Studio Wunderkammera: wet collodion or the allegory of slowness

Based in Strasbourg, Vincent Chaudron uses the wet collodion process, a photographic technique dating from 1851, to create portraits. Each image is created on a glass plate and is prepared and developed by hand without the use of retouching or filters. As a graphic designer, teacher and street photographer, he practises this art at the slow pace dictated by chemistry, far removed from the constant flow of images. “Taking a portrait is a bit like a form of dance: there’s the person taking the photo and the person posing,” he says.

Wet collodion: chemistry from another century

Studio Wunderkammera

Wet collodion belongs to the golden age of early photographic portraits. Developed in 1851 by the British photographer Frederick Scott Archer, it produced images of unprecedented precision before being replaced by faster processes. Today, a few enthusiasts are reviving the technique. Its strength lies in the material itself: the silver salt that reacts with the collodion has a physical presence on the plate, creating a metallic depth. “The material used – silver – has a luminous and somewhat noble quality,” explains the photographer.

Another distinctive feature is that the plate’s sensitivity remains very low at around 1–2 ISO, whereas standard film ranges from 200–3,200 ISO. This low sensitivity makes the wet collodion process the sharpest and most defined ever achieved. Each plate is unique, prepared by hand and sensitised in a silver nitrate bath before being exposed and developed on the spot. No two are alike.

From flea markets to silver nitrate

Studio Wunderkammera

Vincent Chaudron’s connection with the visual arts dates back to his studies in Applied Arts in Strasbourg, followed by a BTS in Visual Communication, specialising in Graphic Design and Advertising. Around this time, he started taking photographs using digital cameras. An avid visitor to flea markets, he developed a taste for antiques, and very quickly became interested in photographic equipment and the craft itself. He moved on to film photography, followed by Polaroid and even older processes.

Photography took centre stage again during lockdown, when his day job came to a halt. He turned to street photography, which he still practises today, before stumbling across the wet collodion process while scrolling through a news feed. He says that algorithms sometimes lead you back to things that had always been there. He realised straight away that this was the process for him. Today, Vincent Chaudron divides his time between photography, a bar-restaurant of which he is a co-owner, and graphic design classes.

Slowing down, bucking the trend of his time

Studio Wunderkammera

Vincent Chaudron has made slowness his guiding principle under the banner of Studio Wunderkammera, a name combining the German cabinet of curiosities, the Wunderkammer, and the camera.

“With the development of AI and the overproduction of images, taking the time to create an image is a way of going against the grain,” he explains.

The wet collodion process dictates this pace. The plate must be prepared at the moment the shot is taken because the emulsion must remain wet. The process involves welcoming the model, working with the light and framing the shot with the view camera. This is followed by a trip to and from the darkroom, where the glass plate is cleaned, the collodion is poured onto it and it is immersed in a silver nitrate bath. Then the plate is slid into the frame, the shot is taken and the image is developed using chemicals. The only concession to modernity is the use of powerful flashes to compensate for the lack of ultraviolet light, to which the process remains sensitive.

Seeking the true face

Studio Wunderkammera

He admits to a reluctance towards posed portraits, despite also practising street photography. At every session, he therefore seeks out the most natural expression possible, even if it means guiding the subject towards a touch of restraint or, conversely, a touch of excess. A silent dialogue ensues, in which the photographer gauges what he perceives in the person opposite him.

This unhurried pace echoes that of photography’s early days. Long exposures explain the reserved expressions in old portraits: it is easier to hold a pose for twenty to thirty seconds with a neutral expression than with a broad smile. Through this patience, Vincent Chaudron aims to achieve something even rarer. “I dare to hope that, through a photograph, we can capture a slightly deeper side of a person,” he confides.

An image made to last

This process can be used with two types of media. When placed on a glass plate, the ambrotype appears as a negative but is revealed as a positive as soon as a black background is placed behind it. The plate is then hermetically sealed to provide lasting protection. On a metal plate — nowadays aluminium — the ferrotype is coated with a protective varnish. If properly cared for, these objects can withstand the test of time; some ambrotypes dating back to the 1850s have survived intact.

Studio Wunderkammer champions this physicality, encapsulating its ethos in the motto ‘every portrait is a ritual, every plate a relic’. Sessions take place by appointment at the studio in Strasbourg. Ultimately, what drives Vincent Chaudron boils down to a few simple things: restoring the presence and significance of the portrait, and capturing a little of the person posing, plate by plate.