion to be hand applied to a glass plate. The photograph must then be exposed and developed before the emulsion has a chance to dry. For this process to work outside of the studio Mark uses a custom portable darkroom installed in the back of his Suburban. Most subjects stayed for only one single photograph before continuing on their way.

Many more photographs from Tucker and Convention after the jump...

...
Continue reading TUCKER AND CONVENTION - PERSONAL PORTRAIT PROJECT"

For the past year Mark Katzman has worked closely with the web designers at TOKY to develop a comprehensive website devoted to the art of the photogravure process. Check out this beautiful site now at http://www.photogravure.com

FK is happy to finally be moved into our new studio. The new address is 2745 Locust Street, Second Floor, St Louis, MO, 63103. If our moving announcement postcard didn't make it to your desk, you can download the PDF here. We'll have a party in the fall so stay tuned for details!