Scully & Osterman - Advisory Board of Photographic Professionals

Mark Osterman began research in historic photographic processes while attending the Kansas City Art Institute in the 1970s and for twenty years, taught fine art photography at George School, Newtown, PA. In his current position, he researches and teaches the technical evolution of photography for the Center for the Legacy of Photography at George Eastman House International Museum of Photography in Rochester, NY.

Osterman's most recent writings on the subject of historic photographic processes include the 19th century chapter for the Focal Encyclopedia of Photography (2007) and a chapter on making gelatin emulsions for the Book of Alternative Photographic Processes, by Christopher James (2008).

France Scully Osterman is an artist, teacher, and guest scholar at George Eastman House. She runs Scully & Osterman Skylight Studio in Rochester, NY, where she also teaches workshops and private tutorials. She is recognized for her knowledge of historic processes, most notably, wet-plate collodion, salt and albumen prints, and for the long list of accomplished artists who have studied with her.

In 1991, the couple formed Scully & Osterman. Together, they co-published the quarterly publication The Collodion Journal (1995-2002), and have given lectures, demonstrations and workshops throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Europe. As artists and writers, their work has been featured in Photography's Antiquarian Avant-Garde, The New Wave in Old Process Photography by Lyle Rexer, Coming into Focus by John Barnier, The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes by Christopher James (both editions), Le Vocabulaire Technique de la Photographie by Anne Cartier-Bresson (2008) and the third edition of Photographic Possibilities, by Robert Hirsch (2009).

Their images are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Art, Houston; The Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City; George Eastman House International Museum of Photography, Rochester; Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin; Museum of Western Virginia, Roanoke; Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca; Michener Museum, Doylestown, PA and numerous private collections. The Ostermans are represented by Howard Greenberg Gallery, NYC and Tilt Gallery, Phoenix, AZ.

For more information, visit their website: http://www.collodion.org.

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QUESTION:

Hi France and Mark, I really like your work. My name is Gabe and Im currently a Photo student at the Art institute of Colorado. I shoot portraits using an 8x10 view camera and make Platinum/ Palladium prints with the Negatives. I want to learn the Wet plate Collodion Process next. Usually I like to use Tungsten hot lights on my subject with the lens wide open when shooting on film. My exposure time is usually about an 8th of a second or faster depending on how close the light is to the subject. My question is first can I use these same lights to make wet plate glass negatives and if so what would the exposure time be? If not, what lights would I need or would my only option be to use window light? Thank You, Gabe

Scully And Osterman's Answer:

Hello Gabe, Good to hear from you. You will find that the exposures for wet collodion plates, particularly negatives, will be much longer than modern films. Given a choice, we would use natural light. In lieu of that, halogen or metal halide st...full answer

QUESTION:

Hello, I learned the wet plate collodion process from Will Dunniway 1.5 years ago. Now I am working on perfecting glass negatives to print in various ways. When I intensify the negatives, how much rinsing time is required between the bleach and the silver solution? I think I was rinsing too much because the silver wouldnt take hold on some parts of the neg, but now I might not be rinsing enough because when my negatives dry, there is a rainbow effect on some parts of the negative and also some brown staining occasionally? Also, how long of a rinse is required after you apply the silver solution? Thank you very much! Roxanne G

Scully And Osterman's Answer:

Dear Roxanne, Your hunch is correct. Washing the bleached plate too much will hamper the depositing step of intensification. Just wash the plate for a few seconds in still water before treating it with silver or sulfide. You should know however, t...full answer