Bill Hao - Photolucida

Bill Hao

I made an Ultra Large Format Camera(32X48inch) and using Wetplate Collodion Process to captures the breathtaking landscapes. I converted a 50 seats tour bus into an off grid mobile darkroom because this process requires immediate development after exposure.
I have photographed the Rocky Mountains hundreds of times over the past decade, I observed how the landscape changes, how beautiful natural features disappear. my collodion glass photograph 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 by more than 1.5 kilometers over the past century.
In July 2024, the largest wildfire in a century destroyed half of the town of Jasper and 32,000 hectares of forest.
Jasper National Park was closed due to severe wildfire damage, leading to a massive influx of tourists into Banff National Park. The excessive visitor numbers caused further damage.
The Wetplate collodion Process was invented in the 1850s, It is drect photography by camera, the negative is final works, can't enlarge or print, so every works is unique. I am using a very old Goerz Red Dot Artar 47.5-inch lens and a Carl Zeiss Tessar 1200mm lens this time.
I want to use my Rocky Mountains on Wetplate Collodion series to warn the world to protect the precious natural. through the oldest form of photography.

Website https://billhao.com