• "S" as a tintype. 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on metal. © Paul Alsop.
    "S" as a tintype. 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on metal. © Paul Alsop.
  • "N (braids)" as a tintype. 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on metal. © Paul Alsop.
    "N (braids)" as a tintype. 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on metal. © Paul Alsop.
  • "H" as an ambrotype 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on glass. © Paul Alsop.
    "H" as an ambrotype 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on glass. © Paul Alsop.
  • "M" as a tintype. 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on metal. © Paul Alsop.
    "M" as a tintype. 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on metal. © Paul Alsop.
  • "N" as a tintype. 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on metal. © Paul Alsop.
    "N" as a tintype. 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on metal. © Paul Alsop.
  • "M (boy)" as a tintype. 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on metal. © Paul Alsop.
    "M (boy)" as a tintype. 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on metal. © Paul Alsop.
  • Capture May/June 2017 cover. Image by Paul Alsop. Australia's Top Emerging Photographers 2017 (Overall winner and Portrait category winner). "Manaia", a 4x5 inch tintype, is part of an ongoing series of portraits, "Children of Alchemy", all made with the wet plate collodion process.
    Capture May/June 2017 cover. Image by Paul Alsop. Australia's Top Emerging Photographers 2017 (Overall winner and Portrait category winner). "Manaia", a 4x5 inch tintype, is part of an ongoing series of portraits, "Children of Alchemy", all made with the wet plate collodion process.
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Capture's Top Emerging Photographer 2017 - Paul Alsop

26 April 2017

At a time when digital photography and, primarily, the DSLR reign supreme, it is rare to find a photographic practitioner still fully relying upon the niceties of 35mm film, let alone medium format or large format view cameras. But for Paul Alsop, digital's inability to reproduce the aesthetic of those photographers that inspired him, coupled with a love for the slower and more intimate portrait process, the age-old technique of wet plate portraiture has been his saving grace. Originally inspired by Richard Avedon's series, In the American West, Alsop has fully embraced the wet plate collodion process to build a portfolio of pictures that instantly stand out against today’s sea of instantaneous imagery.

"H" as an ambrotype 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on glass. © Paul Alsop.

A self-taught practitioner, Alsop first picked up a camera around 15 years ago with the intention of being able to show off his coral reef tank with an online community. Frustrated with digital photography, he moved on to film and black-and-white darkroom printing techniques, but it wasn’t until he came across Chuck Close's portraits of Kate Moss that an impetus for a technique change was found. Struck by the "honesty" of Close’s portraits, Alsop felt a compulsion to be able to produce portraits that reflected a similar honesty.

"S" as a tintype. 4 x 5 inch direct positive, wet plate collodion on metal. © Paul Alsop.

Working full-time as a GP, it's only over the last four to five years that his photography has benefitted from a far more dedicated effort. Alsop has since exhibited throughout New Zealand and has been featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, PDN and PetaPixel.

In 2017, Alsop was named overall winner of Australia's Top Emerging Photographers 2017. Having won the Portrait category, 175 additional votes were cast by the judges who were asked to rate their top five favourite category winner portfolios.

www.paulalsop.com