Collodion process

Okay kiddo, imagine you want to take a picture of your dog, but you can't use a phone or a camera like we do today. Instead, you need to use a fancy way of making pictures called the collodion process.

Here's how it works: first, you mix together a special kind of sticky liquid called collodion, with some other chemicals like silver nitrate. This creates a light-sensitive solution that you pour on a piece of glass or metal.

Next, you have to quickly put the glass or metal plate into a camera and snap the picture. This is because the collodion solution only stays light-sensitive for a short amount of time.

Once the picture is taken, you take the glass or metal plate out of the camera and immerse it in more chemicals to develop and fix the image. The chemicals react with the light-sensitive collodion solution to create the picture.

The collodion process may seem complicated, but it was actually a really important way of making pictures back in the olden days. It was used from the 1850s to the early 1900s, before cameras and phones like we have today were invented. So next time you take a picture, remember to give a little thanks to the collodion process for helping make it possible!