Rocky Mountains On Wetplate Collodion

• Prize
  Gold in Analog / Film/Nature / Landscape, 1st Place winner in Analog / Film
• Photographer
  Bill Hao
• Technical Info
  Wetplate collodion process, Handmade 32x48inch format camera, Goerz Red Dot Artar 47 1/2 inch lens
• Photo Date
  Sep 2024

Bill Hao made an Extra Large Format Camera(32X48inch) and using Wetplate Collodion Process to captures the breathtaking landscapes. He converted a 50 seats tour bus into an off grid mobile darkroom because this process requires immediate development after exposure. These beautiful natural landscapes are disappearing, The Canadian Rocky Mountains are devastated by wildfires every year, In July 2024, the largest wildfire in a century destroyed half of the town of Jasper and 32,000 hectares of forest, there were 57 wildfires burning in National Parks so far in 2025.

Bill Hao made an Ultra Large Format Camera(32X48inch) and using Wetplate Collodion Process. He converted a 50 seats tour bus into an off grid mobile darkroom because this process requires immediate development after exposure. He has photographed the Rocky Mountains hundreds of times over the past decade, his collodion glass plate may last for two hundred years, but some landscapes may not,they are disappearing and face severe damage from wildfires, melting glaciers,and tourism pressures. Athabasca Glacier has retreated 1.5 kilometers in past century. Jasper National Park closed due to wildfire