Blake Chorley MFA is a Canadian artist and landscape photographer, First Place in the Exposure Photography Festival’s Emerging Photographer Showcase, 2017.

Blake creates one-of-a-kind photographs with his unique capture process, a result of experimenting with the Wet Plate Collodion process created by Fredrick Scott Archer in the 1850s. A lengthy and precise process, wet plate photography requires the use of a light sensitive emulsion on glass plates, created through the mixture of raw chemicals. The result is one of the most archival forms of photography. Traditionally, image size was limited to the size of the camera, as the glass had to be inserted to produce a direct positive image. In addition, the amount of gear and the need for a constant supply of clean water created challenges in accessing remote locations.

Modernizing the process, Blake captures images through a digital camera but approaches each shot as if using film. The photograph is edited to separate the layers of the landscape into individual images. Finally, the images are transferred to sheet film and projected onto hand-poured glass plates in the darkroom. This process creates a one-of-a-kind image. Multiple copies can be made, but because the chemicals are flowed onto the glass plate by hand it is impossible to create two that are identical. Multiples of an image are not copies or additions but are instead considered monoprints.

Let nature touch your soul and you will never need to look for inspiration.