RCJ – Thanks for the kind words though there isn’t really any artistry of which I’m capable. Exposure times ranged throughout the day depending on light conditions and what lens I was using. Photographs from my 1870s Darlot field lens require a bit more exposure time than my late 1850s Holmes, Booth & Hayden portrait lens. The photos the good Mr Hunt posted above were all from the Darlot lens and ranged from a 5 to 12 second exposure, those in direct sunlight taking less time, those in diffused/overcast light taking more. Surely it was a great time at the Hunt residence, as always, and hopefully he’ll post the photographs of the buffalo camp he set up in his back yard, though on a different CAS City board as they’re not military in nature. Also, if you haven’t seen the photo of his daughter in period riding habit - posted to the NCOWS board in the old west photograph archive by Shotgun Steve - check it out as Miss Hunt's picture came out pretty decent.
Pitspitr – I don’t plan on going to events to make pictures, wetplate photography is just a hobby for me and I do it for fun when I have time. Were I to come to a muster I’d want to camp and do some shooting (guns, not the big camera) with all the assembled pards and have a fun time. However, there are a bunch of guys I know of that do wetplate photography for a living who might be interested in coming just to make period pictures. Perhaps an option for next year is to invite one of my ACW pards to a muster to make period photographs for you guys. This pard has seen my setup and how I use it and he’s putting together his own period photographer’s impression. His intent is to do wetplate photography as a side business and would likely be interested in supporting a GAF shoot. We’ll see how his efforts turn out. If he’s up and running and making good & consistent photographs he might be keen to come out to a GAF muster with a period wetplate photography set up. I’ll keep you posted.
Brass