Wet Plate Photography, Tin Type Photograhy, Analogue Alberta Karmen Meyer Wet Plate Photography, Tin Type Photograhy, Analogue Alberta Karmen Meyer

Diptych Project #27

I’ve been very focused on making wet plates since I finished mixing up all the chemistry late this summer. Wet plate photography is a very slow process, which means I have made very few photographs.

But here are a couple of them from two different, very windy, very cold days at Abraham Lake. These two days were the first time I brought my little car darkroom on the road, and with it came a slew of challenges. But I left with 3 pictures each time, which was enough excitement to keep me going for weeks.

Tin type of poplar trees in Abraham Lake, Alberta. Wet Plate is a historical photographic practice.

SUBMERGED. Feet wet, wind howling. Swaying trees partially submerged in Abraham Lake. Tin Type, Fall 2026.

 
 
layers of tree, grass and blurry lake water sit in front of a ghostly mountain. Tin type taken of partially submerged trees in Abraham Lake, Alberta.

ABRAHAM LAKE. Layers of trees, grasses and blurry lake water sit in front of a ghostly mountain. Tin Type, Fall 2026.

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Diptych Project, Medium Format Film, Holga Karmen Meyer Diptych Project, Medium Format Film, Holga Karmen Meyer

Diptych Project #25

Witches Paddle, October 2025 in Sylvan Lake, Alberta.

Happy first day of Autumn.

Two women dressed as witches stand on the beach with paddleboards. One witch's cloak is flying behind her caught in the wind. Photographed on 120 film with a Holga Camera.

WITCHES WAITING. Two early witches wait on the beach for the rest of the coven to arrive for the annual witches paddle in Sylvan Lake, Alberta. Photographed with a toy plastic camera on black and white film, October 2025.

A coven of witches wade in a frigid lake for a group paddle in Sylvan Lake, Alberta. Photographed with a Holga on Ilford HP5.

WITCHES PADDLE. A large group of witches wade into frigid water with boards and kayakes on a truly cold and windy October day, It is the annual witches paddle and two photos really don’t do this fun event justice. Photogrphed with a plastic toy camera on black white film, October 2025.

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35mm FIlm Karmen Meyer 35mm FIlm Karmen Meyer

Diptych Project #21

Still in the depths of winter, wishing I was here.

A door is partially opened creating the shadow of the sun on a mid-century modern apartment at Ocotillo Lodge in Palm Springs. Photographed on 35mm with Kodak Gold.

FRIENDS TRIP. Ocotillo Lodge, Palm Springs.

Two sunbathers relax on loungers in front of mid-century apartments and a champagne cork pool at ocotillo lodge in Palm Springs, California. Photographed on 35mm film.

LOUNGERS. Ocotillo Lodge, Palm Springs. Looked up from my my book in the shade to see these two synchronized sunbathers and couldn’t grab my camera fast enough. Clours, Shapes, and immaculate vibes.

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Karmen Meyer Karmen Meyer

Diptych Project #20

Black and white film photograph of dad and daughter using a ladder to pick apples in the fall. Photographed on HP5 and home developed.

APPLE PICKING. October 2025. We bought our home in the dead of winter, and were pleasantly surprised when spring revealed two enormous apple trees. For years we have been saying that we will make something from them and this year we finally did.

Black and white film photograph of a girl holding rinsing apples in a large kitchen sink. Photographed on Ilford Hp5 and home developed and scanned.

APPLE PICKING. October 2025. This kid loves nothing more then making a big mess in the kitchen.

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Diptych Project, 35mm FIlm Karmen Meyer Diptych Project, 35mm FIlm Karmen Meyer

Diptych Project #19

A Cuban man wearing a straw cowboy hat and smoking a cigarette sits on his horse and looks directly at the camera. Photographed on 35mm film with a Nikon F100. Developed at home.

THE PEOPLE. CUBA, FEBRUARY 2025. I don’t think that I can begin to understand the nuances of living in a place like Cuba. The difficulties and joys are on an entirely different spectrum. One I keep trying to understand but surely never will.

I was told once that Cubans have three faces; one for the tourists, one for the government and one for their families. I don’t know how much truth there is to this. But it has continued to linger in the back of my mind as I work through the images I took there.

How many of the smiles were joy, how many were a platitudes to keep the tourists happy. We tried hard to leave more then we took from Cuba and it’s people, but honestly I am not sure that we succeeded.

I will never forget the warmth and resilience I witnessed. And recognize that they may not have the choice to be anything but.

Branches reach upward, covered in vines and washed in dreamy light. Photographed on 35mm film and developed at home.

THE PLACE. CUBA, FEBRUARY 2025. A wild witness. To revolution after revolution. To trials and triumphs. A place of true magic, this I have absolutely felt.

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